352: The September Slump

The school year starts off strong — students are excited, routines are fresh, and momentum is high. But as September rolls on, many classrooms experience what we call the September Slump . In this episode, we talk about why student engagement can dip during this time, why it’s important to address it early, and practical tips for keeping your classroom energized and focused. Quotables " When your providing feedback, we want it to be timely so that they can do something with it, but we also want it to be specific enough they know what to do differently going forward." " When students actively participate in setting their own goals, they feel a sense of ownership." " Acknowledge that things are stressful." Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter Join here and grab a freebie! Connect with Gretchen Email: gretchen@alwaysalesson.com Blog: Always A Lesson Facebook: Always A Lesson Twitter: @gschultek Instagram: Always.A.Lesson Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College Gretchen’s latest book, Always a Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success , is now available on Amazon . Leave a Rating and Review: This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long-lasting effect on our future. Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’ Music from : License code: QD3TG5UIS0LHILEL

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352: The September Slump is an episode from Always A Lesson's Empowering Educators Podcast by Gretchen Bridgers | Education Podcast Network.

This episode is 16:46 long.

This episode was published on Sep 15, 2025.

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