Some parts of teaching feel productive.
Some parts actually move the needle.

Most days, it’s hard to tell the difference.

We juggle routines, strategies, tools, and expectations that look like learning on the surface. But underneath, only a few of those moves truly change how students think, practice, and grow.

This week we dive into:

• One tool that gives students real chances to practice the hardest part of language learning.

• One study that reminds us why taking care of ourselves isn’t extra… it’s instructional.

You’re about to become an even better teacher in the next 6 minutes.

🚀 Noteworthy News

👉️ Astonishing: A high-school student mapped 1.5 million unknown objects in space.

👉️ Timely: Anti-doomscrolling influencers are taking on social-media addiction.

👉️ Thought-provoking: AI could teach students the lost art of dialogue.

TECH TOOL

The Hardest Skill to Practice

When it comes to language learning, students can read vocabulary. They can listen to audio clips. They can even ace grammar quizzes. But speaking? That’s the scary one. It takes time, confidence, and a safe place to mess up. And us teachers don’t always have enough minutes in the day for everyone to get real reps.

The Solution: Speak

Speak is an AI-powered language learning app built around one big idea: conversation. Students talk out loud with an AI tutor that responds naturally, asks follow-up questions, and gives feedback on pronunciation and clarity.

Instead of tapping multiple choice answers, students practice real scenarios like ordering food, introducing themselves, or explaining an opinion. Speak offers a free tier, with optional premium features (pricing varies by region but is similar to other language apps).

Is This For YOUR Classroom?

Speak works best when students have individual devices and headphones. It’s not a full curriculum replacement, but a strong practice layer that supports what you’re already teaching. Also, if you’ve got a large classroom, having students vocally speak all at once can get hectic pretty quickly.

Strategies That Work:

1. Homework Speaking Reps: Assign short daily conversations instead of worksheets.

2. Role-Play Warmups: Have students practice scenarios before in-class skits.

3. Pronunciation Stations: Rotate students through Speak during centers.

Language fluency doesn’t come from clicking answers. It comes from using your voice. Speak gives students a low-pressure way to do exactly that.

BRAINY BIT

When Teachers Thrive, Students Win

TLDR: Schools that intentionally support teacher wellbeing don’t just create happier adults. They also see calmer classrooms, better focus, and stronger learning from students.

The Study: Advocating for teacher well-being

Researchers examined 10 diverse schools across the UK using a “whole-school wellbeing” framework called Well Schools, designed to support both staff and student wellbeing together, not separately. Examples of these activities included staff recognition, mental health first-aid training, and after school well-being clubs for staff and students.

School leaders and teachers participated in in-depth interviews about what they were doing, why they chose those approaches, and what impact they noticed over time. The focus was not test scores alone, but daily experiences inside schools. 

The Results:

Schools reported that when staff wellbeing was actively supported, teachers felt more satisfied, more motivated, and more positive about their work.

Those same schools also described students as happier, more engaged, and better able to focus on reading, writing, and learning tasks.

In short: healthier adults created healthier learning environments.

In YOUR Classroom:

Your energy, stress level, and sense of support quietly shape everything students experience each day.

Here’s how to implement these results into your classroom today:

Strategies That Work:

1. Protect one tiny pause. Build a non-negotiable 5-minute reset into your day (walk, breathe, stare at a wall).

2. Ditch one low-impact task. If it doesn’t help kids learn, question why it exists.

3. Name wellbeing as instructional. Talk about rest, movement, and emotions like core skills, not extras.

This isn’t about doing less for students.

It’s about realizing that taking care of ourselves is one of the most powerful things we do for them.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We would LOVE to hear from you!

Reply to this email, or send us a message on Instagram! We’re here to walk with you in these crazy times!

Part of what makes The PEN Weekly community so special is the fact that our readers are teachers from around the world! We’re not going to lie, we think that’s pretty darn cool!

We’ll see you again on Monday 🍎

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