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Do you feel like teaching just isn’t fun anymore? Does classroom management feel like you’re playing a game of whack-a-mole? Do you wish you could clone little Betsy - the only student in class who exudes joy and stays engaged while learning? Ever feel like shutting your door and going off script just so you can teach in a way that you know your students need?
You’re not alone—and you’ve just found your people. (YAY!)
In this podcast, you’ll find real solutions to bring joy back to teaching, create a caring classroom, and finally find some balance between school and home. Teaching doesn’t have to feel like you’re in survival mode. Here, you’ll discover creative learning strategies that engage your students, practical ways to build a connected and caring classroom culture, and mindset shifts that help you take back control of your own classroom.
If you’re ready to stop drowning in scripted lessons, behavior struggles, and the Daily Teacher Drain—and start teaching with creativity, confidence, and purpose—you’re in the right place!
Hey there, I’m Elizabeth, a teacher since 1999, a mentor, consultant, arts integration specialist and creator of SEAL: Social-Emotional Artistic Learning. Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand how creativity can transform a classroom—not just for our students, but for us teachers, too! I’ve always leaned into creative teaching strategies to build relationships, engage students, and keep myself loving what I do—even on the toughest days.
(And, let’s face it - there are some tough days!)
I’ve worked with teachers who are exhausted, stuck in survival mode, and struggling with behavior issues that drain their energy. But when you start tapping into your own creativity—using the arts to connect with students, to bring meaning into lessons, and to shift the classroom dynamic—something changes. The stress eases. The engagement rises. The joy returns.
That’s what I want for you.
If you’re ready to finally enjoy teaching again—to create a calm, connected classroom, engage your students in meaningful learning, and reclaim your personal time—WELCOME – this is the podcast for you. My solutions are simple, effective, and built to inspire the teacher—because you don’t need more on your plate, you just need what works.
So go find your coffee (it’s around here somewhere), grab your favorite pen, take a deep breath, and get ready to Enjoy Teaching Again!
More Resources:
✨ Join the Teacher Community: www.theinspiredclassroom.com/community
✨ Learn more about SEAL: www.theinspiredclassroom.com/seal
✨ Sign up for my FREE Class: www.theinspiredclassroom.com/class
✨ Contact: support@theinspiredclassroom.com
✨ Visit my website: www.theinspiredclassroom.com
Episodes
Jul 28, 2026
Jul 28, 2026
20 min
If you've ever wondered whether student behavior is harder now than it used to be — the data has an answer. In this episode I'm sharing two more findings from 2025 and 2026 that confirm what teachers across the country have been feeling. And these aren't fringe numbers. This is the profession speaking.
I'll walk you through what the data is actually pointing at — and why the answer isn't just more behavior management strategies. It's a foundation shift. Connection, Regulation, and Engagement — the three legs of Your Classroom's Tripod — are what behavior has been pointing at this whole time.
By the end you'll have a simple three-step plan to claim the data, name your leg, and decide what to do about it.
~Elizabeth
Mentioned in This Episode:
Devon's Story: 145 | Stop Redirecting Your Students - It Just Doesn't Work Anymore
✨ 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
Sources:
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RAND Corporation (2026). State of the American Teacher Survey.
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NEA (2025). "The Survey Says: We're at a Crisis Point." Love & Logic summary: loveandlogic.com/blogs/our-blog/teacher-burnout-classroom-management
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EAB District Leadership Forum (2019), as cited by Gormley et al., University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Have a question you want me to answer on the podcast? Record it here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/podcast
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
Jul 24, 2026
Jul 24, 2026
22 min
In this episode I’m naming the two things that actually stand between teachers and a classroom that runs smoothly — and neither of them is more information. Because information was never the problem. You know how to teach. You have the strategies, the activities and the know how. So... what's missing??
There's a reason why strategies stop working by October. And a reason why your frustration grows instead of subsides. Let's have to real talk today, shall we?
By the end you’ll have a simple three-step way to name your own gap and decide what to do about it before Sunday.
~Elizabeth
Mentioned in This Episode:
✨ 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. Our "Challenge Sale" is going on now through SUNDAY! Be sure to get in while we have over $600 in bonuses and savings happening! https://theinspiredclassroom.com/yes
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
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
Jul 21, 2026
Jul 21, 2026
18 min
What if the research confirmed that you’re losing the equivalent of 14.5 school days every year — not to planning or grading, but to managing disruptive student behavior?
In this episode, I’m walking through what the data actually says — including a University of Nebraska-Lincoln study that sent trained observers into real classrooms to measure the time and financial cost of behavior management. The findings are striking and worth talking about.
I’ll also share what the research says happens when effective classroom management strategies are in place — and it’s not just about reducing behavior. It’s about improving student engagement, academic performance, social-emotional skills, and yes, getting more of your teaching time back.
~Elizabeth
Mentioned in This Episode:
The Classroom Tripod is discussed here: 148 | What a Calm Classroom Actually Looks Like (It's Not What You've Been Sold)
Behavior management time statistic based on research reported by Gormley, M. J., Overfield, R. A., Spradlin, C., Scanlan, L., & Sheridan, S. M., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, citing EAB District Leadership Forum (2019), Breaking Bad Behavior: The Rise of Classroom Disruptions in Early Grades and How Districts Are Responding.
Additional source: Jonson, A. & Witte, A. L. (2025). Reducing Classroom Disruptive Behaviors to Improve Academic Performance: An NeMTSS Research Brief. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Are you ready to jump into The Classroom RESET course? It's the natural next step to improving student behavior and getting those 14.5 days back! Let's do this! https://theinspiredclassroom.com/yes
Have a question? Record it here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/podcast
The Classroom Reset course: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/reset
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
Jul 17, 2026
Jul 17, 2026
12 min
The Classroom RESET Challenge starts July 21st, and in this episode I'm walking you through exactly what three days together is going to look like so that you can improve student behavior to eliminate teacher burnout!
Come for three days. Leave with more than you came with. And if you want to go further — The Classroom Reset course will be there when you're ready.
Save your spot — it's free, PD hours are available, and the replay comes to you if you can't make it live: theinspiredclassroom.com/challenge
I cannot wait.
Mentioned in This Episode:
The Classroom RESET Challenge (free, July 21-23, 2026): https://theinspiredclassroom.com/challenge
Join me for a free, live 3-day challenge built for teachers who already know how to teach and are ready to walk into this school year with an actual plan for student behavior — not just hope.
📅 Tuesday–Thursday, July 21–23, 2026
🕠 5:30pm PST / 6:30pm MST / 7:30pm CST / 8:30pm EST
⏱️ One-hour workshop each day
🎓 PD hours available
📼 Can't make it live? No problem — replays go out after each session.
workshops ~ community ~ prizes ~ FUN!
✨ 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
Connect with Elizabeth:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizapeterson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theinspiredclassroom
Jul 14, 2026
Jul 14, 2026
16 min
If "I don't have time for one more thing" is the thought that keeps you from trying anything new in your classroom, I want you to hear this one before school starts.
In this episode, I'm sharing some of my favorite classroom management tips — not because they're clever or complicated, but because every single one of them fits inside time you already have. We talk about three small, specific moves that address Connection, Regulation, and Engagement without adding a single extra minute to your day.
I'll also share what shifted for me when I stopped looking for what I could add and started looking at what I could redirect — and why the first five minutes of class might be the most important classroom management tip nobody talks about.
By the end, you'll have a simple three-step plan to find the moments in your day that are already there — and give them one clear job.
And if you want to dig deeper into more strategies like these, join me at The Classroom RESET Challenge — three days, one hour a day, completely free, July 21st–23rd. On Day 2 I do a live micro-engagement demo that shows you exactly what this can look like in your classroom. PD hours available.
Save your spot: theinspiredclassroom.com/challenge
~Elizabeth
Mentioned in This Episode:
Have a question you want me to answer on the podcast? Record it here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/podcast
Join The Classroom RESET Challenge (free, July 21-23): theinspiredclassroom.com/challenge
Ready to take it all the way? The Classroom Reset course is where we take everything in this episode and build it into a full, supported RESET plan for your classroom. You know how to teach - now let's make sure your classroom and your students are ready!
Learn more and enroll at 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
Jul 10, 2026
Jul 10, 2026
17 min
If you've ever tried a new classroom behavior management strategy, watched it work for a week or two, and then felt it completely fall apart — this episode is for you.
I'm breaking down why strategies stop working, and why it almost never has anything to do with the quality of the strategy itself. The real issue is usually where you're aiming. When you're managing the symptom (the behavior) instead of the source, things will unravel every time — no matter how good the strategy is.
I want to walk you through why behavior is always pointing at something underneath, how Your Classroom's Tripod helps you figure out exactly what that is, and what changes when your energy is finally going to the right place.
By the end, you'll have a simple three-step plan to carry into fall (or next week) so you stop managing the same thing over and over — and start actually changing it.
And if you want to do this live with me, I'd love for you to join The Classroom RESET Challenge — three days, one hour a day, completely free, July 21st–23rd. We'll work through improving student behavior without clip charts or consequences, preventing burnout, and creating a classroom you actually love. PD hours included.
Save your spot: theinspiredclassroom.com/challenge
Can't wait to see you there!
~Elizabeth
Mentioned in This Episode:
Have a question you want me to answer on the podcast? Record it here: https://theinspiredclassroom.com/podcast
Join The Classroom RESET Challenge (free, July 21-23): theinspiredclassroom.com/challenge
Ready to take it all the way? The Classroom Reset course is where we take everything in this episode and build it into a full, supported RESET plan for your classroom. You know how to teach - now let's make sure your classroom and your students are ready!
Learn more and enroll at 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
Jul 7, 2026
Jul 7, 2026
15 min
If you've ever thought "they just aren't trying" about a student in your class, I want you to hear this one before you step foot back into school.
In this episode, I'm challenging a belief I've held myself — and one I hear from teachers constantly — that a checked-out, unmotivated-looking student is simply choosing not to try. What I've come to realize, in my own classroom and in working with teachers everywhere, is that what looks like a lack of effort is often a lack of access.
I'll walk you through why that shift matters, how it connects to Engagement and what to actually do differently with the student you're picturing right now.
By the end, you'll be equipped with a simple three-step process to catch yourself before making any assumptions...and how to be the teacher that kids has been needing for so long!
~Elizabeth
Mentioned in This Episode:
Join me this July 21-23, 2026 for the Classroom RESET Challenge. Learn how to improve student behaviors to eliminate teacher burnout! Go to https://theinspiredclassroom.com/challenge to reserve your FREE spot!
Other Resources:
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
Jul 3, 2026
Jul 3, 2026
47 min
Have you ever wondered if you're just exhausted...or if it's something more?
In this episode, I'm joined by PTSD expert and resilience trainer Lori Owens as we talk about a question I think so many teachers are asking themselves: How do I know if I'm simply exhaused, burned out—or if my nervous system is trying to tell me something more?
You'll hear practical, teacher-friendly strategies to help you recognize the signs of burnout, regulate stress during the school day, and create healthier boundaries so you can care for your students without sacrificing yourself.
If you've been feeling emotionally drained, dreading Monday mornings, or wondering why a weekend never seems to be enough, this conversation is for you.
~Elizabeth
Mentioned in This Episode:
Lori's free Boundary-Setting Worksheet: https://practicalsolutionsforptsd.com/podcast
Coaching discount: Use code GUEST10 for 10% off your first coaching session with Lori.
Join me this July 21-23, 2026 for the Classroom RESET Challenge. Learn how to improve student behaviors to eliminate teacher burnout! Go to https://theinspiredclassroom.com/challenge to reserve your FREE spot!
Other Resources:
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