I don’t think we should trust these people with classroom advice… Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Bri Richardson, Gabe Dannenbring, and Jess Smith share stories of the worst unsolicited advice they've been given.  As teachers, we are constantly bombarded with well-meaning but misguided advice. From "just get another job if you're unhappy" to "you need to strictly enforce classroom rules" these suggestions may seem like the solution to our problems, but are they really? And should we trust these people’s opinions for how to run our classroom? Another common piece of advice is to be stricter with students to improve their behavior. But is being a strict teacher really the key to proper classroom management? We discuss the effects of strict discipline on students and share alternative methods that can actually lead to better behavior. Building relationships with students is often seen as the key to a successful classroom, but what does that even really mean? We share our strategies for building genuine connections with students and how it has positively impacted our teaching. We've all been guilty of staying late at school to finish grading papers or lesson planning, but is that really the best use of our time? Taking care of yourself outside of school hours is extremely important, so this week we're giving some self help tips for teachers.   Jump right to it! 2:35 Teaching Fashion Fails  7:15 Grade Inflation Pressure 13:45 The Teaching Marathon 18:20 Classroom Emergency Repairs 24:00 Admin vs. Teacher Dynamics 30:50 Coping with Classroom Meltdowns 36:30 Redefining Educational Norms   Trust us, we know what we're talking about, so listen to our advice on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.