Let’s have an honest conversation. If you’re feeling exhausted trying to do everything—planning, engaging, differentiating, creating, adjusting… you are not alone. And more importantly… You are not supposed to do it all.
In this episode of Growing With Proficiency, I sat down with Meredith White, Bethanie Drew, and Maris Hawkins to talk about something that might feel uncomfortable at first—but is actually very freeing:
What we are choosing not to care about anymore so we can teach with more intention.
Because sustainable teaching is not about doing more. It’s about doing what matters—on purpose.
Why Intentional Teaching Matters (Especially When You’re Tired)
Many teachers are running on empty.
We try to:
- Keep up with new strategies or the new trend in social media
- Create engaging lessons every day
- Make it black and white in terms of what activities are good or bad
- Be the teacher at school that volunteers for everything
- And still have energy left for our lives
But… that’s not sustainable. As we shared in the episode:
“We cannot care about everything… and depending on the season we are in, our priorities will shift—and that is okay.”
Intentional teaching means choosing where your energy goes and letting go of what doesn’t serve you. Focusing on what actually impacts students.
1. Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Teachers
One of the most powerful moments came from Meredith White, who shared that comparison is something she is choosing to let go of:
We compare ourselves in ways others are not even thinking about.
She reminded us that the way we talk to ourselves is often harsher than we would ever speak to a colleague.
And that constant comparison? It’s exhausting—and unnecessary.
✨ Shift: Focus on your students, your context, and your goals. Not someone else’s classroom.
2. You Don’t Need to Reinvent Every Lesson
After 30+ years in the classroom, Bethanie Drew shared something that every teacher needs to hear:
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time.
Instead of constantly searching for new activities, Bethanie encourages us to use:
- High-quality templates
- Reusable structures
- Low-prep, high-impact routines
Examples she shared include:
- Chat mats
- Sentence starters
- Roving paragraph frames
These allow you to:
✔ Support all learners
✔ Reduce planning time
✔ Still produce strong language output
✨ Shift: Invest in a few strong routines you can reuse across units and levels.
3. It’s Okay to Live in the “Middle” (Not Everything Is All or Nothing)
Another key insight from Meredith White:
Teaching doesn’t have to be all or nothing—this or that.
She pushed back against the idea that absolute statements like:
- Grammar is “bad”
- Certain strategies are “off-limits”
- Everything must be one way
Instead, she shared the importance of professional judgment.
Because the reality is:
- Some days are harder than others
- Some classes need different things
- Sometimes a simple activity is exactly what works
✨ Shift: Make intentional decisions based on your students—not trends or extremes.
4. Protect Your Time and Your Energy
For Bethanie Drew, sustainability comes down to boundaries.
Not just between work and personal life—but also within your work time.
She emphasized:
- Making wise instructional choices
- Avoiding unnecessary complexity
- Focusing on what truly supports learning
✨ Shift: Not everything deserves your time. Choose what actually impacts learning.
5. Protect Your Joy (Yes, That Matters Too)
Maris Hawkins shared something that felt very real:
She has learned to be intentional about who she spends time with at school.
She chooses to be around people who bring her joy, not drain her energy.
Because your environment matters.
And your energy matters.
✨ Shift: You don’t have to give your energy to everything—or everyone.
6. Use a Simple Cycle Instead of Constantly Creating New Lessons
One of the most actionable strategies came from Maris Hawkins, who shared a simple cycle she uses with any resource:
Her repeatable lesson cycle with a lot of retrieval practice:
- Brain dump or relay of words related to the topic of the text or audio students will read or listen.
- Input (read/listen and identify familiar words)
- Second pass (organize information with question words)
- Write a summary (with intentional errors)
- Peer review (find and correct errors)
This allows students to:
✔ Interact with the same content multiple times
✔ Build comprehension and confidence
✔ Engage without needing new materials every day
✨ Shift: Go deeper with one resource instead of constantly searching for new ones.
7. Recognize That Good Teaching Takes Effort (And That’s Okay)
Another powerful reminder from Meredith White:
We often say things like “Oh, it was nothing.”
But it was something.
Teaching takes effort, time, and intentional work—and it’s okay to say that.
✨ Shift: Give yourself credit. What you do matters—and it’s not effortless.
A Simple Question to Reflect On
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start here: What is one thing I can stop caring about?
Not forever. Just for this season.
Because as we said in this conversation: Priorities shift—and that’s okay.
I’d love to hear from you:
What is one thing you are choosing to let go of this year?
Because you don’t have to do it all.
Un abrazo 💛
