You set up group work with the best intentions. You create a solid task, explain the directions, assign roles, and maybe even make a rubric.

Then five minutes in, one student is doing all the work, another has checked out, and the room is suddenly buzzing with unrelated chatter.

If you've ever thought, Why does group work always turn into this?—you're not alone.

In this episode, I'm sharing the real reason group work can fall apart, and it has less to do with your assignment or your grouping strategy than you might think.

The missing piece is often the peer relationships underneath the group.

When students don't know or trust one another, even a well-designed group task can create tension, disengagement, and behavior issues. But when students have opportunities to genuinely connect with their peers, something changes. They're more patient, more willing to work together, and more accountable to one another—not just to you or the assignment.

I'll share why I used to focus so much on better group structures and strategic grouping, what I eventually realized was missing, and how intentionally building peer relationships can make group work smoother and more rewarding.

You'll also get three simple steps you can use to start strengthening those relationships before your next academic group task.

If group work has become something you dread—or something you avoid because you know how quickly it can turn into managing behavior—this episode will give you a different way to look at the problem.

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

Want to learn more about Friendly Friday? Go to this article here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/2017/02/friendly-friday-notes-sel-activity-for-your-students/

💬 Grab the silly debate questions inside 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

Grab the free RESET Roadmap that takes you through all 5 steps of the framework that leads to improved student behavior and more teacher joy!!

https://theinspiredclassroom.com/roadmap

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

✨ The Classroom Reset – The online course that helps you improve student behaviors, increase engagement and support students' SEL, so that you can 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

✨ Connect with me!

Find me on LinkedIn: elizapeterson

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Watch & Subscribe on YouTube @theinspiredclassroom

The first few weeks of school can feel pretty good. Kids are polite, routines are fresh, and everyone is still figuring each other out.

Then…the honeymoon ends.

If behaviors are starting to pop up, don't panic. It doesn't mean your year is headed in the wrong direction. It means the newness is wearing off—and your real classroom culture is beginning to take shape.

In this episode, I’m talking about what happens when that early-school-year calm starts to disappear and how to figure out what your students need next. We’ll look at three important areas—connection, regulation, and engagement—and how each one can affect what you're seeing in your classroom.

I’ll also walk you through my simple Classroom Tripod Check-In so you can identify which area needs attention and take one proactive step before behaviors start to tip.

If you're thinking, “Things were going so well. What happened?” this episode will help you stop seeing those early behavior changes as a warning sign—and start seeing them as useful information.

You'll leave with a simple way to identify where to focus your energy without trying to fix everything at once.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Grab the free RESET Roadmap that takes you through all 5 steps of the framework that leads to improved student behavior and more teacher joy!!

https://theinspiredclassroom.com/roadmap

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

✨ The Classroom Reset – The online course that helps you improve student behaviors, increase engagement and support students' SEL, so that you can 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

You’re not trying to get into power struggles with your students. But sometimes, they happen before you even realize what’s going on.

In this episode, I’m sharing three common—and often invisible—power struggles that can quietly show up in your classroom. More importantly, we’ll talk about what you can do to step out of the struggle while protecting the relationship.

If you’ve ever found yourself arguing with a student and suddenly thought, “Wait...how did we get here?” this episode will help you recognize those moments earlier and respond differently.

You’ll walk away with a simple action plan to help you stay calm, step out of the power struggle, and follow up in a way that builds connection instead of wearing it down.

Because this isn’t about winning the argument. It’s about keeping your authority and winning the relationship.

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

Grab the free RESET Roadmap that takes you through all 5 steps of the framework that leads to improved student behavior and more teacher joy!!

https://theinspiredclassroom.com/roadmap

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

✨ The Classroom Reset – The online course that helps you improve student behaviors, increase engagement and support students' SEL, so that you can 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

Most redirection sounds like a warning — and kids can tell. AND that can often backfire, especially when the redirection doesn't even work. If you've ever tried to redirect a student only to have to do it again 5 minutes later, this one is for you!

In this episode, I'm giving you the exact four-part redirection script to use for student behavior issues. When I use it in my classroom, it works! (And when I forget to use it... well, you know... I'm just repeating myself a few minutes later.

Plus, I'll share the most important part of making any redirection effective. (You probably already know this in your gut, but a reminder every now and again can't hurt!)

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

Grab the free RESET Roadmap that takes you through all 5 steps of the framework that leads to improved student behavior and more teacher joy!!

https://theinspiredclassroom.com/roadmap

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

✨ The Classroom Reset – The online course that helps you improve student behaviors, increase engagement and support students' SEL, so that you can 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

What if the students who challenge us the most aren't asking us to fix their behavior — they're asking us to see past it? In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Claudia Bertolone-Smith and Marlene Moyer, authors of Tools Not Rules: Developing Self-Regulation for Improved Student Behavior in Grades K–8.

Claudia brings 24 years of elementary teaching experience and now trains pre-service teachers as an associate professor of mathematics education. Marlene has 22 years teaching grades 5–7 and now works as a mentor teacher.

We talk about the idea at the heart of their book — that behavior is a symptom, not the underlying issue — and what it actually looks like to separate a student from their behavior without letting anything slide.

Claudia and Marlene share the real classroom strategies that came out of their own team-teaching experience, including their "magic fuzzy numbers" approach to shifting a whole class's dynamic, and a star chart method built around noticing the positive things about a struggling student. We also get into a moment that hit close to home for Claudia, and how this approach helps students choose different behaviors without ever being made to feel small.

If you've got a student this year who feels defined by their hardest moments, this conversation is for you.

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

Learn more about Claudia and Marlene's book at toolsnotrules.com.

Grab the free RESET Roadmap that takes you through all 5 steps of the framework that leads to improved student behavior and more teacher joy!!

https://theinspiredclassroom.com/roadmap

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

✨ The Classroom Reset – The online course that helps you improve student behaviors, increase engagement and support students' SEL, so that you can 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

Have you ever had a student who keeps doing the exact thing that gets them in trouble — even after they've told you they don't want to? This episode is about that kind of student behavior.

We'll look at why some students need that negative attention and how to bridge those students from seeking negative attention to being a well-regulated student.

I'll walk you through exactly how to bridge that gap and what to look out for in the process.

Let's go!

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

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

Want to take the ideas from this episode a little deeper? Grab the free RESET Roadmap! https://theinspiredclassroom.com/roadmap

OR, jump right in and join The Classroom RESET! Learn more and enroll: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/reset

Become an Inspired Classroom Insider: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/insider

Free community: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/community

Connect with Elizabeth:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizapeterson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theinspiredclassroom

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinspiredclassroom/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theinspiredclassroom

I used to think that if I just found the right consequence, my classroom would finally calm down. But in many cases that's actually backwards.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the three real reasons consequences keep failing — even when we're consistent and even when we're fair. And I'll share a tool that will help you look at student behaviors in a different way so that consequences don't need to be your constant go-to.

If you've ever felt like you're giving the same consequence to the same student over and over with nothing changing, this episode is for you.

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

Grab the RESET Roadmap that takes you through all 5 steps of the framework that leads to improved student behavior and more teacher joy!!

https://theinspiredclassroom.com/roadmap

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

✨ The Classroom Reset – The online course that helps you improve student behaviors, increase engagement and support students' SEL, so that you can 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

I'm setting up my classroom this week — in a new, bigger space (with windows!!!) — and it's got me rethinking decisions I've made the same way for years.

Setting up your classroom isn't just about deciding where the desks, bookshelves, and supplies will go. Your physical classroom can actually support students' social-emotional learning, regulation, and sense of belonging.

So today, I'm sharing 5 simple spaces you can create—or rethink—in your classroom that communicate to students that they are seen and valued.

If you're setting up your classroom right now or wondering how to make your space work a little more for your students and you (instead of simply making it look nice), this episode will give you practical ideas you can put into place right away.

You just may see your classroom setup a little differently—and hopefully realize that you don't need a bigger budget or a perfectly decorated classroom to create more calm, connection, and belonging.

Let's get into it together.

~Elizabeth

Mentioned in This Episode:

63 | Is Your Calm-Down Corner Even Working? The Mistakes Teachers Make—and How to Fix Them

Create Your Own BREAK BOX System in Your Classroom!

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

Want to take the ideas from this episode a little deeper? Grab the free RESET Roadmap! https://theinspiredclassroom.com/roadmap

OR, jump right in and join The Classroom RESET! Learn more and enroll: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/reset

Become an Inspired Classroom Insider: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/insider

Free community: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/community

Connect with Elizabeth:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizapeterson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theinspiredclassroom

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinspiredclassroom/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theinspiredclassroom