Practical Tips from Recess to Writing This January & New Release Schedule
Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.
01/04/26
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Happy New Year! I'm excited to share a Schoolutions Teaching Strategies podcast update with you, designed to enhance your weekly planning routine and boost your productivity. Starting January 5th, 2026, guest conversations will be divided into two shorter episodes, released on Mondays and Fridays. Wednesdays will feature a 60-second reel, offering a bite-sized piece from our conversation that you can share with a colleague.
This month's theme: Imagination, Play, and Storytelling - essential education strategies for student engagement, classroom behavior, and the whole child.
NEW FORMAT:
📅 Mondays - Part 1 with lightning round to inspire your week
📅 Wednesdays- 60-second shareable reel for quick wins
📅 Fridays - Part 2 with my three biggest takeaways
WHO THIS IS FOR:
✅ Teachers seeking inspired teaching and teacher impact
✅ Education coaches and instructional coaching professionals
✅ School administrators and education leadership teams
✅ Parents, homeschoolers, and caregiver support networks
✅ Instructional leaders driving school culture and school change
✅ School counselors supporting the whole child
✅ Teacher mentors and coaching strategies experts
✅ Anyone committed to professional development, education transformation, and family partnerships
WHY THIS MATTERS:
These conversations tackle low engagement, improve classroom behavior, strengthen parent involvement and parent communication, and provide actionable education strategies for inclusive classrooms. Whether you're focused on principal strategies, teacher support, or education at home, this series delivers practical tools for student success.
COMING EPISODES:
🎙️ @rustykeeler - Loose parts play and outdoor learning environments
🎙️ Dr. Michelle Chanda Singh ( @lctelearning ) - Storytelling as culturally responsive pedagogy
🎙️ Maria Walther - Read aloud strategies for shared classroom experiences
🎙️ Katie Keier ( @catchingreaders ) - Writer's Play Shop innovations for early writers
CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:
👍 Like if you're ready for education transformation
💬 Comment: Which guest are you most excited to hear?
🔔 Subscribe for weekly teaching tips and instructional strategies
📱 Share Wednesday reels with your teaching team
Join me in creating thriving students through classroom belonging, student engagement, and inspired teaching. Let's make 2026 a year of teacher impact and school change!
CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome & Happy New Year 2026!
0:05 NEW Podcast Format Announcement
0:25 Monday/Wednesday/Friday Episode Structure
0:45 January Theme: Imagination, Play & Storytelling
0:55 Guest #1: Rusty Keeler on Loose Parts & Outdoor Play
1:10 Guest #2: Dr. Michelle Chanda Singh on Storytelling Power
1:20 Guest #3: Maria Walther on Read Alouds & Shared Experiences
1:30 Guest #4: Katie Keier on Writers Playshop
1:45 Call to Action: Join Our Conversations
#Education #Teachers #Teaching #Parenting #ProfessionalLearning #StudentEngagement #TeacherLife #EducationPodcast #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherCoaching #SchoolLeadership #EducationLeadership #InnovativeTeaching #InclusiveEducation #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #EquityInEducation #WholeChild #ProKidMindset #ActiveLearning #ClassroomBehavior #StudentMotivation #TeacherSupport #MentorTeachers #NewTeachers #InstructionalLeaders #EducationCoaches #SchoolAdministrators #SchoolCulture #EducationTransformation #TeacherImpact #SchoolChange #ThrivingStudents #EmpoweredEducators #LooseParts #OutdoorPlay #Storytelling #ReadAlouds #WritersPlayshop #PlayBasedLearning #LiteracyEducation #Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #SchoolutionsTeachingStrategies #ForeverGettingBetter
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
In this S5E18 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I tackle the complex challenges within coaching relationships, especially when teachers repeatedly decline coaching. This conversation addresses the resistance and avoidance behaviors that can stall progress, offering insights for instructional leadership. It's an exploration of personal growth in coaching, emphasizing the impact of effective relationships.
What happens when a teacher says no to coaching? Not just once, but repeatedly. In this bonus episode, I dive into the messy middle of instructional coaching - those moments that make or break your impact as an education coach.
If you've ever worked with a teacher who avoids eye contact in the hallway, felt stuck in a coaching relationship, or wondered whether you're actually making a difference, this episode is for you. I'm sharing practical, try-it-tomorrow strategies for coaching teachers who are overwhelmed, resistant, or simply not ready for support.
In this episode, you'll discover:
- What to do when coaching relationships feel stuck and nothing seems to be working
- How to coach overwhelmed teachers who can't articulate what they need
- The one question that could transform your coaching approach
- Why asset-based coaching is critical for building trust with resistant teachers
- The difference between accountability and control in teacher support
- A simple notebook practice that will strengthen your coaching immediately
This episode explores teacher coaching, instructional coaching, coaching strategies, professional development, teacher support, mentor teachers, new teachers, instructional strategies, education strategies, effective teaching, teacher impact, school leadership, instructional leadership, education leadership, whole child, student success, thriving students, empowered educators, inspired teaching, education transformation, school improvement, school culture, and pro-kid mindset.
Your Action Step: Before your next coaching conversation, write down one word in your notebook that describes how you want to show up. Let that word guide your approach.
🚨NEW FORMAT ALERT: Starting January 5th, 2026, I'm trying a new format:
- Mondays: Part 1 of guest conversations + lightning round
- Wednesdays: 60-second midweek inspiration reel
- Fridays: Part 2 of guest conversations + my top 3 takeaways
Chapters
0:00 - Introduction: When Teachers Say No to Coaching
1:00 - The Foundations of Great Coaching vs. Doing It
2:00 - What To Do When You Feel Stuck With a Teacher
3:00 - The Most Important Coaching Move: Naming What You Notice
4:00 - You Cannot Coach Someone Who Isn't Ready
5:00 - Positive Determination: Keep Showing Up
6:00 - Coaching the Overwhelmed Teacher
7:00 - Accountability vs. Control in Coaching
8:00 - Being Human With Teachers
9:00 - The Notebook Practice That Changes Everything
10:00 - Coaching is Relationship Work First
11:00 - New Format Announcement for 2026
12:00 - Wrap Up & Action Step
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.
Next Episode
The Play Crisis & Permission to Say Yes
January 5
•25m
Part One of my S5E19 @schoolutionspodcast conversation with Rusty Keeler explores how to integrate more unstructured play, loose parts, and outdoor activities for kids into daily life, fostering child development and encouraging open-ended play. It's time to grow imagination.
Rusty has spent 30+ years designing and advocating for natural outdoor play around the world, and he's witnessed firsthand how we've fundamentally changed childhood. While we've created increasingly "safe" playgrounds with rubberized surfaces and strict rules, childhood anxiety and lack of resilience have skyrocketed. We've been doing it wrong.
In Part 1, you'll discover:
- The crucial difference between risks (good!) and hazards (remove them!)
- Why cardboard boxes and traffic cones unlock more creativity than expensive equipment
- How the Reimagining Recess project transformed schools by training adults to say YES
- The three simple rules that can replace your entire playground rulebook
- Why loose parts create equity and let ALL children shine
- Which countries are leading the play revolution (and what we can learn from them)
This isn't just about recess—it's about classroom belonging, student engagement, student motivation, active learning, inspiring students, and creating thriving students through a pro-kid mindset. When children experience authentic play, they develop the resilience and creativity that translates directly into classroom behavior, student participation, and attention in class.
Stay tuned for Part Two (on Friday), where Rusty tackles liability myths, storage solutions, and the "Anarchy Zone" success story—plus exactly how to have tough conversations with administrators.
Some resources mentioned:
➡️Reimagining Recess Project (Ithaca Public Education Initiative)
➡️OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning) - UK
➡️Peter Gray
➡️Adventures in Risky Play
➡️Play Nature Podcast
Chapters
0:00 - Introduction: The Play Crisis in Modern Childhood
1:00 - Meet Rusty Keeler: 30 Years of Play Revolution
3:00 - How Childhood Has Changed Since the 70s/80s
6:00 - The Global Screen Time Problem
8:00 - Risks vs. Hazards: The Crucial Difference
11:00 - Reimagining Recess: A Model for Schools Everywhere
13:00 - The Power of Loose Parts (Cardboard, Tires, Traffic Cones!)
16:00 - How Loose Parts Create Equity on the Playground
18:00 - The Ripple Effect: From Recess to Writer's Workshop
19:00 - Lightning Round: Best Free Loose Parts
19:45 - Lightning Round: Playground Rules to Ditch
20:20 - Lightning Round: Which Country Does Recess Best?
21:00 - Lightning Round: Essential Books About Play
22:00 - The Future of Play Advocacy
23:00 - Your Challenge: Step Back and Observe
24:00 - What's Next in Part 2
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
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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