Teaching to the TOP

258. March Madness for Teachers: Which Strategy Wins it All?

March Madness is here, but instead of filling out basketball brackets, we’re filling out our Teacher Productivity Bracket! 🎉 We’re pitting time-saving, organizing, and efficiency-boosting strategies against each other to see which one comes out on top!
Which teacher strategy will win it all? Let’s dive in!
📌 In This Episode, We Discuss:
🏀 How different organization and productivity strategies stack up against each other🏀 Which strategies advance to the next round and why🏀 The Final Four strategies and how they can impact your teaching🏀 The ultimate winner—which one strategy will help teachers the MOST?
💡 Some of these matchups may surprise you!
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257. Worth It or Not Worth It: Stop Wasting Your Time as a Teacher

As teachers, our time is divided among lesson planning, grading, meetings, emails, prepping materials, and more. But not every task is equally valuable! We’re breaking down common teaching tasks and deciding if they deserve our time or if they’re just distractions.
So in today’s episode, we’re putting teacher tasks under the microscope to ask one BIG question:
🧐 Is it worth it or not worth it? 🧐
As teachers, our time is divided among lesson planning, grading, meetings, emails, prepping materials, and more. But not every task is equally valuable! We’re breaking down common teaching tasks and deciding if they deserve our time or if they’re just distractions.
📌 In This Episode, We Discuss:
🔹 The reality of being pulled in a million directions as a teacher.🔹 The "juice worth the squeeze" mindset—does the time spent match the impact?🔹 Our honest takes on whether these tasks are "Worth It" or "Not Worth It":✅ Displaying student work (bulletin boards, hallways, etc.)✅ Creating seasonal classroom displays & decor✅ Keeping a data binder✅ Sending a weekly newsletter to families✅ Writing comments on report cards✅ Putting stickers on student papers✅ Scrolling Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok for ideas✅ Creating new centers/stations for each unit vs. reusing them✅ Collecting graded assignments✅ Accompanying resources for curriculums
💡 Some of our answers may surprise you!
SUBMIT YOUR TIME SUCKING HURDLE!
We want to know what is sucking up all of your time either as a teacher or just a person. Head over to our website and submit your TSH so that you can have a chance to be featured on the podcast!
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe to iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, We would be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

256. Lessons Learned: How We’ve Grown Since the First Day of School

The start of the school year feels like a fresh notebook—full of possibilities but sometimes a little overwhelming. Now that we’re mid-year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how we’ve grown, what’s working, and what we’re leaving behind. From time management tweaks to major productivity wins, we’re sharing the lessons we’ve learned since that first bell rang in August.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re running on a hamster wheel, struggling to stay organized, or wondering how to work smarter (not harder), this episode is for you!
✨ What You'll Hear in This Episode:
✅ How we’ve shifted from survival mode to sustainable balance in time management✅ The organization systems that have transformed our spaces (goodbye, clutter!)✅ Productivity hacks we’ve adopted, from calendar blocking to template creation✅ How Bridget finally stopped shoving things into baskets (LOL)✅ Why mid-year reflection is key to finishing the school year strong
SUBMIT YOUR TIME SUCKING HURDLE!
We want to know what is sucking up all of your time either as a teacher or just a person. Head over to our website and submit your TSH so that you can have a chance to be featured on the podcast!
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe to iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, We would be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

255. Things We LOVE About Teaching!

Teaching comes with its challenges (hello, never-ending testing schedules and ever-changing interventions!), but amidst the chaos, there are so many reasons to LOVE this profession. With February being the month of love, we’re celebrating the joy, the connections, and the little moments that make teaching so special.
In this episode, we’re sharing our personal Mount Rushmore of Teaching Loves—the top four things that keep us motivated and remind us why we do what we do!
✨ What You'll Hear in This Episode:
✅ How teaching allows us to make a lasting impact on students and families✅ The creative freedom and artistry that comes with lesson planning✅ Why kids' curiosity, innocence, and personalities make every day special✅ The perks of a supportive school community, from amazing coworkers to engaged families✅ The flexibility and growth that come with non-traditional education roles✅ A reminder that even in the tough seasons, there is so much to love about teaching
📢 Call to Action:
✔️ Share your Teaching TSH! Submit it on our website so we can feature it in a future episode.✔️ Subscribe to Teaching to the TOP so you never miss an episode!✔️ Leave a review on iTunes to help more teachers discover the podcast.
SUBMIT YOUR TIME SUCKING HURDLE!
We want to know what is sucking up all of your time either as a teacher or just a person. Head over to our website and submit your TSH so that you can have a chance to be featured on the podcast!
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe to iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, We would be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

254. Setting Up For the Year: The 3 Recurring Checklists You Need

We have often spoken about the importance of having a checklist for completing tasks that are recurring. We've shared our morning routine, evening routines, and lesson planning routines but we've never really gone in depth with the routines that happen throughout the year that can help make you feel successful. 
In this episode, we are going to chat to you about reset checklists for the week, month, and quarter. What you can add to them and how it can help make you even more prepared for the days ahead.
SUBMIT YOUR TIME SUCKING HURDLE!
We want to know what is sucking up all of your time either as a teacher or just a person. Head over to our website and submit your TSH so that you can have a chance to be featured on the podcast!
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe to iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, We would be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

253. New Year, New GOALS: What Do We Want to Get Done This Year?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
It's a new year and that means we are doing what we love best: reflecting and setting new goals that we just might achieve. 
Get ready to plan out what this year has in store as we share our reflections, goals from 2024, and how we plan on starting the new year. 
SUBMIT YOUR TIME SUCKING HURDLE!
We want to know what is sucking up all of your time either as a teacher or just a person. Head over to our website and submit your TSH so that you can have a chance to be featured on the podcast!
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe to iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, We would be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

252. Wrapping Up 2024: Gift Exchange and Celebrating 5 Years of TOP TEACHING!

Bridget and Michelle are wrapping up this holiday season with a 2 in 1 episode. Both ladies will open gifts for their Christmas exchange and answer questions to reflect on the 2024 school year. 
SUBMIT YOUR TIME SUCKING HURDLE!
We want to know what is sucking up all of your time either as a teacher or just a person. Head over to our website and submit your TSH so that you can have a chance to be featured on the podcast!
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe to iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, We would be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

251. TOP Favorites of 2024

Join Bridget and Michelle as they get into the holiday spirit this month by sharing their favorites from 2024. From their favorite podcast to their favorite nighttime snack, you'll find a more personal side.
SUBMIT YOUR TIME SUCKING HURDLE!
We want to know what is sucking up all of your time either as a teacher or just a person. Head over to our website and submit your TSH so that you can have a chance to be featured on the podcast!
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe to iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, We would be really grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find our podcast and they’re also fun for us to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!