A number of years ago, I had a fourth grader who could not stay focused during independent math work.

She wasn’t defiant.

She wasn’t lazy.

She just didn’t know how to get herself back on track.

And that experience completely changed how I think about off-task behavior.

In this episode, I share her story, the powerful lesson it taught me and doable shift you can start using immediately.

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

50 | Want to Use Music in the Classroom? 6 Easy Steps to Making it a Success!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-want-to-use-music-in-the-classroom-6-easy-steps-to/id1662280027?i=1000701682147

110 | Testing Season Stress? How to Regulate Your Classroom Nervous System Before Test Day

If Cindy’s story made you think, “Some of my students need this,” I want you to know — this is just one small shift.

Inside The Classroom RESET, we identify one reset that will make the biggest difference in your classroom… and then we build from there.

📍 theinspiredclassroom.com/reset

Have a question you want me to answer on the podcast? Record it here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/podcast

💬 Let’s keep this conversation going! (There's so much to talk about!) Come join our free Inspired Classroom Community where creative, passionate teachers connect, share ideas, and cheer each other on.

It’s your safe space to be inspired, supported, and reminded you’re not in this alone.

👉 theinspiredclassroom.com/community

✨ Connect with me!

Find me on LinkedIn: elizapeterson

Follow & DM me on Facebook @theinspiredclassroom

Follow & DM me on Instagram @theinspiredclassroom

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube @theinspiredclassroom

Testing season has a way of turning even the calmest classroom upside down.

That's why today, I’m talking about the nervous system and how much it applies to our classrooms — especially this time of year.

If you’re feeling the pressure to cram curriculum, rearrange schedules, pause creative subjects, and just “get through” the standardized test… you are not alone. And your students feel it too.

In this episode, I’ll walk you through:

1. What the nervous system actually is (in simple, practical terms)

2. Why behavior often spikes during testing season

3. Why practicing regulation before test day matters

4. Three simple, classroom-ready strategies you can start using tomorrow (including drawing, soundtracking, stretching, and breathing)

This isn’t about adding more to your plate.

It’s about creating calm on purpose.

If you want students who are focused and steady during testing, it starts now — with small, predictable regulation practices that support both you and your class.

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

50 | Want to Use Music in the Classroom? 6 Easy Steps to Making it a Success!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-want-to-use-music-in-the-classroom-6-easy-steps-to/id1662280027?i=1000701682147

Soft Starts (resource) - Transition Activities for Social-Emotional Learning SEL https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Soft-Starts-Transition-Activities-for-Social-Emotional-Learning-SEL-9097051

Have a question you want me to answer on the podcast? Record it here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/podcast

✨ The Classroom Reset – A 6-month RESET experience to help you reconnect with your students, calm behaviors, and enjoy teaching again.

Learn more and enroll here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/reset

💬 Let’s keep this conversation going! (There's so much to talk about!) Come join our free Inspired Classroom Community where creative, passionate teachers connect, share ideas, and cheer each other on.

It’s your safe space to be inspired, supported, and reminded you’re not in this alone.

👉 theinspiredclassroom.com/community

✨ Connect with me!

Find me on LinkedIn: elizapeterson

Follow & DM me on Facebook @theinspiredclassroom

Follow & DM me on Instagram @theinspiredclassroom

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube @theinspiredclassroom

Have you ever taught a kindness lesson only to see the same rude behavior show up days later?

Ya... me too!

In this episode, I talk about why kindness activities don’t always lead to lasting behavior change and what students actually need in order to develop kindness in real, everyday moments. We’ll look at how classroom environment and culture play a much bigger role than one-off lessons—and why this shift can lead to calmer behavior and fewer social disruptions.

I share real classroom stories and simple, practical ways teachers can support kindness every day.

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

Have a question you want me to answer on the podcast? Record it here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/podcast

If you’re tired of correcting tone, managing hurt feelings, and feeling like kindness “isn’t sticking,” I invite you to check out The Classroom RESET—a supportive, teacher-centered way to build a caring classroom culture that improves behavior over time.

Learn more and enroll here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/reset

Become an Inspired Classroom Insider by joining our email list. You'll get real solutions to calm classroom behaviors delivered to your inbox each week! https://theinspiredclassroom.com/insider

💬 Let’s keep this conversation going! (There's so much to talk about!) Come join our free Inspired Classroom Community where creative, passionate teachers connect, share ideas, and cheer each other on.

It’s your safe space to be inspired, supported, and reminded you’re not in this alone.

👉 theinspiredclassroom.com/community

✨ Connect with me!

Find me on LinkedIn: elizapeterson

Follow & DM me on Facebook @theinspiredclassroom

Follow & DM me on Instagram @theinspiredclassroom

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube @theinspiredclassroom

Do you tense up every time it’s time for partner work or group work?

The hurt feelings, the drama, the behavior issues—it can make even the best lesson feel exhausting.

In this episode, I’m talking about student-to-student relationships and why they play a much bigger role in classroom behavior than we often realize. While teacher–student relationships matter, peer-to-peer relationships are often the missing piece behind stressful group work, exclusion, and social conflict.

If you’re tired of managing group work drama and want your classroom to run more smoothly, this episode will help you rethink what’s really going on—and where to focus your energy.

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

Have a question you want me to answer on the podcast? Record it here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/podcast

✨ The Classroom Reset – A 6-month RESET experience to help you reconnect with your students, calm behaviors, and enjoy teaching again.

Learn more and enroll here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/reset

Become an Inspired Classroom Insider by joining our email list. You'll get real solutions to calm classroom behaviors delivered to your inbox each week! https://theinspiredclassroom.com/insider

💬 Let’s keep this conversation going! (There's so much to talk about!) Come join our free Inspired Classroom Community where creative, passionate teachers connect, share ideas, and cheer each other on.

It’s your safe space to be inspired, supported, and reminded you’re not in this alone.

👉 theinspiredclassroom.com/community

✨ Connect with me!

Find me on LinkedIn: elizapeterson

Follow & DM me on Facebook @theinspiredclassroom

Follow & DM me on Instagram @theinspiredclassroom

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube @theinspiredclassroom

If math time in your classroom feels scattered, off-task, or frustrating, this episode is for you. Today, I’m sharing simple math engagement strategies that help students focus, make sense of word problems, and truly understand what numbers represent. You’ll hear about my favorite strategy for math and I'll share how these engagement ideas help improve student behavior, reduce confusion, and make math feel more manageable for everyone.

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

✨ Want guided support using engagement to improve behavior and understanding? The Classroom Reset walks you step-by-step through engagement strategies that help students regulate, connect, and learn — so teaching feels better again. Learn more at https://theinspiredclassroom.com/reset

💬 Let’s keep this conversation going! (There's so much to talk about!) Come join our free Inspired Classroom Community where creative, passionate teachers connect, share ideas, and cheer each other on.

It’s your safe space to be inspired, supported, and reminded you’re not in this alone.

👉 theinspiredclassroom.com/community

✨ Connect with me!

Find me on LinkedIn: elizapeterson

Follow & DM me on Facebook @theinspiredclassroom

Follow & DM me on Instagram @theinspiredclassroom

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube @theinspiredclassroom

If your students feel disengaged, off-task, or restless, this episode is for you. I’m sharing how simple classroom engagement ideas can make a real difference in student behavior, focus, and understanding.

I’ll take you inside a real classroom story and show you how engagement isn’t about entertaining students — it’s one of the most effective classroom management tools we have. You’ll hear how small, creative shifts can help students better understand content while reducing power struggles and daily frustration.

If you’re tired of constantly redirecting behavior or re-teaching the same concepts, this episode will help you see engagement in a new, calmer, more effective way.

~Elizabeth

✨ Want support putting this into practice? Inside The Classroom Reset, I guide you through proven engagement strategies that improve behavior, build connection, and help you enjoy teaching again — without doing it alone. Learn more and join us at theinspiredclassroom.com/reset.

Interested in a Strategy Call? We can discuss engagement strategies that truly fit your students and help bring content to life. I’d love to think it through with you. https://theinspiredclassroom.com/strategy

Ask a Question and get it answered on the podcast! Go to https://theinspiredclassroom.com/podcast, scroll and find the button to press record!

💬 Let’s keep this conversation going! (There's so much to talk about!) Come join our free Inspired Classroom Community where creative, passionate teachers connect, share ideas, and cheer each other on.

It’s your safe space to be inspired, supported, and reminded you’re not in this alone.

👉 theinspiredclassroom.com/community

✨ Connect with me!

Find me on LinkedIn: elizapeterson

Follow & DM me on Facebook @theinspiredclassroom

Follow & DM me on Instagram @theinspiredclassroom

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube @theinspiredclassroom

Student behaviors is the number 1 thing teachers tell me their struggling with. So today, I want to share the #1 secret that will help. Can you guess what it is?

Take a moment, think and then press play!

Inside I'll share the secret and then 3 ways to put it into practice so that you can improve student behaviors in your classroom.

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

57 | From Morning Chaos to Classroom Calm - 3 Teacher-Tested Approaches

Behavior Blueprint: Grab all the resources, videos, templates and tools you need today to Navigate Disruptive Behaviors with 100% Confidence! Go to https://theinspiredclassroom.com/behavior

Have a question you want me to answer on the podcast? Record it here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/podcast

Want to experience the calm and connection in your classroom again? You will inside The Classroom Reset Group Coaching Program.

💬 Let’s keep this conversation going! (There's so much to talk about!) Come join our free Inspired Classroom Community where creative, passionate teachers connect, share ideas, and cheer each other on.

It’s your safe space to be inspired, supported, and reminded you’re not in this alone.

👉 theinspiredclassroom.com/community

✨ Connect with me!

Find me on LinkedIn: elizapeterson

Follow & DM me on Facebook @theinspiredclassroom

Follow & DM me on Instagram @theinspiredclassroom

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube @theinspiredclassroom

Do you deal with extreme student behaviors? Or how about those behaviors that aren't extreme, but just constant (and annoying!) They disrupt the flow of a lesson, disrupt the classroom environment and take time away from your teaching and your students' learning!

Well, if that is frustrating to you, then this episode will be very helpful. I'm sharing the 5 steps to navigate disruptive behaviors so that you can improve student behaviors.

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

Behavior Blueprint: Grab all the resources, videos, templates and tools you need today to Navigate Disruptive Behaviors with 100% Confidence! Go to https://theinspiredclassroom.com/behavior

Have a question you want me to answer on the podcast? Record it here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/podcast

Want to experience the calm and connection in your classroom again? You will inside The Classroom Reset Group Coaching Program.

💬 Let’s keep this conversation going! (There's so much to talk about!) Come join our free Inspired Classroom Community where creative, passionate teachers connect, share ideas, and cheer each other on.

It’s your safe space to be inspired, supported, and reminded you’re not in this alone.

👉 theinspiredclassroom.com/community

✨ Connect with me!

Find me on LinkedIn: elizapeterson

Follow & DM me on Facebook @theinspiredclassroom

Follow & DM me on Instagram @theinspiredclassroom

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube @theinspiredclassroom