Some weeks, it feels like everyone’s attention is running on fumes — students, teachers, all of us.

And the wild part? A new study says even a tiny shift in our screen habits can calm the crash… while this week’s tool shows how tiny shifts in time can bring focus back into the room.

Together, they’re small changes with outsized impact — the kind teachers actually feel by Tuesday.

Buckle up, because you’re about to become an even better teacher in the next 6 minutes.

🚀 Noteworthy News

👉️ Useful: The overlooked skill that quietly boosts grades—and how to build it.

👉️ Timely: Why teachers are pushing back hard on classroom tech right now.

👉️ Warning: Math anxiety is costing students an entire year of learning.

🔉But first, a word from today’s sponsor for teachers interested in keeping up with all things science and tech. 👇️ 

Find out why 100K+ engineers read The Code twice a week.

That engineer who always knows what's next? This is their secret.

Here's how you can get ahead too:

• Sign up for The Code - tech newsletter read by 100K+ engineers

• Get latest tech news, top research papers & resources

• Become 10X more valuable

Join 100k+ engineers

And now back to making you an even better teacher 👇️ 

TECH TOOL

Tiny Timers, Big Focus

If our students had a superpower, it would be getting distracted at Olympic speed. 

To be fair, many of us teachers aren’t far behind, especially during a late-night marking marathon when a “quick scroll” becomes 45 minutes. 

The Solution: Focus To-Do

Focus To-Do blends the classic Pomodoro technique with a simple task manager and reminders. Think of it as a focus buddy that quietly nudges you (and your students) through a series of short work sprints with built-in breaks. 

No bells and whistles, no chaos—just structured time in an app that works on literally everything: phones, Chromebooks, tablets, laptops.

For teachers, it’s a lifesaver during grading, planning, or report-card season.

For students, especially those in high school or with ADHD, the short-tasks-plus-breaks rhythm can help build better study habits. It also brings a layer of structure to those longer, drier lessons that normally drain the room’s energy by minute nine.

Focus To-Do is free with some premium options. As with any classroom app, it’s smart to check your school’s tech policies before introducing it widely.

Is This For YOUR Classroom?

Mostly, yes—but only with the right framing. Some students may find rigid timers stressful, and you can technically run Pomodoro without an app. Still, Focus To-Do’s visual cues and built-in structure make it far easier for students to stick with. It shines in quiet work periods, test prep, reading blocks, and any moment you need the class to settle into sustained focus.

Strategies That Work:

1. Class Pomodoros: Use a 10–2 cycle for tougher tasks.

2. Marking Sprints: A single sprint cuts through grading fatigue fast.

3. Student Planning: Break big assignments into four timed chunks.

Focus isn’t magic - it’s learned. This tiny tool simply gives everyone a fighting chance.

BRAINY BIT

Why a Week Off Screens Still Helps

TLDR: A brand-new cohort study of young adults found that a one-week social media detox reduced anxiety by 16%, depression by 25%, and insomnia by 14%—even though their overall screen time didn’t change much. This matters for K–12 because our students (and yes, us teachers too) scroll for all sorts of emotional reasons, not just out of “bad habits.”

The Study: Social Media Detox and Youth Mental Health

Researchers followed 18–24-year-olds for two weeks using passive smartphone sensors (GPS, screen unlocks, app time), daily check-ins, and validated mental-health surveys. 

After this baseline, participants could choose to do a one-week detox from Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, and X.

During the detox, phones continued collecting objective behavior data (movement, screen patterns), while students reported depression, anxiety, insomnia, and loneliness before and after the week. 

The team then compared pre- and post-detox symptoms, plus changes in behavior.

The Results:

Detoxers showed meaningful drops in anxiety, depression, and insomnia, especially if they started with worse symptoms. Loneliness didn’t improve, suggesting that removing social media doesn’t magically replace connection.

Interestingly, people didn’t use their phones less overall, they just avoided the platforms that caused the most emotional friction. 

The problem wasn’t time online; it was how and why they used it. Negative comparison, doom-scrolling, and compulsive checking predicted far more distress than raw minutes. 

In YOUR Classroom:

Your students aren’t “dramatic about their phones”—their brains are reacting exactly like adults’ do under constant comparison and pressure.

Here’s how this study could improve your classroom approach this week:

Strategies That Work:

1. Teach the trigger, not the timer. Have students identify why they scroll (boredom, comparison, anxiety) before you talk about “screen limits.”

2. Use 48-hour mini-resets. Try a weekend “two-day detox challenge” tied to a reflection journal—not for marks, but for insight.

3. Model digital boundaries. Share (lightly!) how you manage your own scrolling so students see that adults struggle with this too.

This study shows that outright social media bans might not solve everything—we also need better habits. 

A small break can reset emotional patterns, and teachers can guide students toward healthier digital lives without pretending the online world isn’t part of theirs.

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 🍎

Share this newsletter!

Do you know someone who would appreciate reading the PEN? Share this newsletter with them! Our goal is to reach as many teachers as possible, and to build a community of teachers supporting teachers.