The ESL Teaching Podcast

ACCESS season can quietly shift the energy in our classrooms—bringing urgency, pressure, and the feeling that we should be doing more. More prep. More drills. More fixing. But let's talk about preparing ELs for ACCESS without panic.
In this episode, we slow the entire conversation down.
Instead of panic-driven test preparation, we focus on what actually supports English learners during ACCESS—and how your own regulation as a teacher directly impacts student language performance.
This episode is about preparing ELs for ACCESS without cramming, without overload, and without sacrificing nervous-system safety—for you or your students.
Here is What You Will Hear in This Episode:
The 3–4 language behaviors ACCESS measures across listening, speaking, reading, and writing
Why understanding the task matters more than perfect grammar
How expansion (adding a reason, detail, or example) impacts scores
Why language acquisition doesn’t respond to last-minute intensity
A simple Inner Classroom check for awareness and regulation during testing season
Four low-stress, high-impact prep routines that actually support ELs
What to intentionally let go of during ACCESS season
A grounded reframe of ACCESS as information—not judgment
Simply Ieva Offers:
The Inner Classroom™ Clarity Session
If you find value in The ESL Teaching Podcast and want to support the time, effort, and costs that go into bringing you these episodes each week, consider making a small donation—whatever feels right for you. Your support helps keep this podcast going and means the world to me! You can find the donation link below. Thank you so much! https://www.paypal.biz/simplyieva 
Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:
Simply Ieva website
My TpT store
Free resource:
Grab your free practice The First 7 Minutes: How to Start the Class Grounded (Even if Your Students Aren’t)
Related episodes: 
Reading and Writing Practice for State and Proficiency Tests
Preparing ELs for State and Language Proficiency Tests. Part 1: Listening and Speaking
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If you’re listening today and you feel like you’re constantly trying to do more—more scaffolds, more supports, more differentiation—yet still wondering if you’re doing enough for your English learners, this episode is for you. 
In today’s episode, I want to do something very simple and very intentional.
I’m going to share:
One practical EL strategy you can use tomorrow
And one Inner Classroom takeaway that will help you actually sustain your teaching—without burning yourself out
I have shared a lot about EL teaching strategies in some of my previous episodes on this podcast and I can link a few episodes for you to peruse below. But today’s episode is going to go a little deeper rather than wider - no overload, no long list.  Just one solid instructional move and one internal shift. 
If you find value in The ESL Teaching Podcast and want to support the time, effort, and costs that go into bringing you these episodes each week, consider making a small donation—whatever feels right for you. Your support helps keep this podcast going and means the world to me! You can find the donation link below. Thank you so much! https://www.paypal.biz/simplyieva 

Related episodes: 
Seeing is Understanding: 5 Visual Strategies for Supporting ELs

4 Strategies for Teaching Math to ESL Students

Cultivating Comprehension: The Art of Strategic Questioning for English Learners

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:
Simply Ieva website
My TpT store
Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
Let’s connect!
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on LinkedIn
Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group 
Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Support the show

Today, I want to do an official introduction. An introduction to the new layer of Simply Ieva ESL, the addition that I believe is so so important in teaching yet is so frequently overlooked. That addition is the Inner Classroom™ framework. The Inner Classroom is what is happening inside of your mind and your emotional landscape and how it affects your environment and your perceptions. In today’s episode, I will talk about how taking care of this inner classroom helps teachers prevent burnout before it happens—and recover from it when it does—by strengthening emotional regulation, clarity, and self-leadership. 
If you enjoy this podcast and would like to support the time, effort, and costs that go into bringing you these episodes each week, you can now do so through a pay-what-you-can contribution. You can pay by clicking HERE—just choose an amount that feels right for you. Your support helps keep this podcast accessible and sustainable for teachers.
Grab your free practice The First 7 Minutes: How to Start the Class Grounded (Even if Your Students Aren’t)
1:1 EL Teacher Clarity Power-Up Session

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:

Simply Ieva website
My TpT store
Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 

Let’s connect!

Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on LinkedIn
Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group 
Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Support the show

Stop focusing only on the lesson plan and start focusing on the most critical moments of your class: the first seven minutes.
In this episode, we dive into the powerful shift that happens when teachers prioritize grounding the room over pushing through. We explore why those initial moments set the tone for all the learning that follows, especially for multilingual learners.
Key Takeaways:
It's about the Nervous System, Not Competence: The class often feels "off" not due to a classroom management failure, but because students (and you) are still transitioning and their nervous systems are activated. Learning can't fully land until the room settles.
The Power of Grounding: Learn what "grounding" actually means—it's not about silence or perfect behavior. It's an invitation to settle, which can be physical (a breath, a stretch), emotional (naming the room's energy), or cognitive (a predictable routine).
Save Time Later: Grounding the first seven minutes saves time later in the lesson because you spend less time redirecting, repeating yourself, and trying to recover attention.
If you are ready to change how you begin class, grab your free resource, The First 7 Minutes: Start the Class Grounded (Even If Your Students Aren’t). Find the link below..

I want to hear from you!
What is your biggest challenge when it comes to transitioning from one class to the next? Share with us in the comments or send a message on Instagram, Facebook, or email!

Here is What You Will Hear in This Episode:
Three ways of grounding and what they can look like at the start of the class
Why it is incorrect to assume that chaotic start of class is always classroom management failure
The First 7 Minutes practice that you can use in your classroom right away

Simply Ieva Offers:
1:1 EL Teacher Clarity Power-Up Session
If you find value in The ESL Teaching Podcast and want to support the time, effort, and costs that go into bringing you these episodes each week, consider making a small donation—whatever feels right for you. Your support helps keep this podcast going and means the world to me! You can find the donation link below. Thank you so much! https://www.paypal.biz/simplyieva 

Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:
Simply Ieva website
My TpT store
Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 

Related episodes: 
Here is Why You’re Drained (or Energized) by Teaching

How to Beat the Mid-Year Slump in the EL Classroom

Let’s connect!
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on LinkedIn
Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group 
Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Support the show

Today’s episode "When the Strategies Aren’t Enough: Teaching ELs without Losing Yourself," is a reintroduction to The ESL Teaching Podcast, marking a new season of growth and transformation.
Here are a few key ideas you'll here: 
A Personal Break and Burnout: I am sharing why I stepped away from the podcast for several months (July through December 2025) - to recover from complete burnout from teaching, over-giving, and grieving the loss of a loved one. This break prompted a necessary pause and a shift in perspective.
The 'Inner Classroom': We are shifting focus from solely teaching strategies and lesson plans to the internal state of the teacher, which I call the "inner classroom." The argument is that no external strategy will be enough if the teacher's inner state is chaotic, exhausted, or depleted.
The Podcast's New Direction: The podcast will continue to cover practical EL teaching strategies, scaffolding, and effective instruction, but it will also become a "bridge between pedagogy and self-preservation." Topics will expand to include:Teacher energy and boundaries.
Sustainability in teaching.
Coaching (professional and personal).
Acknowledging teaching as emotional, relational, and human work.

Invitation and Free Resource: I am inviting you to stay, subscribe, and be part of a space where you don't have to pretend you are fine. Grab my free practice titled "The First Seven Minutes: How to Start Class Grounded (even if your students aren’t)," which is designed to help teachers slow down, reset, and reconnect.
Grab your free practice The First 7 Minutes: How to Start the Class Grounded (Even if Your Students Aren’t)

Simply Ieva Offers:
1:1 EL Teacher Clarity Power-Up Session
If you find value in The ESL Teaching Podcast and want to support the time, effort, and costs that go into bringing you these episodes each week, consider making a small donation—whatever feels right for you. Your support helps keep this podcast going and means the world to me! You can find the donation link below. Thank you so much! https://www.paypal.biz/simplyieva 
Save time and build confidence in your EL teaching with these resources:
Simply Ieva website
My TpT store
Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
Related episodes: 
Rewriting the Script of Negative Self-Talk for Teachers
How to Beat the Mid-Year Slump in the EL Classroom

Let’s connect!

Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on LinkedIn
Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group 
Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Support the show