Episode Details

Grab the Secondary Teacher Systems Toolkit here: https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/systemstoolkit/?ref=pod

Too many preps and not enough time? Let’s make your planning period actually work for you. Reserve your spot in the Unit Planning Lab here: https://khristenmassic.thrivecart.com/unit/?ref=podcast

Planning for the next school year? If your day is organized by class period, your planning calendar should be too. Grab my Editable Class Period Calendar here: https://khristenmassic.com/secondarycalendarpod

Get the Planning Period Reset Toolkit—a free set of quick-start tools to help you protect your time, focus faster, and finally finish something… even during chaotic school days. https://khristenmassic.com/reset

Shop my Teachers Pay Teachers store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Khristen-Massic-Cte-Teacher-Coach

If you’ve ever found yourself collecting detailed “get to know you” surveys but never actually using them, this episode is your call-out and your game plan. Host Khristen Massic peels back the curtain on why most first week data collection quietly fails in the secondary classroom and what to do instead. The episode’s big question—how to collect and actually use first-week student information—drives every tip, every honest confession, and every practical pivot you’ll hear.

Let’s talk about how most teachers collect information about their students in the first week, but very few ever use it. This isn’t about laziness or apathy—it’s a design problem, not a motivation one. Khristen recounts her own experience: digital surveys stored neatly in her drive, brimming with students’ likes and preferences, forgotten the second the whirlwind of real teaching begins. When it comes time to group students or provide support, who has the bandwidth at 7:45 a.m. to dig through unwieldy forms? The truth is, almost none of us.

The primary keyword phrase, “how you learn about them as learners,” isn’t just for search—it’s at the heart of Khristen’s mission. The conversation challenges the tired script of collecting student interests (what movies they love or if they play basketball) and instead urges you to dig for learning preferences and habits that actually inform your next move. If you know a student does better when they see an example first or needs time to process before sharing, that’s not just trivia—it’s the kind of actionable data that shapes your classroom culture and day-to-day teacher decisions.

A standout moment is when Khristen describes reshaping her own survey process. She moves from gathering likes to “The Way I Learn”—a simple, scannable one-pager where students check boxes, circle group work preferences, and jot down a couple of short answers about their learning needs. No more endless scrolling through Google Forms or parsing out paragraphs. When students reveal they “wait and watch” in class or need step-by-step instructions when stuck, Khristen can grab that info in seconds—actually using it while planning group work, scaffolding complex tasks, or providing targeted support.

Khristen makes a crucial distinction: knowing your students is not the same as knowing how your students learn, and only the latter makes your life easier and your teaching sharper. She walks through ways this shift helps with intentional planning and grouping, from pairing students who need partners to visibly