BONUS: Mindful Waiting: A Secret to Better Student Engagement
Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.
12/19/25
•12m
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In this S5E16 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I break down MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW's powerful teaching strategies that seem almost too simple to work—but they do. Listen to learn how you can transform your classroom with 3 simple practices that unlock genuine curiosity and calm. In this bonus episode,
Discover why saying "I don't know you" every morning can revolutionize student engagement, how 4 minutes of silence reached a defiant teen, and the 60-second "notice" practice that students actually beg to use.
What You'll Learn:
✅ The "I Don't Know You" mindset shift for deeper student connections
✅ Why waiting 2-4 minutes transforms classroom behavior and student participation
✅ The 60-second "Notice" breathing technique for attention in class
✅ How to move from judgment to curiosity with every student
✅ Practical teaching tips you can implement tomorrow
Perfect for teachers, education coaches, school administrators, parents, homeschoolers, teacher mentors, instructional leaders, and school counselors looking for effective teaching strategies that create inclusive classrooms and support the whole child.
Chapters
0:00 - Introduction: 3 Practices That Transform Teaching
1:00 - The "I Don't Know You" Mindset Shift
3:04 - Small Shift #1: Practice Curiosity Over Knowing
4:00 - The Power of Waiting: The Bus Mooning Story
6:00 - Small Shift #2: Wait 2 Minutes Before Speaking
7:00 - The "Notice" Practice: 60 Seconds to Presence
9:00 - Small Shift #3: Start Class with Notice
10:00 - Taking It Into Your Classroom
11:00 - Closing: Curiosity Requires Discomfort
💫Check out linked episode mentions here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1890886/episodes/18380877
Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child. When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to 👍LIKE this video if it helped you, 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and
💬SHARE with fellow educators!
#TeachingTips #ClassroomManagement #StudentEngagement #EducationStrategies #TeacherCoaching #InstructionalCoaching #MindfulTeaching #InclusiveClassroom #StudentMotivation #TeacherSupport #ProfessionalDevelopment #WholeChild #EducationPodcast #TeacherLife #InspiredTeaching #schoolutionsteachingstrategies #Schoolutions
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Previous Episode
Find Your Inner Calm in the Classroom
December 15, 2025
•40m
In this S5E16 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, join me with seasoned clinician MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, as she shares the story of a 14-year-old who mooned a bus—and how nine minutes of curious conversation taught him life skills that lasted decades. Discover why curiosity requires discomfort, how to create calm from the inside out, and the simple "notice" practice that even Notre Dame football players started using in their huddles.
In This Episode You'll Discover:
✨Why classroom belonging starts with curiosity, not compliance
✨How to shift from judgment to curiosity to improve classroom behavior and student engagement
✨The "notice" practice that transforms student motivation and attention in class in under 60 seconds
✨Why low engagement often signals adults need to change, not students
✨ Active learning strategies that inspire students through emotional regulation
✨ How student participation increases when teachers practice co-regulation
✨ Instructional strategies that support the whole child approach
Resources Mentioned:
- Brené Brown's research on curiosity and vulnerability
- Inner Challenge Mental Wellness Program
- Creating Midlife Calm Podcast:
- Ep. 130: 1 Simple Coping Skill To Stop Stress & Anxiety From Spiraling Out Of Control & Derailing Midlife Calm
- Ep. 131: 5 Simple Words That Will Transform Stress, Anxiety & Chaos Into Calm, To Make Better Midlife Decisions
- Ep. 91: Use These 2 Mindfulness Practices To Instantly Increase Focus, Calm & Joy To Ease Stress & Anxiety
- Ep. 1: What Is Mental Wellness & One-Pager
CHAPTER MARKERS
0:00 - Introduction: The Power of "Help Me Understand"
1:00 - Meet MJ Murray Vachon: 50,000+ Therapy Sessions
3:00 - Brené Brown's Research on Curiosity
4:00 - Why You Can't Be Curious and Comfortable
6:00 - The Two-Word Shift: From Judgment to Curiosity
9:00 - The Bus Mooning Story Begins
10:00 - The Four-Minute Wait That Changed Everything
11:00 - Teaching the Do-Over: Life Skills in Action
13:00 - The 9-Minute Conversation vs. A Day of Emails
14:00 - Why Repair Matters More Than Punishment
17:00 - Letting Go: What Education Needs to Release
19:00 - The Teacher Who Got Retooled at 67
21:00 - When "Kids Are Lazy" Is Actually Adult Control
23:00 - Creating Calm from the Inside Out
25:00 - The "Notice" Practice Explained
26:00 - Notre Dame Football Players in the Huddle
28:00 - Co-Regulation: Students Need Us Until 18
30:00 - Teaching Kids to Notice: Slowing Down to Speed Up
33:00 - Lightning Round: Best Advice for Teachers
34:00 - What MJ Believed Then vs. Now
36:00 - The Podcast Origin Story: Students Made Me Do It
38:00 - Your Invitation: Try Notice Tomorrow
39:00 - Outro & Resources
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Next Episode
Why This Teacher Left Public School (But Still Believes in It)
December 22, 2025
•38m
In this S5E17 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, Sarah Tesar shares why being a public school kindergarten teacher for 12 years made her an excellent teacher for other people's children, but prevented her from being fully present with her own family, and how she's now created a hybrid homeschool model that honors both her expertise as an educator and her needs as a whole human being.
What You'll Learn:
✅ The emotional cost of teaching and recognizing when your cup is empty
✅ How to create mixed-age classrooms where kindergartners and fifth graders thrive together
✅ Theme-based curriculum built around science and social studies standards that naturally integrates literacy, math, student engagement, and active learning
✅ Scaffolding strategies across multiple skill levels for effective teaching and classroom behavior management
✅ Creating 3-hour learning sessions so engaging kids beg to attend
✅ Why social-emotional intervention deserves the same priority as academic intervention for student success and classroom belonging
✅ Practical strategies for integrated, joyful learning in any setting—public school, homeschool, or hybrid through innovative teaching and instructional strategies
Whether you teach in a traditional school or are exploring alternative models, Sarah shares research-backed strategies (including Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and attention in class techniques) you can use tomorrow to create more purposeful, engaging learning while honoring your own wellbeing and inspiring students through student participation.
Some resources mentioned:
➡️UFLI Phonics
➡️Elizabeth Sulzby's Emergent Storybook Reading Process
➡️Tara West's Writing Curriculum
CHAPTERS
0:00 - Introduction: The Cost of Being a Good Teacher
3:00 - Meet Sarah Tesar: From Public School to Homeschool
5:00 - Research Foundation: Vygotsky & Zone of Proximal Development
6:00 - The Breaking Point: When Teaching Depletes Your Cup
9:00 - The Empath's Dilemma: Giving Everything Away
11:00 - What Shifted: Finding Balance in Hybrid Homeschool
14:00 - Meeting Children's Needs: Systems & Social-Emotional Support
17:00 - A Day in the Life: Morning Homeschool Routine
20:00 - Scaffolding Phonics Across Ages
21:00 - The Apple Stand: Relevant, Purposeful Learning
23:00 - Hybrid Classroom: K-5 Students Learning Together
25:00 - Curriculum Design: Science & Social Studies as Foundation
27:00 - Scaffolding Writing: From Words to Paragraphs
29:00 - Integration: Shattering Educational Silos
31:00 - Parent Expectations in Hybrid Homeschool
33:00 - Lightning Round: Homeschool Myths & Best Practices
35:00 - Closing: The Gift of Having Something Left to Give
36:00 - Takeaways: What You Can Try Tomorrow
Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
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