Why This Teacher Starts EVERY Day with Play (And You Should Too!)

In this S1E8 interview, teacher Mary Anne Camel reveals how starting each school day with 75 minutes of intentional play revolutionizes classroom management, student engagement, and builds independence in young learners. With over 20 years of teaching experience, Mary Anne shares proven behavior strategies that turn morning transitions from chaotic to joyful.
What You'll Learn:
✅ How play-based mornings eliminate disruptive students and behavior challenges
✅ Effective teaching strategies for managing students through structured choice
✅ Classroom control techniques that build student motivation naturally
✅ Innovative teaching approaches for active learning and student participation
✅ Instructional strategies that work for difficult students and low engagement
✅ Teacher coaching insights for inspiring students and maintaining attention in class
✅ Inclusive teaching methods that support the whole child approach
Perfect for: teachers, education coaches, school administrators, parents, homeschoolers, teacher mentors, instructional leaders, new teachers seeking professional development, and anyone interested in education transformation.
Mary Anne's pro-kid mindset and culturally responsive teaching create thriving students through empowered educators. Discover how this approach builds home-school connection and supports family partnerships while maintaining effective classroom behavior management.

Episode Mentions:

Olivia’s Article Highlighting Mary Anne’s Work Around Play:

• Wahl, Olivia. (2018). Why Every Kindergarten and First-Grade School Day Should Begin with Inquiry and Imaginative Play. Heinemann, Online.

Video Clips

• “Creating Citizens for the World — Early Educators Speak Out”
• “The Work of Play”
• “The End of Play: Why Kids Need Unstructured Time”
• “The High Quality Early Learning Project”
• “MIT Brain Study: Back-and-Forth Talk Key to Developing Kids’ Verbal Skills”
• “Kindergarten in the Wild”
• “Welcome to the School Where Kids Have Recess 4 Times a Day”

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction: Meet Mary Anne Camel
00:27 - The Power of Play in Early Education
01:21 - Learning from Mom: The First Teacher
02:17 - Why Every Day Should Start with Play
03:24 - Morning Routine: Setting Up for Success
04:33 - How Students Choose Their Play Areas
05:22 - Exploring Classroom Play Centers
07:08 - Teaching Independence Through Clear Expectations
09:07 - Using Questions to Spark Curiosity in Block Play
10:31 - Managing Snack Time During Play
12:03 - Coaching Children Without Solving Problems
13:10 - Navigating Conflicts: When Kids Want the Same Area
14:29 - The 75-Minute Play Block: Making Time Work
15:28 - Community Cleanup: Building Responsibility
17:16 - Long-term Impact: From Kindergarten to Fourth Grade

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.