Welcome to If It Were Easy, the podcast that helps educators simplify strategies and create meaningful impact in the classroom—without adding to the workload.

In this episode, we’re tackling a common but frustrating challenge: What do you do when classroom routines stop working?

Maybe your carefully planned routines worked at first but are now falling apart, or students are resisting structure altogether. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Today, we’ll troubleshoot why routines fail and how to reset themeffectively so they stick.

In this episode, we cover:

• Common reasons routines break down (lack of student buy-in, inconsistency, or a mismatch with student needs).
• Research-backed solutions from Dr. Robert Marzano on making routines relevant, consistently reinforced, and student-centered.
• Three key strategies to fix broken routines:

1. Get Students Involved – Gather feedback and give them ownership of the process.
2. Reinforce the “Why” – Help students understand how routines benefit them.
3. Stay Consistent – Stick with it, even when students push boundaries.
   
   

Quick-win solutions to make immediate improvements.

This Week’s Challenge: The Seamless Transition Challenge

The Seamless Transition Challenge is designed to help you refine one classroom transition and make it more efficient.

Steps to Complete the Challenge:

1. Identify one transition that needs improvement (e.g., moving between activities, starting or ending group work, lining up).
2. Use countdowns, signals, or visual cues to make transitions smoother.
3. Ensure students understand expectations and are involved in shaping them.
4. Be consistent—stick with the routine and reinforce it daily.
5. Reflect: Is the transition becoming quicker or smoother? What’s working? What can be improved?
   
   

Share your experience! Use the hashtag #SeamlessTransition on Instagram and Facebook to connect with other educators and exchange insights.

Next Episode Preview

Next week, we’ll continue the discussion on effective classroom strategies with a focus on building student accountability and independence.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast and share it with fellow educators. Small changes create big impact—let’s simplify, structure, and strengthen our classrooms together!