OTT 270: Short Week, Full Heart; Sanity Saved

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The week before Thanksgiving can feel like a carnival on wheels—school-wide feasts, cupcake drop-offs, half the class rehearsing for a turkey play, and attention spans migrating toward grandma’s pie. We lean into that reality with a grounded plan that keeps learning meaningful without draining your last nerve. Instead of cramming a full unit or launching new systems, we focus on survival with purpose: low-prep, high-engagement activities that create calm structure, protect your energy, and still spark joy.

We start with one anchor text—think Molly’s Pilgrim or any gratitude-themed read—and build simple, reflective responses that reinforce comprehension and connection. Then we channel restless energy into hands-on STEM story stations using easy materials like cardboard, tape, and craft sticks. From designing parade floats after Balloons Over Broadway to quick engineering challenges, students collaborate, iterate, and share, while you finally take a breath. To cap it off, a short reader’s theater provides a shared goal with big payoff in fluency, expression, and classroom community—assigned Monday, practiced Tuesday, performed Wednesday with zero busywork.

Along the way, we share a ready early-finisher kit, guardrails that keep transitions smooth, and a firm list of what to skip: tests, parent conferences, new behavior systems, and any guilt about reusing resources. The core message is simple—reuse what works, download what’s ready, and give yourself grace. You’re a good teacher even when you choose rest and ease. Want ready-to-use materials? I point you to Thanksgiving Readers Theater, Thanksgiving STEM story stations, Molly’s Pilgrim activities, and even Christmas STEM options if you want to pivot early.

If this helped, follow the show, share it with a teacher friend who needs permission to breathe, and leave a quick review telling us your favorite short-week strategy. Your future self—post-pie—will thank you.

Links Mentioned in Show:

Thanksgiving Time and Sanity Savers 

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to One Tired Teacher episode 270.
What I actually do during theThanksgiving short week.
Okay, aka How to Survive theWeek Before a Break Without
Losing Your Sanity.
That's what it should be called.
Welcome to One Tired Teacher.
This is a podcast for educatorswho love their kids but need a
minute.
And today's episode is foranyone that is crawling toward a

(00:23):
Thanksgiving break with onenerve left.
And their class tap dancing onit.
Let's be honest.
I'm not pulling out a full-blownliteracy unit this week.
I'm not teaching paragraphstructure with fidelity.
I'm not introducing a brand newscience standard on a Wednesday
when I know half the class isalready mentally at grandma's
house eating pie.

(00:45):
This week is about survival withpurpose.
If you are listening to this onMonday morning and you are
driving to school, you know whatI'm talking about.
So today I'm walking you throughwhat I actually do during the
Thanksgiving short week, whatworks, what I can let go of, and
how to make space for joy.
And a little bit of breathingroom as well.

(01:05):
Hope you stick around.

SPEAKER_01 (01:12):
Welcome to One Tired Teacher.
And even though she may need anap, this teacher is ready to
wake up and speak her truthabout the trials and treasures
of teaching.
Here she is, wide awake.
Wait, she's not asleep rightnow, is she?
She is awake, right?
Okay.
From Trina Deborah Teaching andLearning, your host, Trina

(01:33):
Debori.

SPEAKER_00 (01:35):
Hey, can we just say it?
The week before Thanksgiving ischaos.
There's a school-wide feast,somebody's mom is sending
cupcakes.
Oh gosh, that used to make meinsane.
Like celebrating a birthday onthat, on those two or three days
that you're there.
Oh, your class is performing aturkey play and no one remembers

(01:55):
their lines.
Okay.
It's not the bit, it's not theweek to plan big.
I'm just gonna say that becausenot everybody will even be
there.
There's a lot of kids that willbe absent.
It's the week to lean onresources that do the heavy
lifting for you.
Prepped, ready, low stress.
You know what I've used thisweek and actually loved?
I've actually used a quickreader's theater that gives me

(02:18):
like 30 minutes of student-ledjoy while I sip tea and pretend
to grade papers.
When actually I'm really justmaybe quickly planning for the
week back so I don't have to doanything over the break.
That is what I call a win-win.
Another thing that has workedreally well is Thanksgiving STEM
story stations.

(02:38):
These keep kids building andproblem solving, and it's
totally distracting for them.
And also they're focused on areally good Thanksgiving book.
And yes, I've even pulled outDecember subplans a little
early.
Don't judge, I call it astrategic scaffolding.
You could even use the Novembersubplans and be like really

(03:01):
super specific.
That is up to you.
Okay.
So let's take a look at a littlesneak peek of a short week plan.
So maybe on Monday and Tuesday,you do Molly's Pilgrim or
another gratitude theme book,you do a quick, quick writing or
discussion, you let studentscreate their own version of the

(03:21):
story or a gratitude chain forthe classroom.
Easy.
Just super, super easy.
Another thing that you can do ismaybe in the middle, like
Tuesday, or if you have to teachon Wednesday, oh you do STEM
story stations with theThanksgiving with Thanksgiving
themes.
There are no prep challenges.
You're using simple materialslike cardboard, paper, tape,

(03:44):
popsicle sticks, things likethat, things that you already
have.
And it's there's a bonus thatyou let them kind of engineer a
Thanksgiving float after readingballoons over blot Broadway,
which I actually have a littlereader about the history of that
as well.
That could be something that youdo that's super engaging and you
know easy to do.

(04:05):
Another thing that I love to dois, you know, the reader's
theater.
I think assigning the partsmaybe on Monday and letting them
practice it on Tuesday and thenperform it on Wednesday, they
could do it for, you know, foryour class or for another class
or something, something to givethem a little breakup in the
routine.
And then always wanting them tohave early finisher, like an

(04:27):
emergency kit of earlyfinishers, like um whether it's
bookmarks to color or gratitude,you know, word searches, or I
have a November color by code umpacket that has writing and
coloring.
So that's a great way to likegive them something to do if
they are finishing early.
And most importantly, I protectmy piece.

(04:52):
I don't over plan and I don'toverextend.
That was the key.
That was the key to making it ifI wasn't already sick.
Because this week isn't aboutproving where you're our like
the best teacher in the world.
It's about making it to thebreak without getting sick,
without losing our sanity, andit's helping kids feel safe and

(05:15):
seen and a little festive in theprocess.
All right, here's a quick listof what I don't want you to do,
what I think you should holdback on just because of the
years of experience.
Take it or leave it.
No tests.
This is a terrible time to dotests.
You're gonna have kids absentand they're just not in it.

(05:37):
No parent conferences, nostarting new behavior systems,
no guilt for choosing rest, noreinventing the wheel.
None of that.
Instead, refuse what don't yeah,refuse all that and like allow
yourself to reuse what works,download what's ready and remind

(05:59):
yourself you're a good teacher,even if you're not doing it all
this week.
Say it with me.
You're a good teacher.
I'm a good teacher.
That's what you want to tellyourself.
It's okay.
You deserve to enjoy your break.
And the week before it, youdeserve you deserve a little bit
of grace.
So borrow a plan, use aresource, let the kids, you

(06:20):
know, color a little longer, andplease don't stress if your
class isn't running like awell-oiled machine.
If it's okay if the vibe iscontrolled chaos with a hint of
cinnamon, that's still learning,they're still connecting.
If you want ready to help foryou, short a short week go-to,
check out my ThanksgivingReaders Theater, my Thanksgiving

(06:41):
STEM story stations, my Molly'spilgrim activities, anything
like that.
You can even pivot intoChristmas early and do Christmas
STEM story stations.
I will share those links in theshow notes.
Happy almost break.
You are doing enough.
You are enough.
And I, for one, am super, supergrateful for you and for all

(07:03):
that you do.
And if you need any little likethoughts on what not to do in
the month of November, then youwant to go check the quick
little bonus episode that I did.
I think it was the second weekof November.
And what episode was that?
I think it was 260.
What are we on?
I think it was 268.

(07:24):
I'm pretty sure it was 268.
All right.
Until next time, sweet dreamsand sleep tight.