🎙️ Planning shouldn’t feel overwhelming before the week even begins.

In this episode of Term Talk, I'm unpacking why teachers don’t panic because they’re disorganised - they panic because everything feels equally urgent and their week lives in their head.

This episode focuses on how to plan in a way that actually works, without doing more or adding unnecessary systems. I'll be sharing practical strategies I use to reduce cognitive load, stay organised, and protect my energy across the week.

In this episode, we explore:

1. Why planning without panic is about deciding what matters right now.
2. How to use a daybook as a thinking tool, not a pretty one.
3. How planning your RFF or release time before you get it changes everything.
4. How one simple weekly reset can prevent last-minute stress.
5. How visual planning supports memory, follow-through, and teacher wellbeing.

This episode is a reminder that planning isn’t about control.

It’s about giving yourself fewer decisions during the week, so you have more energy for your students.

If your week feels chaotic, don’t overhaul everything.

Start with one page. One plan. One reset.

🎙️ Next episode: Foundations that make differentiation possible.

Links referenced in this episode;

• Day Book PDF
• Day Book Template
• Planning Without Panic eBook
• Canva

🎧 Listen now and follow Term Talk for weekly conversations on teaching, professional growth, and the human side of education.

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Keywords: planning without panic, teacher planning, weekly teacher planning, teacher organisation, daybook planning, teacher daybook, release time planning, term planning for teachers, classroom organisation, teacher workload, reducing teacher overwhelm, sustainable teaching, primary teaching, teacher wellbeing, planning routines, workload management, classroom clarity, professional practice, education podcast

🎙️Calm classrooms aren’t created by stricter teachers - they’re designed.

In this episode of Term Talk, we unpack the invisible work that sits underneath calm, safe, and sustainable classrooms. The kind of work that often goes unnoticed but makes everything else possible.

We explore how expectations, class norms, routines, roles, and transitions quietly shape behaviour, reduce decision fatigue, and protect both student and teacher wellbeing.

This episode is about moving away from reactive behaviour management and towards intentional classroom design - so connection can actually hold when things get busy.

If your classroom feels unsettled or exhausting right now, this episode will help you zoom out and rethink what needs to be made visible.

In this episode, we explore:

1. Why behaviour burnout is often decision fatigue in disguise.
2. The difference between expectations and assumptions.
3. How class norms build culture and psychological safety.
4. Why routines create cognitive safety for students.
5. How roles and transitions reduce behaviour before it appears.

If this episode sparked something for you, you’ll find extra resources and practical tools linked in the show notes.

🎙️ Next episode: Planning without panic.

Links referenced in this episode;

• Look like, Sound like, Feels like Template + Example
• Class Job Example
• Expectations and Routines eBook
• Canva

🎧 Listen now and follow Term Talk for weekly conversations on teaching, professional growth, and the human side of education.

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Keywords: calm classrooms, classroom culture, behaviour managements, classroom expectations, classroom routines, class norms, transitions in the classroom, teacher burnout, decision fatigue, teacher wellbeing, primary teaching, sustainable teaching, classroom management, Term 1 teaching, education podcast

🎙️ Week one sets the tone for the entire school year.

In this episode of Term Talk, I unpack why connection before content isn’t just a nice idea - it’s a strategic choice that shapes classroom culture, behaviour, and learning from the very start.

This week I share five intentional week one strategies that help students feel safe, seen, and ready to learn - without losing valuable teaching time.

These are practical, classroom-tested approaches you can use immediately, whether you’re an early career teacher or a seasoned educator.

In this episode, we explore:

1. Why connection isn’t about games - it’s about safety and predictability.
2. How intentional pre-assessment builds trust, not anxiety.
3. Simple ways to model vulnerability and invite student voice.
4. How structured icebreakers support peer connection.
5. A powerful visual strategy to build belonging from day one.

If week one ever feels chaotic or overwhelming this episode will help you slow down, design connection with intention, and set your class up for smarter learning all year long.

🎙️ Next episode: Routines - not rules (the invisible work that saves you time).

Links referenced in this episode:

1. Canva (free for ALL educators)
2. 5 Week One Strategies E-Book
3. Meet the Teacher Template
4. Welcome Back Slides
5. Letter to the Teacher Template

🎧 Listen now and follow Term Talk for weekly conversations on teaching, professional growth, and the human side of education.

✨ Connect with me:

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LinkedIn

Keywords: Week one teaching, classroom culture, connection before content, back to school strategies, building relationships in the classroom, teacher wellbeing, classroom routines, student engagement