16. Classroom Management is Five Unscripted Plays a Day (& the Audience Heckles)

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of classroom management and effective teaching strategies with guest host Cristal Godina.

This week guest host Cristal Godina joins us as we tackle one of the most misunderstood (and most necessary) parts of teaching: classroom management. What it really is, why it’s not about control, and how consistency, routines, and relationships quietly do the heavy lifting. From Hogwarts metaphors to heckling audiences, filing cabinet fails to Otterbucks victories, we break down what actually works — and why yelling rarely does. ???? Cool in School: • Otter Stores officially open — and kids cashing in hundreds • A Nerf bow, multipliers, and the most engaged math game ever • Global Issues projects giving students real voice and real purpose • Brain breaks that prove two minutes can save an entire class period ???? Teacher Tips (you can steal tomorrow): • Brain breaks on a wheel — hype included • Pencil accountability that actually stops pencil loss • Call-and-response, timers, and “ready position” routines • Rewarding the right behavior instead of chasing the wrong one ❤️ Good in Life: • Celebrating new parenthood and baby milestones • Finding calmer ways to stay informed without spiraling • Prioritizing mental health — and physical health too • Real talk about hormones, aging…

People in this episode

Hosts: Chandler Crook, Brian Russell

Guest: Cristal Godina

Topics covered

• classroom management
• teaching strategies
• student engagement
• mental health
• teacher tips

Keywords

• classroom management
• teaching
• student engagement
• brain breaks
• teacher tips

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hogwarts, Otter Stores, Otterbucks