The Better Leaders Better Schools Podcast | The #1 Downloaded School Leadership Show How ABCDE Days Made 6th Graders Love Science Again with Jessica Levine & Mitch Weathers
Quick take:
Jessica Levine restructured Wednesdays to unlock autonomy, connection, and deep learning in her sixth-grade science class. Joined by Mitch Weathers, this episode explores student voice, the power of routine, and why helping kids feel known is just as critical as teaching content.
🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus MakersJessica Levine is a sixth-grade science teacher who created "ABCDE Days" — a protocol born from pandemic chaos that now transforms how her students learn, reflect, and grow.
Mitch Weathers is an educator, author, and systems guru who helps schools build executive function and organization into the DNA of instruction. He co-founded Organized Binder and co-authored a new book on self-regulation in early grades.
🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules 🧠 Key Insight #1: School should center the whole child, not just content.- What's broken: Treating academics and social-emotional learning as separate.
- The shift: Jessica's "B" day prompts students to reflect on how they're being — emotionally, socially, and mentally.
- Impact: Deeper student connection, emotional literacy, and trust in the classroom.
- What's broken: Teachers winging it or relying on memory for every class routine.
- The shift: Mitch shows how naming and systematizing common tasks frees up energy for deeper learning.
- Impact: Students thrive with predictability, and teachers save time and sanity.
- What's broken: A shocking number of students report not feeling seen by a single adult.
- The shift: Simple routines like anonymous surveys and sticky-dot walls help identify who's floating through school unseen.
- Impact: Schools proactively create connections — and prevent isolation-driven behavior issues.
"I'm not teaching content anymore. I'm teaching kids how to learn — and how their brains work." – Jessica Levine
🏋️ Your Do School Different ChallengeReady to implement these ideas? Start here:
- Tomorrow: Ask students one "B" question: How are you being?
- This Month: Add structure to one routine that currently drains your energy.
- This Semester: Run a campus-wide check — does every student have one trusted adult?
🎯 Get the full episode transcript here
🔗 Join us on the Adorable Red Hats show.
📧 Email hello@adorableredhats.com with your pitch.
👩🏻💻 Learn more at adorableredhats.com.
📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They ActIf education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning?
This show isn't about doing school better.
It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible.
🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news
🗖 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive content on Substack. Premium leadership insights, AI prompts and custom gpts, new books before the bookshelf: https://ruckusmakers.media
💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, AI Prompt Library, and more: https://ruckusmakers.club
🤨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind
🔍 Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:- ODP Business Solutions® Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Learn more: odpbusiness.com/education
- IXL Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Learn more: ixl.com/leaders
- Play Piper Too many students love tech but don't see themselves as scientists or engineers. Play Piper's hands-on STEM kits and engaging curriculum changes that. 🔍 Learn more: playpiper.com
© 2025 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?