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Secondary Teacher Podcast

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by Khristen Massic | Classroom Routines, Secondary Teacher Strategies, Workload Management

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Podcast Overview

Are you drowning in lesson planning and still taking work home every night? Trying to build classroom routines that actually hold up when you're juggling multiple preps? Wondering if workload management is even possible as a secondary teacher? Let's be honest… your planning period disappears fast. If that sounds like you, you're in the right place. This podcast is for overwhelmed secondary teachers—especially elective teachers, CTE teachers, and any multiple prep teacher—who are tired of feeling behind and ready for secondary teacher strategies that actually work. You'll learn how to build classroom routines that run on autopilot, use secondary teacher strategies to finish your work during the school day, and finally get a handle on workload management so you stop taking everything home. Because you don't need a better planner. You need a system that fits the reality of your secondary classroom. Hi, I'm Khristen Massic. I'm a former high school teacher in career technical education who spent 10 years teaching courses like engineering, drafting, robotics, digital media, and more—and at one point, I was teaching nine preps in a single school year. I've also worked as a middle school assistant principal and now support teachers at the district level, so I've seen this workload from every angle. And here's what I learned the hard way: It's not that you're bad at planning. It's that most systems were never built for teachers juggling this many different classes. I used to overplan, rebuild everything from scratch, and try to make every lesson perfect—until it became completely unsustainable. What changed? I stopped chasing perfect plans and started building simple, repeatable classroom routines. Now I help secondary teachers simplify their planning, reuse what already works, and actually finish something during their prep period. Inside this podcast, you'll find: Classroom routines that reduce decision fatigue and keep your day running without constant effort Secondary teacher strategies for managing multiple preps without constant overwhelm Practical workload management systems so you stop rebuilding everything from scratch Low-prep classroom games and engaging lessons that boost student engagement without hours of prep Secondary teacher tips for protecting your planning period and finishing work during the school day Systems for repurposing lessons across CTE, electives, and other courses Real-world strategies for CTE teachers, elective teachers, and any teacher juggling multiple courses Practical ways to use AI to support your planning without adding more to your plate You don't need to do it all. You need systems that work. If you're ready to feel more in control of your time, protect your evenings, and still show up for your students… Hit play. Next Steps: Grab your free resources to start simplifying your planning right away: 🎯 2026–2027 Secondary Teacher Editable Unit/Lesson Planning Calendar https://khristenmassic.com/secondarycalendarpod 🎯 Planning Period Reset Toolkit https://khristenmassic.com/reset Explore ready-to-use resources in my Teachers Pay Teachers store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/khristen-massic-cte-teacher-coach And learn more at: www.khristenmassic.com

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Recent Episodes

July 28, 2026

Ep 356: Intentional Back to School Planning That Builds Classroom Culture

Grab the Secondary Teacher Systems Toolkit here: <a href="https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/systemstoolkit/?ref=pod " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/systemstoolkit/?ref=pod </a>Too many preps and not enough time? Let’s make your planning period actually work for you. Reserve your spot in the Unit Planning Lab here: <a href="https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/unit/?ref=podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/unit/?ref=podcast</a>Planning for the next school year? If your day is organized by class period, your planning calendar should be too. Grab my Editable Class Period Calendar here: <a href="https://khristenmassic.com/secondarycalendarpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://khristenmassic.com/secondarycalendarpod</a>Get the Planning Period Reset Toolkit—a free set of quick-start tools to help you protect your time, focus faster, and finally finish something… even during chaotic school days. <a href="https://khristenmassic.com/reset" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://khristenmassic.com/reset</a>Shop my Teachers Pay Teachers store: <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Khristen-Massic-Cte-Teacher-Coach" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Khristen-Massic-Cte-Teacher-Coach</a>If you’ve ever found yourself collecting detailed “get to know you” surveys but never actually using them, this episode is your call-out and your game plan. Host Khristen Massic peels back the curtain on why most first week data collection quietly fails in the secondary classroom and what to do instead. The episode’s big question—how to collect and actually use first-week student information—drives every tip, every honest confession, and every practical pivot you’ll hear.Let’s talk about how most teachers collect information about their students in the first week, but very few ever use it. This isn’t about laziness or apathy—it’s a design problem, not a motivation one. Khristen recounts her own experience: digital surveys stored neatly in her drive, brimming with students’ likes and preferences, forgotten the second the whirlwind of real teaching begins. When it comes time to group students or provide support, who has the bandwidth at 7:45 a.m. to dig through unwieldy forms? The truth is, almost none of us.The primary keyword phrase, “how you learn about them as learners,” isn’t just for search—it’s at the heart of Khristen’s mission. The conversation challenges the tired script of collecting student interests (what movies they love or if they play basketball) and instead urges you to dig for learning preferences and habits that actually inform your next move. If you know a student does better when they see an example first or needs time to process before sharing, that’s not just trivia—it’s the kind of actionable data that shapes your classroom culture and day-to-day teacher decisions.A standout moment is when Khristen describes reshaping her own survey process. She moves from gathering likes to “The Way I Learn”—a simple, scannable one-pager where students check boxes, circle group work preferences, and jot down a couple of short answers about their learning needs. No more endless scrolling through Google Forms or parsing out paragraphs. When students reveal they “wait and watch” in class or need step-by-step instructions when stuck, Khristen can grab that info in seconds—actually using it while planning group work, scaffolding complex tasks, or providing targeted support.Khristen makes a crucial distinction: knowing your students is not the same as knowing how your students learn, and only the latter makes your life easier and your teaching sharper. She walks through ways this shift helps with intentional planning and grouping, from pairing students who need partners to visibly showing instructions for those who’ve asked for them. The point? Use student feedback to drive teacher moves, not as an afterthought.First week surveys aren’t “one and done”—Khristen advocates revisiting them midsemester to capture how students evolve as learners. Maybe that group work-resister in September is newly open by January, thanks to intentional classroom routines and a culture that feels safer. These comparisons tell you who needs support—and show students you’re still paying attention.Who needs this episode? Middle and high school teachers in the trenches with multiple preps—anyone who cares less about icebreakers and more about responsible, responsive teaching. Khristen’s rebel streak comes through: classroom culture isn’t built on cutesy activities or delivering a syllabus at lightning pace. It’s about trust, responsiveness, and proving through action that you’re tuned in to how each student learns, not just who they are outside your classroom.Looking for teacher tips that work in secondary? This is your episode. Khristen talks secondary classroom realities, balancing classroom routines, and the nuts and bolts of executing this mindset shift without burning out. The episode delivers ways to make survey data work for you, rather than one more thing on your to-do list.So, does your first week set students up to feel understood—or just watched? Khristen leaves you with a challenge for yourself and your classroom, nudging you to close the gap between knowing students and understanding them as learners. One builds familiarity. The other builds trust, and trust is what makes your classroom culture unbreakable.Finish something that makes tomorrow lighter. Let’s teach like we mean it.

July 23, 2026

Ep 355: Teaching Tips for Classroom Culture With Easy Class Prompts

Grab the Secondary Teacher Systems Toolkit here: <a href="https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/systemstoolkit/?ref=pod " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/systemstoolkit/?ref=pod </a>Too many preps and not enough time? Let’s make your planning period actually work for you. Reserve your spot in the Unit Planning Lab here: <a href="https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/unit/?ref=podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/unit/?ref=podcast</a>Planning for the next school year? If your day is organized by class period, your planning calendar should be too. Grab my Editable Class Period Calendar here: <a href="https://khristenmassic.com/secondarycalendarpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://khristenmassic.com/secondarycalendarpod</a>Get the Planning Period Reset Toolkit—a free set of quick-start tools to help you protect your time, focus faster, and finally finish something… even during chaotic school days. <a href="https://khristenmassic.com/reset" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://khristenmassic.com/reset</a>Shop my Teachers Pay Teachers store: <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Khristen-Massic-Cte-Teacher-Coach" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Khristen-Massic-Cte-Teacher-Coach</a>Let’s talk about “teaching tips for classroom culture with easy class prompts”—because building a strong secondary classroom culture isn’t about nailing one perfect icebreaker on day one. It’s about threading purposeful classroom routines through your whole year. You know what phrase lands teachers in hot water? “Turn and talk.” Say those words and you risk either unlocking thoughtful discussion or kicking off thirty seconds of dead silence where one kid does all the heavy lifting. If you’re nodding along, you’re not alone.Here’s the trap: we tell kids “go on, discuss,” and hope magic happens. For years, it seemed like think-pair-share should do the trick, but as revealed in this episode, just telling students to find an elbow partner and chat often flops. The primary keyword phrase—“what makes a first-week activity worth repeating”—shows up early for a reason: because summer icebreakers and one-and-done games are the junk food of classroom culture, and you deserve better.A better way? Lock in a discussion routine that actually gives every secondary student a real shot. The secret sauce described by host Khristen Massic isn’t some expensive tech or complicated protocol. It’s about adding one overlooked step to your discussion moves: writing. Not just thinking quietly, not just turning and talking, but jamming a quick “write” step right before the share. That move is a game changer for kids who freeze when put on the spot: multilingual learners, quieter kids, those who need extra processing time, and even the ones who get flustered and forget their ideas as soon as the spotlight’s on them.Here’s how it sounds in real life: students read or hear a prompt, and—wait for it—just think. No pressure. Then, every kid writes down a response, even if it’s just a scribbled sentence or a couple of words. Now when they turn to discuss, nobody’s scraping for something to say. It doesn’t matter if they’re extroverted or barely audible—the writing step puts everyone on a level field. That’s how you move past, “Some kids just can’t discuss,” and shift toward, “I’ve actually taught them how to have a conversation in this classroom.”It’s not just the prompt structure either. Host Khristen Massic shares that the prompts themselves are everything. Forget, “What did you do this summer?” That kind of prompt shuts conversation down before it starts. Swapping in prompts like, “A class feels easier for me when…” or “One thing I want this class to feel like is…” pulls kids into thinking and sharing about things that matter—building connections inside the secondary classroom, not just filling airtime.A small tweak packs an extra punch: after pairing up and sharing, have kids jot down one thing they learned from their partner. It’s subtle, but now kids actually listen all the way through—not sitting there waiting to talk, but seeking to really understand. That’s real secondary teacher magic, quietly training students to listen with their eyes up and brains on.This discussion routine isn’t a first-week stunt—it’s a reusable system made for the real, messy arc of the school year. Why reinvent every week? Keep your classroom routines sturdy, just rotate your prompts. Use it for “getting to know each other,” reflecting on learning, or anchoring right to content when the time comes. Once kids know the steps, all their energy goes into the discussion instead of figuring out what the heck they’re supposed to be doing.For any middle or high school teacher—especially if you juggle multiple preps—this approach can save your energy and theirs. Tired of hunting down dazzling new activities just to fill time? Swap in a reliable routine, change up your prompts, and focus on what works. The discussion explored why “think-write-pair-share” isn’t just a fix for quiet kids or English language learners; it’s the backbone for secondary classroom conversations that stick.If your students seem “bad at discussion,” this episode argues that maybe they never saw a real conversation routine modeled, let alone practiced. It’s about changing who gets to participate and making classroom culture accessible, not exclusive. This isn’t about teaching to the test or droning through a syllabus—this is about building work life balance for teachers by installing systems you can lean on all year, freeing you up for the real work of teaching.So, are your students struggling with conversation, or did they simply never have the structure? One small step—like adding that “write”—can change the way an entire room communicates.Teaching in the secondary world shouldn’t mean doing all the talking. Set up the right classroom routines once, keep your prompts fresh, and watch your students finally do the heavy lifting.Light up your classroom with better conversations—ditch the dead air and teach like you mean it.

July 21, 2026

Ep 354: Engaging Lessons to Build Classroom Culture in Week One

Grab the Secondary Teacher Systems Toolkit here: <a href="https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/systemstoolkit/?ref=pod " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/systemstoolkit/?ref=pod </a>Too many preps and not enough time? Let’s make your planning period actually work for you. Reserve your spot in the Unit Planning Lab here: <a href="https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/unit/?ref=podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/unit/?ref=podcast</a>Planning for the next school year? If your day is organized by class period, your planning calendar should be too. Grab my Editable Class Period Calendar here: <a href="https://khristenmassic.com/secondarycalendarpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://khristenmassic.com/secondarycalendarpod</a>Get the Planning Period Reset Toolkit—a free set of quick-start tools to help you protect your time, focus faster, and finally finish something… even during chaotic school days. <a href="https://khristenmassic.com/reset" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://khristenmassic.com/reset</a>Shop my Teachers Pay Teachers store: <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Khristen-Massic-Cte-Teacher-Coach" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Khristen-Massic-Cte-Teacher-Coach</a>What students learn in the first week of school sets the tone for the entire year, and the way classroom culture is built during those opening days matters more than any syllabus recitation or cutesy icebreaker. In this episode of The Secondary Teacher Podcast, host Khristen Massic dives into the nuts and bolts of engaging lessons to build classroom culture in week one, unraveling the common mistake secondary teachers make—thinking building relationships and teaching content are competing priorities.Let’s get real: teachers feel the pressure to make that first day memorable. Should you go all-in on the syllabus? Bust out a quick icebreaker? Jump right into curriculum? The truth is, most of us default to those classic get-to-know-you activities—not because they’re great, but because we’re desperate to fill the awkward silence with something, anything. Khristen shares how she used to do everything from bingo to Play-Doh sculptures, only to realize that these one-size-fits-all activities had nothing to do with her engineering class. She found herself recycling ideas that weren’t built for her context, and it showed.The key insight Khristen offers is this: classroom culture isn’t built when you stop teaching for icebreakers. It’s forged in the learning itself. The strongest first week lessons actually do double duty, showing students what learning in your classroom feels like, how they communicate, how they collaborate, and what kind of thinking you value. If your first day is all about Play-Doh, that’s what students will think your class is about—no matter what you actually teach.Khristen drops a concrete anecdote about the “Lego hotel challenge,” an activity that was both content-adjacent and engaging. It surfaced how students approached engineering problems, which was a gold mine for understanding their strengths right away. But even great activities have their limits in the secondary classroom. Students talk. Word travels fast. By B day, or worse, the next year, kids already knew the tricks. Multi-prep teachers know the pain—it’s impossible to keep recycling the same activity when your students overlap classes and grade levels.So how do you build classroom culture in a way that matters and lasts? Khristen challenges you to shift your focus away from “what’s a good icebreaker?” to “what kind of first learning experience do I want my students to have?” She shares three filter questions every teacher should ask before choosing an activity: Does this help me learn something meaningful about my students? Does it foster meaningful connections among them? And could I use this structure again later in the year? The best opening activities, she argues, are repeatable—structures that can reappear in September, March, or anytime students need to reconnect and refocus on learning.For teachers swamped with multiple preps—or just tired of August panic—this episode is a game changer. It’s especially for secondary classroom educators who are sick of activities with a shelf life less than a week. If you want classroom routines that support work life balance and build real community, you won’t get it from canned icebreakers or activities designed for other people’s classrooms.If you’re looking for secondary teacher tips that prioritize meaningful learning experiences without sacrificing precious instructional time, this episode is your new playbook. Khristen leaves you with a charge: after the first day, what do you actually want students to know about being a learner in your room? Don’t settle for fun; aim for connection, context, and community—values that will carry your class all year.Get ready to toss those tired icebreakers and start building the kind of classroom culture that keeps students coming back for more—because in the secondary classroom, culture is everything, and it starts on day one.

362 total episodes available

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What is Secondary Teacher Podcast?: Are you drowning in lesson planning and still taking work home every night?

Trying to build classroom routines that actually hold up when you're juggling multiple preps?

Wondering if workload management is even possible as a secondary teacher?

Let's be honest… your planning period disappears fast.

If that sounds like you, you're in the right place. This podcast is for overwhelmed secondary teachers—especially elective teachers, CTE teachers, and any multiple prep teacher—who are tired of feeling behind and ready for secondary teacher strategies that actually work. You'll learn how to build classroom routines that run on autopilot, use secondary teacher strategies to finish your work during the school day, and finally get a handle on workload management so you stop taking everything home. Because you don't need a better planner.

You need a system that fits the reality of your secondary classroom. Hi, I'm Khristen Massic.

I'm a former high school teacher in career technical education who spent 10 years teaching courses like engineering, drafting, robotics, digital media, and more—and at one point, I was teaching nine preps in a single school year.

I've also worked as a middle school assistant principal and now support teachers at the district level, so I've seen this workload from every angle. And here's what I learned the hard way:

It's not that you're bad at planning.

It's that most systems were never built for teachers juggling this many different classes. I used to overplan, rebuild everything from scratch, and try to make every lesson perfect—until it became completely unsustainable. What changed?

I stopped chasing perfect plans and started building simple, repeatable classroom routines. Now I help secondary teachers simplify their planning, reuse what already works, and actually finish something during their prep period. Inside this podcast, you'll find:

Classroom routines that reduce decision fatigue and keep your day running without constant effort Secondary teacher strategies for managing multiple preps without constant overwhelm Practical workload management systems so you stop rebuilding everything from scratch Low-prep classroom games and engaging lessons that boost student engagement without hours of prep Secondary teacher tips for protecting your planning period and finishing work during the school day Systems for repurposing lessons across CTE, electives, and other courses Real-world strategies for CTE teachers, elective teachers, and any teacher juggling multiple courses Practical ways to use AI to support your planning without adding more to your plate

You don't need to do it all.

You need systems that work. If you're ready to feel more in control of your time, protect your evenings, and still show up for your students…

Hit play.

Next Steps:

Grab your free resources to start simplifying your planning right away: 🎯 2026–2027 Secondary Teacher Editable Unit/Lesson Planning Calendar

https://khristenmassic.com/secondarycalendarpod 🎯 Planning Period Reset Toolkit

https://khristenmassic.com/reset Explore ready-to-use resources in my Teachers Pay Teachers store:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/khristen-massic-cte-teacher-coach And learn more at: www.khristenmassic.com
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 9 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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