Secrets to Success for New and Veteran Teachers With Ashleigh Smith

Sara
I am so excited for today’s episode because today, we have our very first international guests on the podcast and I have a feeling that y’all are absolutely going to love her.

Sara
I sat down to chat with Ashleigh Smith, who is one half of Rainbow Sky Creations, which is an Aussie duo dedicated to helping teachers survive and thrive the ups and downs of teacher life. They are resource creators, online mentors, fellow teachers, they are also brand new podcasters who want to help you work smarter and not harder.

Sara
And Ashleigh really shared some incredible tips or maybe should I say some secrets to help new teachers experience success in the classroom. But the great thing about these tips is that even though they help new teachers experience success, they really apply and help all teachers. I even took away some things where I’m like, okay, yeah, that can definitely help me be more successful. And I’m not even in the classroom anymore.

Sara
So if you feel like you need a little bit of a reset as we kick off 2024 I know that you’re going to get some encouragement out of this episode. So let’s jump right into our conversation with Ashleigh Smith from Rainbow Sky Creations.

Sara
Hi, Ashleigh, welcome to the show. I am so excited to have you on as a guest today.

Ashleigh
Thank you so much for having me. I am absolutely thrilled to be here.

Sara
So you are my very first international guests. So I’m so excited that I get to kind of welcome you on and celebrate this new milestone, I feel like I can now officially say that the Stellar Teacher Podcast has gone international.

Sara
I know that you and your partner, Alicia are really passionate about supporting new teachers, which I think is so incredible. I think back to when I was a new teacher, I had such a hard year I feel like I struggled so much. And so I always love seeing other educators who are just really cheering on new teachers.

Sara
But I’m really curious, how did you sort of get into the niche or the space of helping new teachers? How did this become something that you’re so passionate about doing?

Ashleigh
Well, Sara, I think exactly the same as you. Alicia and I both remember what it was like to be new in the classroom. Not only that, but we were both new teachers. And then both of us moved overseas to Dubai in the Middle East. And it was kind of like starting all over again. And that is actually how we met we met teaching over there.

Ashleigh
And when we came back we started Rainbow Sky Creations, and we started creating resources for teachers. But we had so many new teachers reaching out saying that things were just really tough. They were finding it hard to keep on top of everything, they weren’t feeling confident. And it was something that both Alicia and I felt really passionate about helping them because we need good teachers in the classroom. We need good teammates, as teachers ourselves.

Ashleigh
And eventually we knew that we were going to have our own children, which we do now. And we want good teachers for our own children too. So it kind of has a few layers to it. But we want to help new teachers to know that they’re not in it alone. They’re not alone, they they’ve got people out there that want to help them that want to help them succeed. And it’s definitely not a rite of passage to be sitting on that struggle bus. We want teachers to know that there is help out there and their support.

Sara
I love that. And I just think it’s like kind of like how you were talking about the rite of passage sitting on that struggle bus. It’s like, I remember going into my first year. And it’s like, even my professors were like, your first year is going to be so hard, you’re going to be working so long, like you know, just almost like assuming that you were only going to have challenges that first year.

Sara
Which I feel like nobody wants to go into their career with sort of like this expectation that it’s going to be hard from the beginning. And so I love that you guys are even wanting to sort of create a different narrative for first year teachers that you can have support, it can be a good experience, like it doesn’t have to be as hard as so many people make it out to be.

Sara
Also I so want to go back and like ask more questions about just like teaching in Dubai and all of that. So we might have to have a whole other conversation about that because that sounds like a really amazing experience. And I know that you guys have you know, a lot of practical strategies to help teachers but what are some of those things that teachers can do to experience success during their first year?

Ashleigh
Well, there’s a lot of little things that you can do. As a new teacher, or even as a teacher that’s been teaching for a long time, you can put some of these little things into play. And they can make a really big difference. I think even teachers that have been teaching for years can start to go off track, or we can start to spiral a little bit. Because the workload is so overwhelming, and things are always changing in education.

Ashleigh
And we’re always having things thrown at us. And I think sometimes that is a skill as teachers that we need to be flexible. And we need to be able to think on our toes and when things are changing. So I’ve got five secrets to success. So should we just jump straight into them?

Sara
I’m so excited to hear these. And I’m sure all of these are probably things that I wish I would have known as a first year teacher, but probably didn’t. So let’s go for it. What’s the first secret to success for a new teacher?

Ashleigh
The first one is about not reinventing the wheel. So we’ve got a motor here at Rainbow Sky Creations, we need to work smarter and not harder. And everything that we do we try and dedicate what we do around that phrase, how are we going to make teachers save time? How are we going to help them work smarter and not harder?

Ashleigh
And sometimes I think, as teachers, we feel like we have to do things the long way around. I don’t know what it’s like in the US. Back here in Australia, when you’re a teacher, even you or you’ve been teaching for a while, if you’re not doing it the long way around. It’s kind of like you’re cheating. But there’s no such thing as cheating.

Ashleigh
Working smarter and not harder is actually we always say to our new teachers, it’s smart to do that. And there’s often someone on your staff that does a really good job at this a colleague down the hall or someone that you work with. And that’s how I learned, I learned by watching or working with people that really could cut corners where you can, I know there’s definitely times in places where you can’t cut corners.

Ashleigh
But cutting corners where you can, watching how they do things, the quick way around and learning from that because, you know, we could spend all day we could spend our entire lives at school all weekend, and your to do list is never going to be done. And we’ll talk about that a bit later. But that’s not what the key is here. You want to have a life outside of school. And we want to make sure that not everything is revolving around work, because we need that balance to be the best possible teacher.

Sara
I love that. And I love that sort of reframe that you said it’s a smart decision, right? This is working smarter, because I think it’s the same here in the States, right? Like teachers feel this need to, like every year, make new lesson plans and do new activities and find new books and make everything on their own when it’s like no, just rinse and repeat. And if something already exists in a textbook or another teacher has it like if it saves you time, that’s a smart decision.

Sara
It’s not being lazy. It’s not you know, like cutting corners, it’s like, no, that’s smart, because it’s gonna save you time. So I love just that reframe of like, sometimes the easiest or the the decision, that’s going to save you time, that’s the smart decision. Like that’s the smart way to approach it. So that’s such a good, such a good way of thinking about it.

Ashleigh
For sure. I think these days with Teachers Pay Teachers and other websites that are out there, we’re getting better at that as teachers, and I’m so thrilled that things like that are out there now that teachers can, if you’re short on time, you can go and grab a lesson that you know is going to be really high quality.

Ashleigh
The other thing in this area, and I know in Australia, there are principals that are on the cusp of not liking this, but using AI to help you is really working smarter and not harder.

Sara
Absolutely. And I think it is one of those things where it’s such a great tool, especially if you know how to use it. And I think back and I don’t know how long when you started teaching, but I started teaching way back in 2006, I think was my first year.

Sara
And it’s like that first year I didn’t have Teachers Pay Teachers wasn’t a thing. Chat. GPT wasn’t a thing. Instagram wasn’t a thing. Pinterest wasn’t. And so there wasn’t this possibility to even go and like find a lesson just like quickly for the day. And so I love that there are so many resources out there for teachers to make it easy for them to work smarter and not harder. So that’s a good tip.

Ashleigh
For sure. The next one kind of goes along the same lines, and it’s prioritizing your to do list. Now, as a teacher when I first started, I could not believe that that to do lists kept growing and I’d cross one thing off, but then add three more things to it.

Sara
It was never ending. I feel like mine was just it was like I always say my to do list started in August. And it ended in May, because then it was like May even if there was still the school year ended and I made a new one then the next year. So yeah, it was mine was never ending.

Ashleigh
I love that. I think that all teachers can totally relate to that. So when you’re looking at your to do list, you need to prioritize it and tackle it in a way that helps you not feel like you’re too overwhelmed.

Ashleigh
So looking at those items on your to do list, how important are they in comparison to other items? There are things on there that are really important. And there’s things on there that are kind of more like a wish list.

Ashleigh
And that’s one thing I really love to tell our new teachers we’ve got a membership and we say to them, make that you really long to do list, but make it a wish list. And then you can pull things out of that. And then anything you get ticked off there feels like a bonus, instead of just not feeling like you’re always failing, because you can’t get those things on your to do list done.

Ashleigh
So think about what’s important. Think about time limits, there are going to be some things that you have to do within a given time, like you might need to turn something into your leadership or write your reports, there are things that are time limited. But also think about what’s on your to do list and how that’s going to impact student outcomes.

Ashleigh
Because I think as teachers, we have so much to do so much on our list. And not all of it is related to students, and the outcomes for them. So bring it back to our core work, which is really about the students, helping them, connecting with them.

Ashleigh
And if it’s those extra little bells and whistles, or those extra little frills, leave those on your wish list to do when you get the time or if you get the time. And if you don’t, then that’s fine. Like, please know that it’s so hard to get through everything on that to do list, there’s never going to be done.

Sara
Yeah, and I love this tip too. And I know you mentioned this at the beginning of the episode. But even this is something that’s so important for veteran teachers to hear. Or even I feel like out of the classroom, like just in general, we need to be better about prioritizing.

Sara
And I know, my first year I spent so much time doing those wishlist items, before some of those important items like I would make new labels and like label my library and level my books and you know, update my bulletin boards and like, make new computer logins for my students. And it’s like, those were all fine things to do. But when I did those things first, that meant that I still had other more important things that had to get done that just made my task list so much longer.

Sara
So I love that you’re giving your teachers, especially those new teachers permission, it’s okay to have a wish list. And it’s okay if those things don’t get done, even like at any point in the year because they’re focusing on the most important work, which is, you know, the outcomes for the students. So such a good reminder.

Ashleigh
I think too, sometimes we go and fall into the category of doing those things because they’re a little bit more fun. Yes, I’m not about taking away that fun. So maybe if you do two items that are important, and then choose one of those final wishlist items to reward yourself, then you kind of getting the best of both worlds, right?

Sara
Yes, that’s a good reminder.

Ashleigh
Okay, number three, take your sick days.

Sara
Yes, yes.

Ashleigh
I say this so much. I say this for teachers overseas, I say this with teachers in Australia, but you’re not good to anyone, if you’re not the best version of yourself. Even if you’re a little bit tired, or you just need a day to recoup, sometimes things are so overwhelming. And sometimes we have really bad days or bad weeks in the classroom. And that’s okay.

Ashleigh
And it’s okay to take a day off to just gather yourself. So you can come back in fresh because to be the best teacher you need to be be the best version of yourself, and you’re not the best version of yourself, when you’re not feeling very well. When you’re tired. Or even when you feeling overwhelmed. It’s kind of like a mental health thing.

Ashleigh
Having a mental health day can really, really help. So take those sick days, you’re not letting anyone down. In fact, you’re doing the best possible thing for your students. I know it feels like really, it’s hard trying to plan for a day when you’re not going to be there. But it’s worth it in the long run.

Sara
I am a huge advocate of teachers taking the days that they have, it’s like you’re given those days, you need to take advantage of them.

Sara
I don’t know if you have any sort of like a sub advice or you know, suggestions because I remember at least for my first year as a teacher, wanting to take days but already feeling so overwhelmed of like, I can barely plan for you know, the day of the week, let alone like plan for us out when I’m gonna be out because those sub plans just felt so overwhelming.

Sara
I don’t know if you have any suggestions or tips or how you support your teachers inside your membership. But if a new teacher is getting ready to like take their first day like what are some things that they could do to even make that easier for them?

Ashleigh
Well, making life simple. So if you feeling so overwhelmed, and you don’t have a math lesson, you think this is going to be just way too hard to explain for a sub teacher, then grab a lesson that says a grab and go one that we love that I can give you the link to is a number of the day we’ve got a free version.

Ashleigh
Teachers can just print it off, they can work in pairs, they can work by themselves, they’re doing something that is really great building their number sense. And it’s just a really quick activity. And you can do that with any age group.

Ashleigh
So try and find we’re going back to working smarter, not harder. I’m trying to find shortcuts to really help yourself there. If setting up reading groups is too tricky when you’ve got a sub. Again, just choose activities that are nice and easy. You might just put out a book and ask the sub teacher to do an activity around that book. They’re still getting a nice little literacy lesson.

Ashleigh
They’re getting exposed to some literature, but it’s not involving a huge amount of planning for you. Get them to go outside and play a game. And just remember that as long as they’re happy, and they have a great day at school, and you’re getting the rest, then, you know, it’s a win win for everyone.

Sara
I love that. And I think it’s just so often teachers put so much pressure on themselves to make these amazing sub plans, you know, that are with like, Great directions and tons of activities.

Sara
But it’s like, even if the sub doesn’t have enough for a day, like they’re gonna figure it out, your students are going to be okay. So I love those suggestions. That’s kind of like a bonus tip that you just shared. Alright, what’s your fourth suggestion for how do teachers can experience success?

Ashleigh
The fourth suggestion is the best PD is down the hall. Now, I think sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in all of the things that we see online, and learning about all of the newest trends in education. But really, the teacher who’s teaching next door to you, or the teacher down the hall, can offer amazing professional development.

Ashleigh
They can answer your questions, if you have them and teachers they want to help. They all remember what it’s like being a new teacher. And if you have a question, I’m sure they’re not going to hesitate in helping you and giving you the best possible help to teach you how to how to work smarter and not harder how to do something, even if it feels like a silly question, ask.

Sara
I love that. And I think that’s such a good reminder too that. It’s like, obviously, we can learn a lot from social media and blogs and websites. But I have a girl that’s on my team. And she said, I’m a Social Learner, which I loved that phrase. And I think that’s such a good mantra for all of us. Because we we really do we learn better when we can connect and collaborate with our teammates with other people in person.

Sara
It’s so much easier to ask for clarification or to see an example in somebody’s classroom than it is to you know, read an Instagram post or get an idea from online. Well, online stuff is great as you and I know that it’s like you can learn so much. But yeah, the people down the hall, like they can really help with that social learning. I just love that reminder that it’s like go down the hall, ask for help connect with the teachers in your building.

Ashleigh
Yes. And being a Social Learner. I think as teachers, we offer that for our students. We know that as people we’ve learned together and collaboratively. But we need to offer that to ourselves as well. Sometimes we’re so good at making sure that our kids needs are met. But we forget about ourselves. And we think that we’re just this lone ranger in our classroom. But that is not true.

Sara
I think too, it’s like if teachers can build those connections and relationships with other teachers in their building, it really will help when the challenges show up, you’re gonna have somebody else that can come alongside you, they can encourage you, they can offer some perspective, somebody who has been through the first year and beyond. So I think there’s just so many benefits to that. Okay, what’s your final tip for new teachers for experiencing success in the classroom?

Ashleigh
We’ve kind of already touched a little bit on that final tip. But the final tip is that it is always okay to ask for help. It’s always okay to ask that question. And if you don’t have someone in your school that you can ask, because I know that sometimes it does feel daunting, asking people in your school because you think it might be a silly question or that you should already know that.

Ashleigh
Then find a community that can help you there are dozens of Facebook groups out there. I know that we’ve got one for new teachers. But there’s lots of other ones out there that you can go and ask questions. Or it might be just some friends that you went to university with that you could ask the question, or it might be an online mentor.

Ashleigh
Alicia, and I have a membership that we mentor new teachers online. And it’s the same sort of thing we say to them, there is no silly questions. So please ask the question, if you have it.

Sara
I love it. I think like such a good reminder. I mean, you listed off so many good suggestions, whether it’s you know, joining a membership similar to yours, or finding free Facebook groups, or even connecting with somebody that you went to college with or creating, you know, sort of that peer teaching group just to have a friend who’s going through the same thing as you.

Sara
And realizing that every every teacher had a first day every teacher had a first year, it’s like everybody remembers, I think just that experience of being brand new and having to figure everything out. And I at least you know, in the schools I’ve worked with, I feel like every veteran teacher is more than willing to help out the new teacher or to give them as much support as they possibly can. So I love that encouragement to just reach out and ask for help.

Ashleigh
They really are. We have a quote that we always use at Rainbow Sky and that is kids need connection over perfection. And that’s true for us as adults too. Get connected. You don’t need to be absolutely perfect in the classroom. The chances are, you’re doing the most wonderful job and the students are really, really lucky to be in your care.

Sara
I love that quote. I’m gonna write that down and remind myself of that, but yeah, in general, as people we need connection more than we need perfection and I think that’s such a good reminder for our teachers and for students.

Sara
Now, I know that your mission is to really help teachers feel seen and special and inspired, which I absolutely love. And you guys are just a huge advocate to encouraging teachers to have a look life outside of a classroom.

Sara
I feel like one of the messages that is sort of put out there, or maybe it’s a misconception, really. But it’s this idea that if you’re a new teacher, it’s impossible for you to have a life outside of the classroom that like your first year is just going to be a lot of work, it’s going to be overwhelming.

Sara
I know me personally, like my first year, I was that teacher that was at school till 8pm. I worked on the weekends, you know, I didn’t have the experience of having a coach or a mentor, like you or Alicia. So is it really possible for new teachers to have that balance and to have a life outside of the classroom?

Ashleigh
The answer is, yes, is a big fat yes. You totally can do it. The disclaimer is though, you need to really prioritize that, you need to make sure that you put that at the forefront. And there’s some little tiny things that you can do in your week that can help that.

Ashleigh
One suggestion that I love is choosing a day of the week, and it needs to be the same day each week that you leave school early. So as soon as the bell is gone, and you’ve packed up, you leave and go and do something for you. I always love to do this on a Thursday. I know lots of teachers like to do it on a Friday.

Ashleigh
But if you do it during the week, it kind of feels like a little extra bonus for yourself. I had a principal once she would also do it on a Thursday, and she had a nail appointment every Thursday afternoon. And she would just go and do that. When I first started teaching, I would go and learn French. And it’s just something that I really love to do for me.

Ashleigh
So choosing an afternoon where you can leave work, and just go and do something for you. And giving yourself that time is a really nice little way of going about caring for yourself and your own well being. Another thing is not beating yourself up if you’re taking work home, and then you don’t get to it. Did you ever do that Sara?

Sara
Oh my gosh, the teacher bag that I would take back and forth. It’s like this, like, I felt like I just carried 20 pounds of books and papers, from my classroom, to my car, to my house, to my car, to my classroom to my car to my house. And I didn’t ever do the work that I always intended to. And I always felt so guilty for like taking work home but not actually doing it.

Ashleigh
Yes, I was about to say that you had the 20 pounds of work, and then the extra 20 pounds of guilt that went along with it.

Sara
Yes, there was definitely guilt that came along with that bag.

Ashleigh
So don’t worry about that. As you you just heard two teachers that have been teaching for such a long time, and we have both been there too. If you take the work home and you don’t get it done, then that is absolutely fine. If you decide to leave that bag at school for that afternoon, then that is fine as well.

Sara
I think even better leaving the bag at school, like just give yourself that space at home. That’s like one of those things where like looking back on my past, you know, like my my younger self, I wish I could have the wisdom that I have now recognizing that like, we need to be so protective of our personal time.

Sara
And the work is always going to be there. And you know, you shared so many great tips and suggestions about working smarter, and not harder and collaborating and all of these things that it really does feel possible for newer teachers to have more of that balance outside of work.

Ashleigh
For sure. I think we hear a lot on social media about boundaries as well. And that applies to us as teachers, sometimes we need to put those boundaries in place.

Ashleigh
I worked at a school once and the principal would send out a really long staff newsletter on a Sunday, late afternoon, early evening. And the expectation was that you read that before you came to school on the Monday morning. So you read it on that Sunday evening. And that just did not gel with me my husband only has Sunday off. It was the only day for us to spend time together before we had kids.

Ashleigh
And I just thought I don’t want to be thinking about work on Sunday evening. I’ve got my brain moving. I’m a type A person. So I started to think oh, we’ll only to start to do that. Maybe I should just get this done now. And it didn’t work for me. So I put in that boundary. And I thought no, I’m going to read that email when I get to school on Monday morning.

Ashleigh
Okay, it wasn’t exactly what the principal wanted. But I had to set that boundary. And I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with that protecting your weekend, if that is what you need.

Sara
What else I think to like you have gone on to have a very successful career. I think so often we worry. It’s like, okay, if I put this boundary in place, and then you know, my principals disappointed in me or I you know, I I mess up. But it’s like, no, it’s like you put that boundary and you were a successful teacher. And you probably did amazing things for that school. And you’ve gone on to do you know, more amazing things, probably because you had that boundary in place.

Ashleigh
Yeah. And at the time, I was on the leadership team. And I remember some teachers being cranky about it saying, You don’t read the email when we’re supposed to read it. And I said, No, I don’t. But I don’t think that that is going to impact me in my role as leadership and it’s not going to impact me as a teacher. I get it done. I get it read. But I do it in a time that suits me.

Ashleigh
And I think that actually also relates back to emails. You talked about starting in 2006. And I’m not sure what it was like in the States, but I started in 2007 and we didn’t have teacher emails back then.

Sara
Yeah, I don’t I don’t think I had email probably until I don’t remember. But at least the first year it was nice.

Ashleigh
Yes, yeah. So it was great. It was a better time because if you needed a message, it was written on a piece of paper. That’s a complete digression. But what was I going to say about email, not have it on your phone as a reminder.

Ashleigh
So one of the tips that I love to use to save time, and I do this for myself, in my business as well, is I have times during the day that I check my emails. And as teachers, I think, sometimes is expected of us to be checking emails, but we’re actually supposed to be teaching our students and you can’t be checking emails while you’re actually giving the time and energy to your students.

Ashleigh
So no one’s ever going to come back to back at you. If you say, Well, I was teaching reading at that moment that you wanted that reply to the email. So a little bit cheeky, but choosing some times during the day that you check those emails and turning those notifications off. So you’re not sitting on the couch watching Netflix at nine o’clock at night, and an email from a parent comes through, and then you start to worry, you can see that in the morning. It’s still going to be there.

Sara
Yeah, I think that’s such a such a practical suggestion and has such a big impact. So if there are any teachers who are currently listening, go pick up your phone right now, take your school notifications off, or if anything, put some time limits on them. So that way, you’re not getting notifications when you’re at home, because that is such a good such a good tip and makes such a huge impact.

Sara
So Ashleigh, you have shared so many good suggestions that I think you know, if there are new teachers who are getting ready to start this January for the very first time, I know these tips and suggestions are going to help them. But for any teacher who has been in the classroom for any length of time, everything you shared today is going to help them as well. I just think that these are great tips and suggestions to help any teacher experience success.

Sara
So thank you so much for coming on. If my audience wants to connect with you and follow up with you after the episode, what is the best way for them to find you guys on the internet?

Ashleigh
We would love that. We have got our own podcast, it’s called Rainbow Skies for New Teachers is quite a new podcast. But please come along and have a listen. If you’d love some of the tips that we spoke about today, we do deeper dives into those.

Ashleigh
And we also talk about lots of lesson ideas and ways to work smarter, not harder. We’re Rainbow Sky Creations on all of our socials. So Instagram and TikTok and Facebook. So come on over and say hi, we would love to hear from you.

Sara
And we will be sure to link to all of those in the show notes as well. So again, Ashleigh, so fun to chat with you today. Thank you for being my very first international guests on the podcast. And I just appreciate all of the great tips that you shared for our audience.

Ashleigh
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for having me. I’m an honored to be your first international guest.