If Teachers Ruled the World

Teacher Summer Advice: Rest, Reflect, and Let Go

What's the best teacher summer advice? I asked nine of my colleagues on the last day of school. And what they said will stick with you all summer. From permission to fully unplug, to a two-part summer strategy for veterans, to one line of pure wisdom from our English department chair, this episode is teachers talking to teachers about rest, recharge, and letting go. Because teacher burnout recovery doesn't start with a plan. It starts with permission. If Teachers Ruled the World, Episode 45. Find the show notes here: leahcleary.com/teacher-summer-advice [https://leahcleary.com/teacher-summer-advice/]

The Bookend: A Teaching Career Change After 25 Years in the Classroom

Are you actively choosing your teaching career, or just never choosing to leave? In this episode, Leah Cleary talks about her own teaching career change after 25 years in the classroom. What led her to resign, why she is trading AP history and department chair for seventh grade ELA, and what teacher work life balance actually looks like when you finally choose your whole life over your resume. If you're navigating teacher burnout and career transitions, or just carrying a weight you can't quite name, this episode's your permission slip. Listen in.

The Liminal Zone: End-of-School-Year Activities That Aren’t Just Busywork

You've made it to the final two weeks. But if you teach AP, IB, or any high-stakes course, your students are already done with the real work. So what do you actually do with them now? In this episode, Leah Cleary introduces the concept of the "liminal zone" -- that in-between space where the course is finished but school isn't -- and considers what meaningful end-of-year activities actually need to accomplish. She shares the options she's weighing for her own classroom, the hidden cost of one popular post-AP project that most teachers don't think about, and why her favorite end-of-year tradition got taken away this year. Plus, a free resource in the show notes that reframes what it means to exist between worlds. Check that out at leahcleary.com. If you're searching for end-of-year projects for high school that aren't just busywork, this one's for you.

The When Will We Ever Use This? Teaching Question: How to Balance Expectation and Reality

Ever had a student ask "when will we ever use this?" and known immediately it wasn't really about curiosity? In this episode, high school teacher and 25-year classroom veteran Leah Cleary shares a real story about handling student pushback in real time, without losing instructional momentum or getting pulled into a debate you didn't plan for. If you're looking for honest, practical classroom management strategies for handling off-task students and navigating end-of-year behavior, this episode's for you. Because sometimes the best response isn't a lengthy explanation. It's knowing when to move on.

The Flashcard Sort: A Smart End-of-Year Review Strategy That Actually Works

It's the end of the year, and your students need to review. But re-reading notes isn't going to cut it. In this short episode, Leah shares a simple, low-prep sorting strategy that helps students stop memorizing random facts and start seeing the patterns that actually show up on exams. Whether you're prepping for AP exams, end-of-course tests, or your own final, this one's worth ten minutes of your time.