How to Create an Amazing Classroom Climate Using a Simple Competition with The Game Plinko (Season Premiere)
Welcome back to a brand-new season!
We’re kicking things off with a powerful, practical strategy to boost student engagement, motivation, and classroom culture—all with a little help from the iconic game of Plinko.
In this week’s episode of the This Teacher Life, you’ll learn how to turn a simple competition into a classroom climate game-changer.
Discover step-by-step ideas for implementing a custom Plinko board in your teaching routine, tips for aligning it with academic and behavior goals, and creative ways to make it fun, fair, and effective for all grade levels.
Whether you’re a seasoned educator or just starting out, this episode will give you everything you need to spark joy and build connection from day one.
Get ready to bring the excitement—and results—of game shows into your classroom!
Want TONS more Awesome Ideas? Join the Awesome Academy and Earn Up to 90 Hours of PD Credit:
monicagenta.com/awesomeacademy
Needing Some Awesome PD for Your School? Let’s Connect:
monicagenta.com/PD
Get a free PDF copy of Monica’s Book Crushing It For Kids Here:
monicagenta.com/freebook
Here is a Digital Board You Can Use:
games.washingtonpost.com/games/price-is-right-plinkoarkadium.com/games/price-is-right-plinko/
Connect with Monica on social media:
Instagram: instagram.com/monicagentaed/
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Twiiter: twitter.com/monicagentaed
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38:42
A Really Dumb Teacher Idea that Takes Less than 12 Seconds to Implement and is Perfect for ALL Teachers (Best Episode Replay)
Really dumb ideas can be SO dynamic!
But why share “dumb” ideas?
Because SPOILER ALERT… they work!
I think ideas that take no prep, require no lesson plan, and cost nothing are exactly the kind of thing we are looking for this school year.
In this week’s episode of the This Teacher Life podcast I explain a super simple strategy that kids have declared as the GOAT- Greatest of All Time.
And you can use this in ANY subject area, remix it in so many fun ways, and it takes literally no time to implement.
Curious what it is? Take a listen and I promise you won’t regret it!
Episode Notes:
Want TONS more Awesome Ideas? Join the Awesome Academy and Earn Up to 90 Hours of PD Credit:
monicagenta.com/awesomeacademy
Needing Some Awesome PD for Your School? Let’s Connect:
monicagenta.com/PD
Get a free PDF copy of Monica’s Book Crushing It For Kids Here:
monicagenta.com/freebook
Connect with Monica on social media:
Instagram: instagram.com/monicagentaed/
TikTok: tiktok.com/@monicagentaed
Facebook: facebook.com/MonicaGentaEd
Twiiter: twitter.com/monicagentaed
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25:38
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25:38
2 Unpopular Teacher Opinions That Could Change The Way You Look at This School Year In a POSITIVE Way (Best Episode Replay)
How are you currently handling the stress, emotions, and frustrations of education?
How are you currently handling the celebrations, smiles, and successes of education?
And maybe the biggest, best question yet, how can we balance those two sets of very different emotions?
In this week’s episode of the This Teacher Life podcast we dive into 2 unpopular teacher opinions about teaching being “easy” and what “good teaching” really looks like.
The ideas packed in here about routines, results, and ruts are really going to blow your mind and shed some light on the simplicity of schools and how we can have our best year yet.
This is a don’t miss episode for sure!
Episode Notes:
Join the Awesome Academy Fun, Flexible Teacher Courses Get Signed Up Today:
monicagenta.com/awesomeacademy
Needing Some Awesome PD for Your School? Let’s Connect:
monicagenta.com/PD
Get a free PDF copy of Monica’s Book Crushing It For Kids Here:
monicagenta.com/freebook
Connect with Monica on social media:
Instagram: instagram.com/monicagentaed/
TikTok: tiktok.com/@monicagentaed
Facebook: facebook.com/MonicaGentaEd
Twiiter: twitter.com/monicagentaed
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29:09
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29:09
How a Deck of UNO Cards Can FLIP Your Classroom Into Something AWESOME This School Year (Best Episode Replay)
Want this school year to be your best UNO yet?
Sometimes things like classroom management and behavior management cam bog us down.
But what if I told you this year can totally be flipped over in a good way?!
What if there was one simple way to increase participation, decrease disrespect, get 100% of students organized, and have SO much fun.
And all you need for it is a deck of Uno cards?
This is not too good to be true and I’m confident after you listen to this week’s episode of the This Teacher Life podcast you will be so flipping excited!
Episode Notes:
Earn up to 90 Hours of PD Credit in the Awesome Academy Fun, Flexible Teacher Courses:
monicagenta.com/awesomeacademy
Needing Some Awesome PD for Your School? Let’s Connect:
monicagenta.com/PD
Get a free PDF copy of Monica’s Book Crushing It For Kids Here:
monicagenta.com/freebook
Connect with Monica on social media:
Instagram: instagram.com/monicagentaed/
TikTok: tiktok.com/@monicagentaed
Facebook: facebook.com/MonicaGentaEd
Twiiter: twitter.com/monicagentaed
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40:42
What Would Students Say to Teachers If They Knew We Were Really Listening? (Best Episode Replay)
When was the last time you asked students questions like…
What do you really want teachers to know about you?
What would you say to your teachers if you knew they would listen without judgement?
What can I do in this classroom this year to help decrease your frustration and increase your engagement.
Yes, kids want things like snacks, snapchat, and to sleep in class.
But kids actually want WAY different things then that too and their results to these questions are surprisingly reasonable.
In this week’s episode of the This Teacher Life podcast I give you all the details of a transparent conversation I had with my students that totally worked.
It is easy to replicate and once you have the roadmap, I promise it will create positive momentum for the rest of the school year.
Episode Notes:
Get 180 Fully Planned SEL Lessons Right Here:
monicagenta.com/180SEL
Sign Up for the Awesome Academy! Fun, Flexible Teacher Courses:
monicagenta.com/awesomeacademy
Needing Some Awesome PD for Your School? Let’s Connect:
monicagenta.com/PD
Get a free PDF copy of Monica’s Book Crushing It For Kids Here:
monicagenta.com/freebook
Connect with Monica on social media:
Instagram: instagram.com/monicagentaed/
TikTok: tiktok.com/@monicagentaed
Facebook: facebook.com/MonicaGentaEd
Twiiter: twitter.com/monicagentaed
A weekly podcast for teachers full of tips and tricks, stories and strategies, celebrations and struggles, all from the real life we are living every day. Welcome to This Teacher Life with Monica Genta.