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Beginning Teacher Talk: A Podcast for New Elementary Teachers

"Just because you're a beginning elementary teacher, there's no need for you to struggle like one." Welcome to Beginning Teacher Talk, the weekly podcast hosted by Dr. Lori Friesen, where we talk about all of the things you wish you learned in college about teaching elementary school. We feature kid-tested classroom management techniques, organizational strategies, creative ways to motivate your students, how to work with colleagues, seasonal gems, and how to de-stress and eliminate the overwhelm that too often accompanies your first years of teaching.

393. Classroom Management Advice from 27-year Veteran Teacher Melissa Antinoff

33 mins; March 25, 2026

392. Lawnmower Parents Who Say, "My Child Is the Victim"

30 mins; March 18, 2026

391. 10 Outdoor Classroom Management Strategies to Channel Spring Energy (Without Losing Control)

21 mins; March 11, 2026

390. When Inclusion Isn't Working — And How Teachers Can Survive a Broken System Without Burning Out

18 mins; March 04, 2026

389. Novelty Without Burnout (So You're Not Entertaining All Day)

22 mins; February 25, 2026

388. How to Build Curiosity Into Lessons (Even the Boring Ones)

24 mins; February 18, 2026

387. Low-Prep Ways to Add Surprise to Your Elementary Classroom Without Losing Control

23 mins; February 11, 2026

386. Why Mystery Works (And Why Kids Are So Bored Right Now)

23 mins; February 04, 2026

385. How to Handle Challenging Behaviors Without Burning Out

23 mins; January 28, 2026

384. When Half Your Class Seems "Checked Out" — Motivation Strategies That Actually Work

25 mins; January 21, 2026

383. The January Classroom Refresh: Simple Changes That Make a Big Difference

25 mins; January 14, 2026

382. What to Do When Kids Just Aren't Turning in Their Work

24 mins; January 07, 2026

381. Today's Apathetic Kids: What to Do When Kids Just Don't Care

25 mins; December 31, 2025

380. Documentation: What Every Teacher Needs to Know

23 mins; December 24, 2025

379. Helping Kids Build Executive Functioning Skills in Your Elementary Classroom

19 mins; December 17, 2025

378. Making After Recess & Lunch Transitions Calm, Fun, and Focused

21 mins; December 10, 2025

377. When Admin Promised Support - But You're on Your Own

21 mins; December 03, 2025

376. When Students Hijack Your Classroom: How to Stay in Control & Still Teach Everyone Else

23 mins; November 26, 2025

375. Should I Handle This Myself or Call in Backup? Knowing When It's Time to Involve Admin

22 mins; November 19, 2025

374. Gratitude that Sticks: Fresh & Inspiring Ways to Teach Thankfulness This Fall

21 mins; November 12, 2025

373. Needy Kids? How to Teach Kids to Be More Independent

28 mins; November 05, 2025

372. Staggered Starts, After Recess & Lunch Transition Ideas

21 mins; October 29, 2025

371. Want to Quit? Me Too

23 mins; October 22, 2025

370. How to End Blurting in Your Classroom

22 mins; October 15, 2025

369. How to Keep Your Students Engaged in October

27 mins; October 08, 2025

368. When Parents Question You: Staying Confident & Professional

23 mins; October 01, 2025

367. The September Stress Spiral — How to Step off It & Stay Grounded

31 mins; September 24, 2025

366. When Kids Test You in September: How to Reset Routines Without Starting Over

22 mins; September 17, 2025

365. When You Have Mean or Unsupportive Admin — How to Protect Your Peace When Your Admin Doesn't Have Your Back

27 mins; September 10, 2025

364. What to Do When Kids Ignore You in Your Elementary Classroom

21 mins; September 03, 2025

363. Top Children's Literature Books to Help You Manage Your Elementary Classroom

21 mins; August 27, 2025

362. When You Experience Fear of Not Being Good Enough

20 mins; August 20, 2025

361. Classroom Management for Specials Teachers

23 mins; August 13, 2025

360. 10-Minute Guided Meditation for Teachers: Let Go & Rest

15 mins; August 06, 2025

359. Master Your Classroom Management with 2nd Grade Teacher Margaret McLellan

21 mins; July 30, 2025

358. How to Use Five-Minute Field Trips to Help Kids Regulate, Re-Focus, and Re-Energize

19 mins; July 23, 2025

357. Classroom Management Coaches: Advice for Elementary Teachers - Part Two

32 mins; July 16, 2025

356. Classroom Management Coaches: Advice for Elementary Teachers - Part One

28 mins; July 09, 2025

355. SPED Teachers: Get Ready for the School Year with Kayla

37 mins; July 02, 2025

354. Get Ready for the School Year with First-Grade Teacher Emily Roberts

43 mins; June 25, 2025

353. Get Ready for the School Year with a Second-Year Teacher

37 mins; June 18, 2025

352. The Power of Grit for Elementary Teachers

24 mins; June 11, 2025

351. New Teacher Spotlight: Teaching Overseas

50 mins; June 04, 2025

350. How to Fit In with Your Grade Level Team at a New School (Even if They're Already Tight)

32 mins; May 28, 2025

349. Managing Fear and Worry About Next School Year

23 mins; May 21, 2025

348. New Teacher Spotlight: Kelsey Moody

31 mins; May 14, 2025

347. Setting Up a Classroom: 6 Mistakes to Avoid

24 mins; May 07, 2025

346. It's Not Just What You Say — It's HOW You Show Up: The Interview Energy Shift That Gets You Hired

23 mins; April 30, 2025

345. Bridging the Theory-Practice Gap: Transitioning from Student to Teacher (And How Schools Can Help)

26 mins; April 23, 2025

344. The Real Cost of Teacher Attrition (& How to Prevent It)

25 mins; April 16, 2025

343. The 3 Biggest Challenges for New Teachers (& How to Solve Them)

22 mins; April 09, 2025

342. How to Teach Kids Focus Skills

22 mins; April 02, 2025

341. How to Structure the Rest of Your Day After an Assessment

23 mins; March 26, 2025

340. How to Calm & Prepare Students During the Weeks Leading Up to Testing

27 mins; March 19, 2025

339. Test-Taking Strategies for Math in Elementary

28 mins; March 12, 2025

338. Helpful Test-Taking Strategies in Elementary Language Arts

26 mins; March 05, 2025

337. How to Take the Pressure Off

23 mins; February 26, 2025

336. Surviving February: Staying Inspired During the Longest Shortest Month

25 mins; February 19, 2025

335. Practical Self-Kindness for Chronically Tired Teachers

28 mins; February 12, 2025

334. How Elementary Teachers Can Show Kindness & Compassion to Their Students

28 mins; February 05, 2025

333. 10 Fun and Easy Ways to Teach Kids Kindness: Practical Ideas You'll Love!

22 mins; January 29, 2025

332. Easy Ways to Involve Movement in Your Lessons (& Increase Student Focus & Engagement)

22 mins; January 22, 2025

331. How to Reframe Negative Thoughts (And Why It's Important)

31 mins; January 15, 2025

330. 10 Research-Backed Ways to Find the Positive in Your Students

27 mins; January 08, 2025

329. How to Easily Infuse More Humor into Your Classroom

29 mins; January 01, 2025

328. How to Work Less in 2025: 5 Things I Did to Get My Weekends Back

27 mins; December 25, 2024

327. Simple, Low-Prep Speaking Activities for ELL Students

25 mins; December 18, 2024

326. 15 Nonverbal Cues Every Teacher Needs to Know

27 mins; December 11, 2024

325. All Behavior is Communication: 12 Easy Ways to Build Connections with Your Students

28 mins; December 04, 2024

324. How to Guarantee You Will Master Your Classroom Management

34 mins; November 27, 2024

323. When You Have a Million Interruptions in a Day - How to Still Teach & Keep Kids Focused

24 mins; November 20, 2024

322. When Is It Time to Involve Admin for Help with a Challenging Student?

28 mins; November 13, 2024

321. How Gratitude Positively Impacts Learning: 7 Thanksgiving Activities that Teach Gratitude

29 mins; November 06, 2024

320. Feeling Disenchanted with Teaching? You Aren't Alone

32 mins; October 30, 2024

319. When 4 Students Constantly Disrupt Your Lesson

28 mins; October 23, 2024

318. Handling Challenging Behaviors with Confidence

26 mins; October 16, 2024

317. 8 Ways to Maximize Instructional Time Throughout the School Day

27 mins; October 09, 2024

316. My Favorite Class Halloween Party Games for Elementary

26 mins; October 02, 2024

315. 10 Time-Saving Tips for Elementary Teachers

29 mins; September 25, 2024

314. How to Integrate Technology to Differentiate Learning in Elementary

27 mins; September 18, 2024

313. Teaching a Split Grade: 10 Helpful Tips

27 mins; September 11, 2024

312. 3 Mindset Reminders for the First Weeks of School

22 mins; September 04, 2024

311. Quick Lunch & Snack Ideas for Busy Teachers

24 mins; August 28, 2024

310. 5 Easy Mindfulness Activities For Elementary Teachers & Students

22 mins; August 21, 2024

309. Anti-Anxiety Toolbox for Elementary Teachers: Setting the Foundation for Calm

28 mins; August 14, 2024

308. How to Create a Classroom Community in the First Weeks of School

35 mins; August 07, 2024

307. How to Establish Your Classroom Management Plan at the Beginning of the School Year

33 mins; July 31, 2024

306. An Often Overlooked Classroom Management Tool with Alicia Ulrich

42 mins; July 24, 2024

305. Classroom Management Advice from 3rd-Year Teacher Rebecca Stafford

32 mins; July 17, 2024

304. R.E.A.D.Y. for School Academy vs. The Classroom Management Club: What's the Difference & Which One Is Right for Me?

21 mins; July 10, 2024

303. New Teacher Training Series Part Ten: Managing Your Mindset as a New Teacher

27 mins; July 03, 2024

302. New Teacher Training Series Part Nine: Building Your Confidence as a New Teacher

28 mins; June 26, 2024

301. New Teacher Training Series Part Eight: How to Get R.E.A.D.Y. for School Academy for Free

22 mins; June 19, 2024

300. New Teacher Training Series Part Seven: How to Know if R.E.A.D.Y. for School Academy Is Right for You

34 mins; June 12, 2024

299. New Teacher Training Series Part Six: Why New Teachers Leave the Profession (And How to Avoid Being One of Them)

25 mins; June 05, 2024

298. New Teacher Training Series Part Five: 5 Keys to Making the Transition from Student to Teacher

21 mins; May 29, 2024

297. New Teacher Training Series Part Four: 4 Ways to Prevent Challenging Behavior in Your Elementary Classroom

19 mins; May 22, 2024

296. New Teacher Training Series Part Three: 6 Class Jobs Every Classroom Needs

24 mins; May 15, 2024

295. New Teacher Training Series Part Two: Choosing an Inclusive and Beautiful Classroom Theme

24 mins; May 08, 2024

294. New Teacher Training Series Part One: 3 Questions to Ask Yourself When Setting up (Or Re-Organizing) Your Classroom

21 mins; May 01, 2024

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Beginning Teacher Talk: A Podcast for New Elementary Teachers

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