Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
What if you stopped waiting for your school, your administration, or everyone around you to create the kind of school year you want—and decided to own it yourself?
In Episode 354 of Sunday Night Teacher Talk, CJ and Jenn are live from the classroom talking about taking ownership of your year, setting the tone instead of matching everyone else's energy, and creating experiences that make students actually want to show up.
We also get into supporting students facing poverty and trauma, navigating anxiety as an educator, creating engaging electives, testing and retesting, AI-proofing assignments, and why CJ doesn't give homework.
In this episode:
Helping students understand that what they're doing now matters
Taking ownership of your school year
Setting the tone instead of matching negative energy
Navigating anxiety as a teacher
Finding your people and creating a "pain plan" for difficult days
Giving students facing poverty and trauma something to believe in
Protecting yourself from secondary trauma
Bringing more joy into your school's culture
Balancing teaching with a public YouTube or social media presence
CJ's testing and retesting system
Making electives rigorous, relevant, and engaging
Why CJ doesn't assign homework
Designing assignments students don't want to use AI to complete
Using podcasts, films, and projects instead of traditional essays
The beginning of the year doesn't have to depend on everyone else bringing the right energy. You can decide what kind of teacher you're going to be, what kind of experience you're going to create, and what kind of tone you're going to set.
🛒 Teacher resources:
shop.teachyourclassoff.com
🌐 Learn more:
teachyourclassoff.com
📧 Questions?
hello@teachyourclassoff.com
What if you stopped waiting for your school, your administration, or everyone around you to create the kind of school year you want—and decided to own it yourself?
In Episode 354 of Sunday Night Teacher Talk, CJ and Jenn are live from the classroom talking about taking ownership of your year, setting the tone instead of matching everyone else's energy, and creating experiences that make students actually want to show up.
We also get into supporting students facing poverty and trauma, navigating anxiety as an educator, creating engaging electives, testing and retesting, AI-proofing assignments, and why CJ doesn't give homework.
In this episode:
Helping students understand that what they're doing now matters
Taking ownership of your school year
Setting the tone instead of matching negative energy
Navigating anxiety as a teacher
Finding your people and creating a "pain plan" for difficult days
Giving students facing poverty and trauma something to believe in
Protecting yourself from secondary trauma
Bringing more joy into your school's culture
Balancing teaching with a public YouTube or social media presence
CJ's testing and retesting system
Making electives rigorous, relevant, and engaging
Why CJ doesn't assign homework
Designing assignments students don't want to use AI to complete
Using podcasts, films, and projects instead of traditional essays
The beginning of the year doesn't have to depend on everyone else bringing the right energy. You can decide what kind of teacher you're going to be, what kind of experience you're going to create, and what kind of tone you're going to set.
🛒 Teacher resources:
shop.teachyourclassoff.com
🌐 Learn more:
teachyourclassoff.com
📧 Questions?
hello@teachyourclassoff.com
