ďťżTeach Like a Top TEN Podcast
Episode 1: Unlock Student Voice â Burnout to Breakthrough
Welcome to the Teach Like a Top TEN Podcastâwhere we cut through the overwhelm with real talk, real tools, and real results for your classroom. Iâm Sarah, and Iâm here to help you stop surviving and start thriving as a teacher.
Hey Top Ten Teachersâitâs Monday, and Iâve got some real talk for you.
By now, weâre a few months into the school year, and letâs be honest: the shiny back-to-school excitement has worn off. Youâre tired, students are pushing boundaries, and those routines you set back in August? Theyâre starting to fade fast.
I get itâIâve been there. And Iâll never forget the day a coach was observing my classroom. At the end of my lesson, she looked me straight in the eye and said, âYou must be exhausted.â
And she was right. I was completely wiped out. It wasnât even 9 oâclock in the morning, and I felt like I couldâve gone home and taken a nap. She told me the hard truth: âSarah, youâre doing 90% of the talkingâand even worse, 90% of the thinkingâfor your students.â
That hit me hard. But then she added, âI can help you change this.â And that was the day everything shifted for me. Not only did she give me strategiesâI practiced them immediately, based on her feedback. And because I did them right away, I never forgot those moves.
That was the moment I became convinced: coaching works. And even more importantlyâpractice is what makes it stick.
So today, Iâm going to teach you three practical steps you can use this week to:
* Stop carrying all the weight
* Get your students doing the talking and thinking
* And help you feel lighter, calmer, and more energized in your classroom
Because when your students thriveâyou thrive.
Segment 1 â Why Student Voice Matters
Think about itâhow many times this week did you catch yourself doing all the talking?
When that happens, students tune out, behavior issues spike, and suddenly youâre carrying all the cognitive load. No wonder you feel exhausted!
But hereâs the shift: when you build in student voice, trust grows, students take responsibility, and the classroom community feels lighter.
And the bonus? You carry less of the weight. More joy. Less burnout. Thatâs the breakthrough.
Segment 2 â Strategy Spotlight
Alright, letâs get practical.
Strategy #1: Use Talk Moves.
Hereâs how to roll it out:
Write two or three sentence stems on the board:
* I agree with ___ becauseâŚ
* I disagree with ___ becauseâŚ
* I agree but see it differentlyâŚ
Start with something low-stakes, like: âWould you rather have indoor recess or outdoor recess? Why?â
Put students into A/B partners. Have them decide whoâs A and whoâs B.
Partner B goes first while A listens. Then they switch.
Give wait time before they share. That pause is crucialâit amps up the quality of responses.
Model with a volunteer: âI like indoor recess because I get to work on my drawings.â
Then the partner responds: âI like outdoor recess because I feel more relaxed after being outside.â
After partners share, pick a few students at random and ask them to share what their partner saidânot their own idea. This accountability piece is the game-changer.
Add a nonverbal engagement option: silent connections. Kids can give a little hand signal if they agree.
Top TEN Pro Tip: Donât let it drag. End it while the energy is high. If you push too long, kids get restless. Stop when theyâre still leaning in, and youâll build anticipation for the next time.
Now youâre not leading the conversationâyouâre facilitating it. Thatâs where the energy shifts.
Strategy #2: Co-Create Class Agreements.
If you didnât do this back in August, do it now. Because if your students donât have buy-in, youâll struggle all year.
Hereâs the flow:
Say: âWeâve been together a few months now. What do we need in our classroom so we can all be successful?â
Have students brainstorm individually (I call it stop-and-jot).
Then, have them share with a partner and add ideas to their lists.
Finally, come to the rug as a group. Each student shares one thing from their list. If itâs already up there, they can agree with it.
When all ideas are posted, guide the class in combining, revising, and narrowing it to 6â10 agreements.
Ask: âCan we all live with this?â If yes, have everyone sign it. Celebrate with music, lemonade, whatever feels joyful.
Why does this work? Because when students help write the rules, they own them. Ownership equals fewer battles.
Segment 3 â Reflect and Reset
By October, a lot of teachers are already running on fumes.
Thatâs why I recommend micro-resets.
At the end of the day, run a reflection circle. Ask:
* What agreement did we do really well with today?
* Which one should we focus on tomorrow?
Vote as a class. Write it on the board. Then revisit it the next morning.
And when things go sideways in the moment? Stop and ask, âWhat are we struggling with?â and âWhat can we do to turn this around together?â
Theyâll tell you exactly what you already see. And because the solutions come from them, the buy-in is ten times stronger. Less stress for you. More ownership for them. Everybody wins.
The Top TEN Teacher Mastery Method
Hereâs the part most teachers skipâand itâs why new strategies fizzle out. Itâs not enough to hear a strategy once. You need a system to turn it into mastery.
Thatâs why I created The Top TEN Teacher Mastery Method:
1. Practice with Purpose. Donât just try it once. Real change comes from repetition.
2. Gather Real Feedback. Reflect on what worked and what didnât. Better yet, ask your teacher bestie, your instructional coachâor send us a quick clip through our $49 Instant Coaching for real-time feedback.
3. Refine and Reframe. Adjust your wording. Shift expectations. Each round of refinement makes the move stronger and more natural.
4. Reflect and Repeat. Jot down one win and one challenge. Then commit to trying it again tomorrow. That cycle is what turns survival into mastery.
And remember: strategies donât work if they stay in your notebook. Mastery comes from practice, feedback, and reflection. Thatâs how you go from overwhelmed to unstoppable.
Closing
So hereâs your challenge this week: Try just one Talk Move. Post it, practice bouncing one answer back to the group, and watch what happens.
Iâve seen teachers go from burned-out to re-energized with this small shift. And after two decades in classrooms, I can tell youâstudent voice is always the game changer.
If you want to go further, grab my free guide: The 6-Step Empowered Lesson Plan. The linkâs in the show notesâitâs the exact framework I use with the teachers I coach.
And if youâre listening and thinking, âYes, Sarah, this is what I needâbut I donât know where to start,â thatâs your sign. This is what I do every day in Coaching with TEN. I help teachers fit these strategies into your classroom, your routines, and your students.
So donât white-knuckle it alone. If youâre ready to stop surviving and start thriving, coaching is your next step. The linkâs in the show notesâgrab your spot today.
Thanks for tuning in to the Teach Like a Top TEN Podcastâwhere you get real talk, real tools, and real results. Iâll see you next Monday.
