Education Episodes

PRE-ORDER MY NEW BOOK (OUT MAY 5, 2026)!!! — ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/43BquPd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Gerry is back after what can only be described as the Ice Age: Wake County Edition, we compare notes on barely meeting our students, and I realize, once again, that trusting Facebook teacher groups might be a dangerous choice. We also talk about something huge in my life: my husband decided to try stand-up comedy for the very first time… during my show… with zero warning to anyone. Watching him crush five minutes on stage somehow made me more nervous than any set I’ve ever done myself, and Gerry’s reaction alone was worth it. From there, we spiral (naturally) into comedy venues that feel like side quests, students who refuse to pay to see their professors perform, the deeply unserious idea of giving extra credit for attending comedy shows, and the absolute audacity of calling planning time a “gift.” And yes, I climb onto a hill I’m fully prepared to die on, this time involving taxes, reading le…

PRE-ORDER MY NEW BOOK (OUT MAY 5, 2026)!!! — ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/43BquPd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Teacher besties… this episode is a little heavier than usual, but it’s one I felt I needed to record exactly as it is. Lately, the news cycle has been overwhelming, and as teachers, we don’t get the luxury of tuning it out, because our students bring it straight into our classrooms. In this episode, I talk honestly about what it feels like to be asked to “say something,” why nuance disappears online, and how impossible it can feel to hold space for kids who are scared, angry, confused, or all three at once. I share why structure can be one of the most compassionate things we give students during chaotic times, how I’ve navigated these conversations in my own classroom, and why empathy has to come before ideology when kids are involved. Then, we pivot, because life doesn’t stop. I respond to a first-year English teacher who is cheering out loud while grading student writing (yes, really), reflect …

PRE-ORDER MY NEW BOOK (OUT MAY 5, 2026)!!! — ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/43BquPd⁠⁠⁠⁠ I’m fresh off Teacher’s Lounge shows in Seattle and Portland (cities I was told to fear, but absolutely adored), and Gerry is coming back to work after a winter break so long it fully erased his sense of time, purpose, and identity. We talk about Pacific Northwest vibes and play a game that asks the important question: is this a student insult… or a Portland restaurant? Then we pivot into teacher reality: the story of a teacher arrested over a “private” Snapchat, what that means for how we vent, joke, and exist online, and why context doesn’t always save you anymore. We also dive into the grossest things we’ve ever seen in student backpacks, hypothetical snakes in classrooms, science teachers with emotional-support lizards, and the hills we are absolutely prepared to die on as we stumble back into the school year.

PRE-ORDER MY NEW BOOK (OUT MAY 5, 2026)!!! — ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/43BquPd⁠⁠⁠ Teacher besties… this episode is what happens when you let me and Gerry talk long enough to uncover each other’s secret side quests. I found out Gerry is casually coaching middle school basketball, we unpack why coaching parents somehow feel less terrifying than classroom parents, and I confess that my basketball career was built almost entirely on effort, fouls, and one accidental broken nose. We also get into musical theater respect, drama teacher burnout, and the teacher red flags that instantly make you question the vibes. We also talk about the deeply humbling experience of hearing what students really think you look like when they think you’re not listening. Plus, we tackle a Would You Rather that exposes the fantasy of “saying whatever you want at work,” debate poop patrol versus state testing, and I plant my flag firmly on a hill involving people who describe themselves as “just blunt.”

Teacher besties… this episode officially marks a new era, and honestly? It’s already unhinged. I’m joined by Gerry (yes, that Gerry), and we immediately get into important topics like whether Terre Haute feels like witness protection, why Florida keeps rewarding me while Jerry watches from afar, and how I accidentally ended up hanging out with an NSYNC member in a fancy room full of extremely rich people. We also talk about New Year’s resolutions that feel suspiciously like punishment, the ongoing grading spiral, why middle school books sometimes hit harder than “grown-up” books, and the eternal debate of which boy band you’d actually want to survive a tour with. Plus, we dive into airplane etiquette (someone flossed), teacher Would You Rather questions that reveal way too much about school systems, and why Gerry’s geography confidence remains… ambitious. It’s chaotic. It’s conversational. And it’s exactly the energy this podcast is moving into. Takeaways: The moment I …

Teacher besties… I am recording this episode with teeth that feel like exposed electrical wiring, so if I sound unwell, it’s because I am unwell. I decided to get my teeth professionally whitened, and let’s just say the pain level was somewhere between “natural childbirth with a broken epidural” and “why did I do this to myself.” But vanity drama aside, this week I’m talking about the real chaos. Second graders chanting suspicious initials, and a recess mystery that may or may not have involved children unknowingly shouting a swear word. We'll also discuss the ongoing saga of my unfortunate last name, and the moment my husband revealed he once ran a black-market lamination scheme to get into a basketball game. Plus, I’m sharing why now is the perfect time to be your classroom’s Agent of Chaos, the website that gives you instant science/math magic for K-8, and the massive show update I’ve been waiting to announce.

PRE-ORDER MY NEW BOOK (OUT MAY 5, 2026)!!! — https://bit.ly/43BquPd Teacher besties… this episode I’m talking about hosting nearly 30 people for Thanksgiving (including a self-appointed “Director of Thanksgiving”), discovering my husband’s family may have some intense World War II memorabilia, and the moment I suddenly had to ask, “Was he… on the right side?” And then, because the universe wasn’t done with me, we dive into a student who shotgunned a seltzer in the middle of a lesson like he was training for a frat he cannot legally join yet… and another student who thought it would be hilarious to make his teacher’s mom his Chromebook wallpaper. Plus, I’m climbing onto a hill that I know is going to get me fired up, because if we don’t fix class sizes in education, nothing else even matters.

PRE-ORDER MY NEW BOOK (OUT MAY 5, 2026)!!! - https://bit.ly/43BquPd Teacher besties… this week I brought on one of my favorite chaotic humans: the hilarious Gerry Potoka, comedian, teacher, and man of mysteriously undefined licensure. In this episode, Gerry and I try to pinpoint what he actually teaches, debate whether PE tests are secretly impossible, unpack his “desk art collection,” and discover that his lowercase k is actually a cursive crime. We also react to a voice memo that had both of us questioning the ethics of having “favorite students,” accidentally stumble into a conversation about charcuterie boards and disease vectors, and play a game of Would You Rather: Teacher Edition that reveals way too much about our tolerance for cafeteria behavior. Takeaways: The shocking subject Jerry may, or may not, actually be licensed to teach. Why his lowercase k started an existential crisis in the teacher’s lounge. The voice memo that made us both rethink “favorite…

PRE-ORDER MY NEW BOOK (OUT MAY 5, 2026)!!! - https://bit.ly/43BquPd This week I’m talking about the grading spiral that made me question my entire career, the wild field-trip confessions my five-year-old brought home, and the absolute unhinged energy that middle schoolers bring into any art room with a blank sheet of paper. And the voice memos? Oh, they’re next-level. One features a crime scene so disgusting I almost logged off my own podcast. The other… well, let’s just say a substitute made a choice that will go down in school-wide legend, and not in a good way. Plus, I’m climbing up on a hill I fully expect to die on, and it involves legal loopholes, teenagers, and why this country needs to get its act together. Takeaways: The surprisingly delicious St. Louis food that healed my pre-show stomach disaster. How a grading pile-up turned into a full-on identity crisis. Why elementary crushes feel like Shakespearean monologues now. The most unhinged classroom va…

In this episode, I’m unpacking how something as innocent as kombucha sent my entire life into chaos… how my own child managed to humiliate me in public with the confidence of a man three times his size… and why I found myself saluting a complete stranger at a gas station like we’d been through battle together. Plus, your stories this week? Unhinged. We’re talking ski masks, mystery backpacks, “not again” from a school counselor (which is never the phrase you want to hear), and one of the wildest parent–interpreter–admin conferences I have ever imagined. We'll also talk about the most hard-core thing I do before a show (hint: it involves antacids). And because I can’t help myself, I’m also taking a moment to climb atop a hill I’m fully prepared to die on, one that every creative, teacher, and comedian should probably hear.

In this episode, I’m talking about everything from a wildly out-of-place operatic performance at my dinner table… to a voice memo that had me reconsidering every teacher’s unspoken job description… to the moment I accidentally confessed to a German felony because I couldn't understand what anyone was saying. And yes, there’s a story in here about nipples. And lotion. And regret. Plus, I’m finally sharing the unexpected resource that has completely reshaped how I think about reading instruction… and honestly, I want to know what you think about it.

This week, I owe Texas an apology. Between discovering that Tex-Mex might be the best food on Earth and listening to a kindergarten voicemail about baby mama drama, I had no idea where this episode would go. But then my kids turned a safety talk into a plan for how to get rid of a body, and a student declared his future as a midwife. Somehow, we still managed to end with a heartwarming story about my sister’s new baby and a resource to help your students love writing again.

A re-release from last years thanksgiving episode! In this special Thanksgiving episode I sit down with Denver Riley to dive into a blend of holiday trivia, teacher humor, and unexpected insights. As we tackle Thanksgiving history questions (with some questionable accuracy), Denver and I find ourselves navigating through fun facts, turkey anatomy, and relatable teaching stories. We also discuss Denver’s “Jersey Shore” spirit day look, the challenges of historical memory, and the little moments that make teaching worth it.

This week’s episode had me clutching my pearls and questioning everything I thought I knew about middle schoolers. We got a voicemail about a student caught doing something unthinkable during class and somehow, it gets worse. "Keep your hands to yourself" suddenly has new, deeply unsettling meaning in the classroom. Teachers, you are not paid enough for this level of trauma.  Then, I share the foreword from my upcoming book They Never Taught Us That, talk about what inspired it, and reveal a resource that actually helps teachers get feedback that matters. Spoiler: it’s not from your administrator.

This week I learned that parenting might actually be harder than teaching. It started with my five-year-old asking questions about his “balls,” escalated into my husband giving a full anatomy lesson, and ended with me praying his kindergarten teacher doesn’t get a surprise lecture about semen. Then we hear from a teacher whose classroom window literally exploded mid-class (because of a rogue lawnmower rock, obviously), and I share one of my favorite free classroom tools for teaching grammar. All of that plus the hill I will die on: smart people can be terrible teachers, and college professors should be required to learn how to teach.

This week’s voicemails took me on a ride I did not see coming. First up: a sub walks into a high school on eighties day and witnesses a kid try to smash his phone with weights and somehow sets off the fire alarm in the process. Then another teacher shares a story that starts like a simple math problem and ends in the darkest dad joke ever written on a whiteboard. Somewhere between bathroom popcorn hustles, entrepreneurial students, and abandonment issues disguised as equations, we unpack why teachers are equal parts stand-up comedians and hostage negotiators.

This week’s voicemails reminded me why teachers deserve Oscars for keeping it together. One teacher shares the horror of being publicly asked if she’s pregnant and another walks us through a “balloon” disaster that turned out to be something… very not balloon-like. Plus, I unpack the best advice I ever got from an administrator about what to do when kids say something so wild you have to literally turn and face the wall.

This week started with a gut punch, my course evaluations. Let’s just say a few of my college students think I should “go back to teaching middle school.” Ouch. But you know what? They might have a point. Somewhere between grading, crying, and doom-scrolling, I stumbled into a TikTok hole about a guy making something called “perpetual stew.” (Spoiler: it involves placenta. You’re welcome.) Then I found joy again through the weirdest toy ever made, the Fugglers, and two teacher voicemails that prove no classroom (or online class) is ever boring. Oh, and a story about a teen giving birth mid-class that somehow leads to me oversharing about my own labor story. We’ll end with a TED Talk reminder about being a champion for your students… and a hill I will absolutely die on: letting kids live online before they can legally be left alone is one of the biggest mistakes we’re making as parents.

You ever have one of those weeks where your kid says something so wild you can’t even respond right away? Yeah… mine started with a confession about sniffing a friend’s butt. I also found myself on tour with two grown men who can’t remember their rental car company, and then I saw a viral video of a mom furious at her kid’s teacher… because he didn’t drink his water bottle. This week, I’m unpacking all of it . The parenting chaos, the wild road trip energy, and why sometimes, “Bless your heart” is the only thing keeping me from losing it. Plus, two hilarious teacher voicemails you have to hear, including one about a student trying to learn cursive for a very suspicious reason.

This week I found myself wandering through a 90s fever dream, yes, there was an actual Tamagotchi pop-up shop, before heading to Chicago for a sold-out show that brought out old students, old stories, and one deeply unimpressed middle schooler. Then, things got even more chaotic when teacher voicemails rolled in: one about 8th graders who can’t stop saying “6-7” (and now in Spanish), and another about a slime experiment gone very, very wrong. Let’s just say it involved a phrase no one should ever hear in a science class. Add in a life-saving resource for struggling students and a hill I’m ready to die on why student teachers need to be paid and you’ve got an episode that’s equal parts nostalgia, cringe, and fire.

I thought the mic stand was going to be my biggest battle this week… but between parades I didn’t understand, parents at my kids’ school, and voicemails that took turns I could have never prepared for, this episode had me reeling. From a teacher who declared he had his “asshole pants” on, to a locker room surprise that may or may not have been cocaine, to a student loudly announcing she was climaxing in driver’s ed, let’s just say, things escalated quickly. And yes, I have thoughts. Lots of them.

This week I learned that nothing divides the internet faster than Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement and yes, I have thoughts. Spoiler: I’m baffled, not bitter. From my squirrel-and-nut analogies to realizing Lord of the Rings news impacts me way more than celebrity weddings, this episode is a rollercoaster of pop culture side-eye, mom-life struggles, and teacher realities. You’ll also hear listener voicemails that had me laughing and questioning admin choices, plus a resource that might actually save you grading time.

This week had me cackling, cringing, and covering my face. First up, Indiana State roasted me in the most unexpected way, and then a listener voicemail hit my inbox about a confiscated classroom “toy” that looked suspiciously like something straight out of an adult store. Add in another voicemail about a kid who ended up in the ER after a bathroom stunt went horribly wrong (yes, it’s as painful as it sounds), and I spiral into a rant about why “no animal testing” might not be the flex brands think it is.

This episode has everything: a very confusing proposition for Gaspare in Arizona, students showing up to class with “water bottles” that definitely weren’t water, and a kid who decided standardized testing needed more… flames. Literally. I also get into the messy overlap between teacher contracts and legal weed, why standardized tests might be measuring culture more than knowledge, and the one hill I’ll absolutely die on when it comes to superintendents. It’s chaotic, it’s real, and it might just make you grateful your worst testing day didn’t involve a human torch.