Teaching to the TOP

035. Reduce Your Paper Flow with One Simple Change

What if we told you that we have a BIG secret that will help you to reduce your paper flow, keep you more organized, and allow you to gain access to just about anything you may need from anywhere?
Our secret that can completely change how you use paper is to go DIGITAL!
That’s right. Going digital can solve just about any of the problems you may be having. We know that it can seem overwhelming and frustrating at times, but with time, knowledge and commitment, going completely digital can make a BIG impact on your time management, organization and productivity as a teacher. 
And guess what!? We have just the thing to help with that! 
[2:05] We have launched our own digital planner and Google Slides planner. With our love for planning and digital solutions, we have combined forces to develop the *dare we say it* perfect planner. We offer multiple formats, date ranges and we are excited to announce that we have also launched these in a Google Slides format for those of you that are die hard Google fans. 
Be sure to check out OUR STORE to see our planner line and get started going digital today!
 
[6:00] 10 WAYS TO START GOING DIGITAL
 
[6:11] #1: Planner
[9:02] #2: Checklists
[13:10] #3: Student information
[15:57] #4: Meeting notes
[19:49] #5: Student assignments
[24:23] #6: Student resources
[27:22] #7: Exit tickets
[30:11] #8: Permission slips/forms that have to be signed
[30:54] #9: Surveys (parent information)
[32:12] #10: Sign ups
 
CONCLUSION
While it may be a little intimidating to abandon paper copies, we don’t think it would be wise to completely go cold turkey right away. Start small by choosing one or two from the suggestions that we have listed today. As you become more comfortable with these areas, then you can look to add more. 
The trick in all of this is to “let go” of the paper. If you choose to do both then you will only feel more frustrated and overwhelmed. Not to mention that you will have various bits of information in multiple locations. 
We hope that you can begin taking the smaller steps towards joining us in the digital world. 
Don’t forget to check out our planners by visiting OUR STORE. 
 
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034. How to Simplify Back to School (and Save Money)

August and September is Back-to-School season. There are constant reminders and the desire to get new items to fill out classrooms and prepare our kids for heading back into the classroom. However, this season can be busy and costly.  Between purchasing new items for your classroom and for your  kids at home, everything adds up at the end of the day. Your time is being pulled in several different directions all in the hopes that the first day of school goes smoothly. 
But… we think we have some tips to help you simplify your back to school and save money in the process. 
[3:12] Tips for Simplifying Back to School
[3:26] Manipulatives
[9:47] Anchor charts
[16:36] Decor
[23:46] Teacher materials
CONCLUSION
There are many ways to simplify teaching. Your students don’t remember the amount of money you spent or the knick-knacks you purchased for a particular bookcase. They remember the relationship, conversation and the energy you have. Look for ways to be creative and get your students involved. Your students and your pockets will love you for it. 
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!
 

033. Beginning of the Year MUST-HAVES (Even in a Pandemic)

This year is totally different than any of us could've ever imagined. In fact, things may still be changing by the minute. We know that this is overwhelming no matter if you are in person teaching or teaching online; both of these formats have their own challenges. 
We also know that on top of being overwhelmed, you are probably feeling as though you have no control over anything right now, but we can assure you that there are some things that you STILL have control over. When you focus on what you CAN control over what you CAN’T, you will get more done and feel less overwhelmed. 
Remember, done is better than perfect. 
We have 5 Beginning of the Year MUST-HAVES (Even in a pandemic) for you all today! These 5 things that YOU DO have control over and can help you feel overwhelmed and more prepared for whatever is thrown your way. 
[3:26] 5 Beginning of the Year  MUST-HAVES (Even in a Pandemic)
[3:43] Student Login Information
[6:50] Student Checklists
[11:06] Parent Information/ Handbook
[20:31] First Week of School Activities
[24:30] New Student Kits
CONCLUSION
The beginning of the year is stressful, yes, but with a little planning, preparation and a strong focus on what you CAN control this year, you will find yourself feeling a little more prepared and hopefully, a little less stressed. 
HAVE YOU HEARD! 
[28:55] Our TOP Teacher Workshops are now available! We are excited to announce three workshops that are geared towards Time Management, Organization and Productivity. Each workshop is half an hour long and helps give you tangible steps that will help you in becoming the TOP teacher you want to be. You can purchase these individually or as a bundle over on www.teachingonthedouble.com.
Hurry, because these are ONLY available until September 13, 2020!
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!

032. Q&A: Your Organization Questions Answered

We get countless questions regarding how we manage to do it all. From getting things done to managing our teaching careers with our passions and businesses, we share it all! 
In this episode, we are answering YOUR questions, but because we had so many, we have organized them into three separate episodes. This is the first episode has already been released, you can listen to episode #029 to hear all about how we manage our time management.  
In this episode we are sharing your organization questions. We hope that you enjoy them!
YOUR ORGANIZATION QUESTIONS:
What organization system do you have in your classroom that you are most proud of? From mrsdennis_tw
How long has it taken each of you to find the organizational style that fits your needs best? From sjohnson912
 How to utilize a smaller classroom and stay organized. From loladasher
What can I do when I have very little wall space? I think my wall with the most space is maybe 5 ft. From mosaicinthemiddle
How to organize teaching items in an apartment. I can’t get into my school over the summer. From ashley.zundel86
Any tips on how to get started with organizing in the middle of feeling overwhelmed to do it? From pencilsandmagicwands
 How do you maintain organization when tired? From daniel_dadgumheels
How do you stay organized in the middle of the busy day? I find myself just having papers everywhere at the end of the day. From taylor_leigh77
What is a good way to keep up with the flow of papers in and out? From arkitchin
How do you organize copies for the week/weeks out? From ourelementarydays
What methods do you use to organize the resources you used throughout the year? From mswolfe5th
Do you organize materials by month, unit, quarter, etc? From brookeashleyk
How do you organize turned in work and work you need to grade? From mrsfoglesong
What are some systems that you have used to deal with homework turn in? From khellokitty16
 How do you organize student data in regards to formative assessments? From elizabethhaller
What’s the best organization for individual student supplies? From plan2teach2nd
What is the best way to organize holiday decor/activities? From nhopkin1
I need classroom library organization tips! From maddiepizzuti
How do you stay digitally organized? My files are all over the place. From miss.lisajordan
How to organize things related to distance learning? From hel_chris_
Tips for organizing emails? From ecallis74
You have videos or organize lists and Google Drive. How do you organize hard copies? From fed120
CONCLUSION
Organization can be challenging and this challenge can lead to anxiety and frustrations in your productivity. Work on developing systems that work the best for you and ask yourself if you need all the things you currently have. Work to simplify your lifestyle and gain footing for making it through the school year with less stress and more motivation. 
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!

031. The Habits You SHOULD Be Building This Summer

There are those books that we’ve all heard of and read. Books like Twilight, Harry Potter and Fifty Shades of Grey (we know… so scandals!). However, the book that we want to share and discuss today is not as controversial as Mr. Grey, but it’s one that is very common in the category of self-discovery. 
 
To give a short summary, Stephen Covey is the author of the high acclaimed 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This book outlines 7 habits that Covey believes are necessary to become an effective person. Keep in mind that this book, while it helps you with being productive, this book is so much more than this. In fact, this book helps you in all areas of life; think of this book as a way to help you become well-rounded. The book is broken into private victories (habits 1-3) and public victories (habits 4-6).
 
7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE
 
Habit definition: A habit is the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire. Knowledge is the theoretical paradigm (the what to do and the why). Skill is how you do it, and desire is the motivation (the want to do).
 
Habit 1: Be Proactive
 
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
 
Habit 3: Put First Things First
 
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
 
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
 
Habit 6: Synergize
 
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
 
CONCLUSION
 
We loved this book and highly recommend it as a read. If you feel as though you need a little push in order to become more productive but to also to develop a well-rounded lifestyle, this is a must read! If you enjoyed this episode be sure to check out the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. 
 
Grab your copy here!
 
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!

030. Q&A: Your Time Management Questions Answered

We get countless questions regarding how we manage to do it all. From getting things done to managing our teaching careers with our passions and businesses, we share it all! 
In this episode, we are answering YOUR questions, but because we had so many, we have organized them into three separate episodes. This is the first of three episodes and we are going to answer all your time management questions. 
ANSWERING YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS:
Below are the questions we have answered. Even if we did not get to answer all the questions that were asked you are able to gain some informative insight into how we manage our time.
Have you got any tips for not working too much during quarantine? From arrustemaj1
How do you balance your time away from school with school work on extended breaks? From ms.brittnidoyle
How do you find the balance between planning ahead and being flexible? From hawth018
How do you make the best use of your planning time? We have 40 minutes a day. From thecaffinatedcandidclassroom
What time management tips do you have for a student working on his BA during quarantine? From edgar 780
How to spend less time grading but still have a fair and accurate number grade for report cards? From jamiesloan14
 How do I have my students have good time management but still do well in class? From teachwith_mrsguire 
You seem very involved in school and other things. How do you balance it? From ali_malone4
Can you go over creating a schedule for your planning to be more productive? From heathnoel34
How do you make time for your podcast, tpt, etc. businesses on top of teaching? From wajwilliams4
How do you manage to plan time for other obligations besides teaching? Ex: Youtube From teachingwithpositivity
Top tip for 1st year teachers to establish work-life balance? I start my first job in August. From baker_girl_91
How much prep time you have a week & how your contract hours compare to student hour From teachinginthegoldenstate
Do you recommend planning your entire week ahead of time or preparing day to day? From arthur_dynasty
How do you manage your time and stay productive in the summer? From scout1283
What is the biggest time saving tip you can give? From dashielberkofficial
CONCLUSION
Time management is determining the value in return for each task that you complete in a given day. Ask yourself whether the task is helping you towards your goals, and define your time blocks to completing those tasks that get you closer. 
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!

029. Michelle's Week in the Life - Summer Edition

We all have different seasons in life that we experience. This can be both literally and figuratively. As the seasons change, we have to change our schedules and routines. So while we may find a routine or schedule that works initially, it may not always stay that way. Listen to Michelle as you join her in a week in the life summer edition. She will talk you through planning out her days in order to reach goals in her business and on giving back to herself both mentally and physically. She will share some successes and processes for getting things done.  
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!

028. Bridget's Week in the Life - Summer Edition

We all have different seasons in life that we experience. This can be both literally and figuratively. As the seasons change, we have to change our schedules and routines. So while we may find a routine or schedule that works initially, it may not always stay that way. Listen to Bridget as you join her in a week in the life summer edition. She will talk you through planning out her days in order to reach goals in her business and how to do this while having kids at home. She will share some successes and failures for the week and how she plans on getting things done.  
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!