Enjoy Teaching Again | Elementary, Teacher Burnout, Student Behavior, SEL, Classroom Management

Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can give a student isn't another strategy, intervention, or behavior consequence. Sometimes, it's simply being the adult who sees them, knows them, and is genuinely glad they're there.

In this episode, I’m talking about the incredible power of a teacher-student connection—not just for students who struggle with behavior or have challenges at home, but for every child in our classro...

Have you ever found yourself typing “I quit teaching” into Google late at night?

With the behavior challenges, burnout, increasing demands, and everything else teachers are carrying right now, it’s understandable to wonder: Is teaching still worth it?

In this episode, I’m taking a different look at that question. I’ll share a deeply personal story about my mom, a teacher who once tried to talk me out o...

What if your professional development actually left you feeling inspired, energized, and excited to get back to your classroom?

After years of teaching through screens, Zoom meetings, packed schedules, and increasing demands, I’m bringing my Teacher Art Retreats back—and I couldn’t be more excited.

In this episode, I’m sharing what the Overnight Teacher Art Retreat actually is, why I decided the time was rig...

We've all done it — scrolled through classroom set up pictures online and felt that mix of inspired and overwhelmed. Well, whether your classroom looks like it could be in a magazine or not, there are some things that can be added to make sure your environment fosters calm and belonging.

So, in this episode, I'm sharing a few specific things I actually put in my own room every year to do just that!

~Elizabeth

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It's the first week of school, and if you're like most teachers, your rules are already created, even if it's just in your mind. You're ready to establish clear expectations, get your students on board and be ready to implement consequences when needed.

But before you do that, listen in. Today, I'm sharing why rules alone might not be enough to get you through the year — and what actually needs to happen underneath it.

I'll...

Many teachers have gotten stuck thinking creativity is something you add when there’s time. Let's flip that — because creativity can actually reduce behavioral escalation, increase student engagement, and help YOU reconnect with your joy. It's not a bonus... it's a foundation.

I’ll walk you through what happens in a student’s nervous system when you bring movement, storytelling, or visual response into your...

If you've ever wondered whether student behavior is harder now than it used to be — the data has an answer. In this episode I'm sharing two more findings from 2025 and 2026 that confirm what teachers across the country have been feeling. And these aren't fringe numbers. This is the profession speaking.

I'll walk you through what the data is actually pointing at — and why the answer isn't just more behavior management s...

In this episode I’m naming the two things that actually stand between teachers and a classroom that runs smoothly — and neither of them is more information. Because information was never the problem. You know how to teach.  You have the strategies, the activities and the know how.  So... what's missing??

There's a reason why strategies stop working by October.  And a reason why your frustration grows inst...

What if the research confirmed that you’re losing the equivalent of 14.5 school days every year — not to planning or grading, but to managing disruptive student behavior?

In this episode, I’m walking through what the data actually says — including a University of Nebraska-Lincoln study that sent trained observers into real classrooms to measure the time and financial cost of behavior management. The findings...

The Classroom RESET Challenge starts July 21st, and in this episode I'm walking you through exactly what three days together is going to look like so that you can improve student behavior to eliminate teacher burnout!

Come for three days. Leave with more than you came with. And if you want to go further — The Classroom Reset course will be there when you're ready.

Save your spot — it's free, PD hours are available, and ...

If "I don't have time for one more thing" is the thought that keeps you from trying anything new in your classroom, I want you to hear this one before school starts.

In this episode, I'm sharing some of my favorite classroom management tips — not because they're clever or complicated, but because every single one of them fits inside time you already have. We talk about three small, specific moves that address Connection, Reg...

If you've ever tried a new classroom behavior management strategy, watched it work for a week or two, and then felt it completely fall apart — this episode is for you.

I'm breaking down why strategies stop working, and why it almost never has anything to do with the quality of the strategy itself. The real issue is usually where you're aiming. When you're managing the symptom (the behavior) instead of the source, things will ...

If you've ever thought "they just aren't trying" about a student in your class, I want you to hear this one before you step foot back into school.

In this episode, I'm challenging a belief I've held myself — and one I hear from teachers constantly — that a checked-out, unmotivated-looking student is simply choosing not to try. What I've come to realize, in my own classroom and in working with teachers everywhere, is tha...

Have you ever wondered if you're just exhausted...or if it's something more?

In this episode, I'm joined by PTSD expert and resilience trainer Lori Owens as we talk about a question I think so many teachers are asking themselves: How do I know if I'm simply exhaused, burned out—or if my nervous system is trying to tell me something more?

You'll hear practical, teacher-friendly strategies to help you recognize the signs of bur...

Summer is the perfect time to think about next school year—but if you're simply hoping next year will somehow be calmer, you're going to need to listen to this.

In this episode, I'm sharing why hope alone has never fixed classroom management and the three common mistakes many of us make at the end of a difficult school year. I'll walk you through how to stop relying on luck, start learning from last year's challenges, and cre...

If your summers sometimes end up feeling like one big runway into next school year, this one's for you. I'm sharing three resets I actually believe in for teacher summer vacation — and the one thing almost every teacher skips without even realizing it.

We'll talk about why your body needs to catch up before your to-do list does, why a real plan beats a wish every single time, and why your phone might be the biggest thing sta...

What do you picture as a "calm classroom?" Silent rows of kids working quietly? Only the sound of pencils writing or fingers typing? That might happen every once in a while, but is that really the ultimate goal?

Today I'm breaking down the real difference between a calm classroom and a quiet one, and why so many of us have been chasing the wrong picture for years. We'll talk about why calm starts with your own regulation before it ...

You know it's true... maybe you've even said it out loud: Our students have changed!

Honestly, our students' brains have genuinely changed. Not because something is wrong with them — but because the world they live in has calibrated them for constant stimulation, instant rewards, and short-form everything.

In this episode I talk about:

• Why student att...

Have you ever had a student who seemed determined to avoid reading, writing, or participating at all costs?

In this episode, I sit down with literacy expert and conference host Natayle Brown to discuss what's really happening when students shut down in ELA classrooms. We explore the difference between true defiance and overwhelm, why struggling readers often disengage before they even begin, and how teachers can challenge students ...