Who is The Time-Crunched Teacher?

Teaching PE can be super fun….or incredibly soul-sucking. A lot of that depends on whether or not the kids actually enjoy playing the games you come up with. Listen along as 3rd grade teacher, Stephanie Hedgpeth-Lopez, and 5th grade teacher, Mariel Desrosier, talk about the games that students actually like. We’ll share tried and true crowd pleasers, along with what games we pull out of the bag when we’re not feeling particularly motivated to teach PE. 

This episode’s topics include:

1. The specific games that we know kids love
2. How to make sure everyone is involved - even at different skill levels
3. What to do when there are disagreements

Games Mentioned:

• Castle Ball
• Tic-Tac-Toe Chairs
• Waspital 
• Old School Recess Games
• Watch Your Back Tag
• Find Something That Is….
• Clean Your Room
• Volcanoes and Ice Cream Cones
• Head, Shoulders, Knees, Cone!

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Castle Ball Directions
• Tic-Tac-Toe Chairs (Video)
• Waspital (Video)
• Jump rope tricks (Video)
• Watch Your Back Tag Directions
• Volcanoes and Ice Cream Cones (Video)
• Head, Shoulders, Knees, Cone! (Video)
• Electric Whistle (Amazon)

Today’s classroom story includes how Mariel’s selective hearing inadvertently shamed a kid and how Stephanie has been teaching long enough that she forgets what she’s taught.

Video version of this podcast episode (YouTube) 
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Affiliate links earn a commission from qualifying purchases which helps support my channel at no additional cost to you. 

⏰ Want even more time-saving tips? Then check out Mariel’s YouTube Channel: The Time-Crunched Teacher.

🍎 Do you have a classroom story you’d like us to feature in an upcoming episode? Send us an email at podcast@thetimecrunchedteacher.com. We also love hearing from you, so please send us your feedback or requests for future show topics. We read every email and comment, so thank you for taking the time to reach out to us.

Note: We take pride in offering you an ad-free listening experience. If you'd like to support our mission of providing value over profits, please consider subscribing to our podcast and leaving a review. Thank you for joining a community of educators who have helped each other become recognized for their talent, professionalism, and passion!

How in the world do teachers run math centers? How do you have time to prepare them? How do you control everyone else when you're working with just one group? Well, the time-crunched teachers are here to help! Join 3rd grade teacher, Stephanie Hedgpeth-Lopez, and 5th grade teacher, Mariel Desrosier, as we walk you through everything you need to know about running and managing elementary math centers. Not only do we explain our exact process, but we also share how to do it on the cheap by using free and inexpensive resources to get started right away. 

This episode’s topics include:

1. Why math centers?
2. Math block times and how to divide them up
3. Student groupings
4. Mariel and Stephanie’s specific math centers
5. Center classroom management

LINKS MENTIONED:

• Susan Jones Teaching: YouTube
• Online Math Games for Technology Center: Khan Kids, Prodigy, XtraMath
• Math Focused Board Games: Adsumudi, Proof!, Prime Climb
• Video version of this podcast episode: YouTube
• Email us! podcast@TheTimeCrunchedTeacher.com

Today’s classroom story includes how Mariel’s class dominated in the classroom challenge and how Stephanie discovered that the apple can fall very far from the tree for one of her students. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Affiliate links earn a commission from qualifying purchases which helps support my channel at no additional cost to you. 

⏰ Want even more time-saving tips? Then check out Mariel’s YouTube Channel: The Time-Crunched Teacher.

🍎 Do you have a classroom story you’d like us to feature in an upcoming episode? Send us an email at podcast@thetimecrunchedteacher.com. We also love hearing from you, so please send us your feedback or requests for future show topics. We read every email and comment, so thank you for taking the time to reach out to us.

Note: We take pride in offering you an ad-free listening experience. If you'd like to support our mission of providing value over profits, please consider subscribing to our podcast and leaving a review. Thank you for joining a community of educators who have helped each other become recognized for their talent, professionalism, and passion!

Today I’m sharing the weekly check-in system that allows me to know what’s going on with each of my students in an incredibly efficient way. It requires minimal work on the teacher’s part so that you can spend your time supporting your students instead of chasing down information.

This episode’s topics include:

• How to solicit background info on your students so that you can have a sense of where they’re coming from
• My automated check-in system I use to get a pulse on how they’re doing each week

LINKS MENTIONED:

• YouTube Video on Family Letter
• Letter Template

Questions on my “Trusted Adult” form:

1. Student First and Last Name
2. Having a trusted adult at school is very important. A trusted adult is someone who you feel safe with and is easy to talk to. They are also someone who you feel comfortable going to if you need help with something. Please check everyone that you feel is a trusted adult for you at school.
3. List teacher and faculty names including their titles. Be sure it is a CHECKBOX so they can include more than one. Be sure to also include: “No one - I don’t have a trusted adult at school.” 

Weekly Check-In Form:

1. Student First and Last Name
2. Use emojis for pre-readers with captions that say things like: sad, not great, okay, good, fantastic, etc. I wouldn’t choose more than about 6 so there aren’t too many options.
3. How was your week?
4. What is one thing that went well?
5. What is one thing you would like changed?
6. Is there anything going on I need to know?

Today’s classroom story includes some cute form responses from students and then I go on a tangent about walnuts. 

⏰ Want even more time-saving tips? Then check out Mariel’s YouTube Channel: The Time-Crunched Teacher.

🍎 Do you have a classroom story you’d like us to feature in an upcoming episode? Send us an email at podcast@thetimecrunchedteacher.com. We also love hearing from you, so please send us your feedback or requests for future show topics. We read every email and comment, so thank you for taking the time to reach out to us.

Note: We take pride in offering you an ad-free listening experience. If you'd like to support our mission of providing value over profits, please consider subscribing to our podcast and leaving a review. Thank you for joining a community of educators who have helped each other become recognized for their talent, professionalism, and passion!

We all need a break, and sometimes coming back from a school vacation is the perfect time to plan a reset for your classroom. Join 3rd grade teacher, Stephanie Hedgpeth-Lopez, and 5th grade teacher, Mariel Desrosier, as we discuss how to come back from a break ready to start something new! (While also keeping things the same...don't worry, we explain what we mean by that.)  

This episode’s topics include:

• Activities to do before a break/vacation
• What not to do when you come back 
• How to use a school break as a classroom reset

The book Stephanie mentioned is How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Mark Teague. 

Today’s classroom stories include Stephanie’s favorite DIY’d gifts and how Mariel’s intuition saved a student from a mortifying gift-giving experience. 

⏰ Want even more time-saving tips? Then check out Mariel’s YouTube Channel: The Time-Crunched Teacher.

🍎 Do you have a classroom story you’d like us to feature in an upcoming episode? Send us an email at podcast@thetimecrunchedteacher.com. We also love hearing from you, so please send us your feedback or requests for future show topics. We read every email and comment, so thank you for taking the time to reach out to us.

Note: We take pride in offering you an ad-free listening experience. If you'd like to support our mission of providing value over profits, please consider subscribing to our podcast and leaving a review. Thank you for joining a community of educators who have helped each other become recognized for their talent, professionalism, and passion!

Sometimes it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference in a teacher’s world. Join 3rd grade teacher Stephanie Hedgpeth-Lopez and 5th grade teacher Mariel Desrosier as we share everything we include in our “survival kits.” This not only includes physical objects like the “good Kleenex” and shelf stable food, but it also includes those last minute games and activities that make perfect time fillers for when class doesn’t go quite as planned. 

This episode’s topics include:

• Supplies we include in our survival kit or back up bag
• No cost time filler activities that are actually enjoyable for students
• An incredible tangent that involves why November 1 is the perfect PD day

Today’s classroom stories include why kids in France also bite, and how everyone except Mariel knows about corn ice cream. Also, Mariel explains s’mores to Argentinians and Stephanie shares thoughts about the Halloween hangover.

⏰ Want even more time-saving tips? Then check out Mariel’s YouTube Channel: The Time-Crunched Teacher.

🍎 Do you have a classroom story you’d like us to feature in an upcoming episode? Send us an email at podcast@thetimecrunchedteacher.com. We also love hearing from you, so please send us your feedback or requests for future show topics. We read every email and comment, so thank you for taking the time to reach out to us.

Note: We take pride in offering you an ad-free listening experience. If you'd like to support our mission of providing value over profits, please consider subscribing to our podcast and leaving a review. Thank you for joining a community of educators who have helped each other become recognized for their talent, professionalism, and passion!

One of my productivity rules is, “If you have to write it twice, create a template.” And email writing is no exception. In today’s episode I go over exactly how to create an email template and the types of templates I use as an elementary school teacher. 

This episode’s topics include:

• Step-by-step instructions for enabling templates in Gmail
• Template examples and how I use them

LINKS MENTIONED:

Email processing podcast (Apple Podcasts): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/4-email-productivity-for-everyone-who-hates-email/id1662178054?i=1000591736381

Email processing video (YouTube): https://youtu.be/JV_HrVtftDc

Today’s classroom story is about the importance of teaching students how to email their teacher. 

⏰ Want even more time-saving tips? Then check out Mariel’s YouTube Channel: The Time-Crunched Teacher.

🍎 Do you have a classroom story you’d like us to feature in an upcoming episode? Send us an email at podcast@thetimecrunchedteacher.com. We also love hearing from you, so please send us your feedback or requests for future show topics. We read every email and comment, so thank you for taking the time to reach out to us.

Note: We take pride in offering you an ad-free listening experience. If you'd like to support our mission of providing value over profits, please consider subscribing to our podcast and leaving a review. Thank you for joining a community of educators who have helped each other become recognized for their talent, professionalism, and passion!

You know what's better than giving kids rewards? Giving kids free rewards. Join 3rd grade teacher Stephanie Hedgpeth-Lopez, and 5th grade teacher Mariel Desrosier as we share our favorite cheap and free class rewards. 

This episode’s topics include:

• Free choice activities
• Silly group rewards
• Building community through rewards
• Student acknowledgement (especially in cursive)
• Whole class rewards
• Being the special messenger
• Ways to show student achievement 

We also get sidetracked about the best ways to clean up after children. 

Today’s classroom story is about a drive by bageling. 

⏰ Want even more time-saving tips? Then check out Mariel’s YouTube Channel: The Time-Crunched Teacher.

🍎 Do you have a classroom story you’d like us to feature in an upcoming episode? Send us an email at podcast@thetimecrunchedteacher.com. We also love hearing from you, so please send us your feedback or requests for future show topics. We read every email and comment, so thank you for taking the time to reach out to us.

Note: We take pride in offering you an ad-free listening experience. If you'd like to support our mission of providing value over profits, please consider subscribing to our podcast and leaving a review. Thank you for joining a community of educators who have helped each other become recognized for their talent, professionalism, and passion!

Many teachers have told us that Back to School Night is one of the most stressful nights of the year. Something about presenting to adults, opposed to a room full of children, can shake even the best of us. But do not fear - Mariel and Stephanie are here to help you plan your best Back to School Night yet! Not only will our tips help guide you through the exact items to include in your presentation, but we’ll also share our sneaky hints to help you get ahead on other tasks like building rapport with families and setting yourself up for success at conferences. 

This episode’s topics include:

• An overview of what to expect at Back to School Night
• Exactly what Stephanie and Mariel include in their presentations
• How to get volunteers to sign up for important events
• Fun and memorable ways to end the evening

LINKS MENTIONED:

• How to Make a Welcome Video for Students (Video): https://youtu.be/yD0pSlDiCXA
• Family Letter to the Teacher (Video/Template): https://youtu.be/YphgYJKYhd4
• Recording a Teacher Read Aloud with QR Code (Video/Template): https://youtu.be/HPl-C55gKf0

Today’s classroom story is how Mariel channels her inner club bouncer on Back to School Night. 

⏰ Want even more time-saving tips? Then check out Mariel’s YouTube Channel: The Time-Crunched Teacher.

🍎 Do you have a classroom story you’d like us to feature in an upcoming episode? Send us an email at podcast@thetimecrunchedteacher.com. We also love hearing from you, so please send us your feedback or requests for future show topics. We read every email and comment, so thank you for taking the time to reach out to us.

Note: We take pride in offering you an ad-free listening experience. If you'd like to support our mission of providing value over profits, please consider subscribing to our podcast and leaving a review. Thank you for joining a community of educators who have helped each other become recognized for their talent, professionalism, and passion!

As teachers, we love the first day of school, but there is soooo much to do. Join 3rd grade teacher Stephanie Hedgpeth-Lopez, and 5th grade teachers Leanna Garcia and Mariel Desrosier as we share exactly how we prepare our classrooms and materials for the first day of school. We’ll not only explain our exact process for setting up the classroom, but we’ll also be sharing our prior mistakes and what we no longer waste our time doing. 

This episode’s topics include:

• How to get your classroom space physically ready
• Which materials need to be prepared during the teacher work week
• How each of us begins the first day of school with the students

LINKS MENTIONED:

Emergency sub plans (Video): https://youtu.be/gTwRtSaBAO8

High frequency high five (Video): https://youtu.be/GzIs5xZdldc

First night’s homework (Video):  https://youtu.be/YphgYJKYhd4

Birthday envelope (Video): https://youtu.be/0VAZhTTJ36k

Playworks Game - Shipwreck (Link): https://www.playworks.org/game-library/shipwreck/

Today’s classroom stories include why Mariel never makes bus passes and how Stephanie discovered a phallic phonics lesson. We’ll also hear from Leanna about the importance of honoring student identity on the first day. 

⏰ Want even more time-saving tips? Then check out Mariel’s YouTube Channel: The Time-Crunched Teacher.

🍎 Do you have a classroom story you’d like us to feature in an upcoming episode? Send us an email at podcast@thetimecrunchedteacher.com. We also love hearing from you, so please send us your feedback or requests for future show topics. We read every email and comment, so thank you for taking the time to reach out to us.

Note: We take pride in offering you an ad-free listening experience. If you'd like to support our mission of providing value over profits, please consider subscribing to our podcast and leaving a review. Thank you for joining a community of educators who have helped each other become recognized for their talent, professionalism, and passion!

Today's episode is a very special recording of the podcast. In celebration of our summer break, I came up with a ridiculous game called "Battle of the Brackets." We pick a topic (like worst school supplies) and create a set of playoff brackets where we argue each item head to head until we've declared a winner for: The Worst School Supply Ever.

Western Conference:
1. Safety scissors vs. mechanical pencils
2. Bottle glue vs. mini pencil sharpeners

Eastern Conference:
1. Cheap crayons vs. school paper towels
2. Pens with caps vs. glitter 
WINNER! 

Today's entire episode is a classroom story. ;) 

⏰ Want even more time-saving tips? Then check out Mariel’s YouTube Channel: The Time-Crunched Teacher.

🍎 Do you have a classroom story you’d like us to feature in an upcoming episode? Send us an email at podcast@thetimecrunchedteacher.com. We also love hearing from you, so please send us your feedback or requests for future show topics. We read every email and comment, so thank you for taking the time to reach out to us.

Note: We take pride in offering you an ad-free listening experience. If you'd like to support our mission of providing value over profits, please consider subscribing to our podcast and leaving a review. Thank you for joining a community of educators who have helped each other become recognized for their talent, professionalism, and passion!