How Did We Get from Science Class to Testicle Talk?

Voicemail: [00:00:00] Turns out that in this particular area of my classroom, one of my students was wiping poop on the bottom of his desk all day long. He would just take his little hand reach behind his back, straight in there. Get a little bit

Theme: how to the classroom. 

Andrea: Hey, teacher besties, welcome to How to Survive the Classroom. Um, I'm coming in with some, with some energy today, I'm telling you right now. So I got a chip in my windshield yesterday. All right. And this vehicle is my four runner that I love so much. I'm obsessed with it, but I got it last.

Ooh, I think it, my gosh, we literally bought it May of 20, 24, and I have already had to replace the windshield once. Right? So annoying. Like we bought it in May and in July we had to replace the windshield, which is a huge bummer, but not the, the end of the world. Um. [00:01:00] But we went, when we went, we went to Safelite, and I'm gonna use their name.

We went to Safelite and um, we went to replace the windshield. And the first time that my husband took it in, it was making like a whistling noise after we did it right. And so my husband took it back again to get it resealed or to get it like put on properly, and then he picked it up again. Again, it was not like on there properly weird.

Right. Um, but then finally after the third time, it was apparently the charm. Um, we picked up the car and it was good. It seemed like everything was fine and then nothing else has happened to that windshield. Okay. Since then, um, there have been no chips. There have been nothing like that. We were like, okay, we're golden.

Yesterday I am driving, there's a little construction in the area, a giant rock. I swear this rock was the size of a quarter, came up, hit my windshield, like right center of my windshield. Massive chip in my windshield. Right. [00:02:00] But I did notice there was like a weird like. Around the edges of where this chip was.

And I was like, that's really weird. Um, but I go home last night, I make an appointment with Safelite. I'm like, maybe I can get it filled before it, like splinters and cracks, right? So I go in today and the guy takes it back and he comes up and he is like, did you mean the wind, the the one in the middle of your windshield?

And I was like, yeah. And he like, oh, well that's been, and I was, excuse me. I was like, no, because I got it. Like I saw it happen. Like I was driving yesterday, there was no chip, and then a rock hit it and there was a chip, and he is like, oh, well that's not true, because there's resonance. So I can see that it's been filled.

And I'm like standing there, like questioning my entire existence. Like I What do you mean it's been No. And he's like, yeah, no, it's been filled. And here's the [00:03:00] thing with Safelite, like if they fill the chip and then it cracks, they, they back that up and they will pay for replacing your windshield, right?

But if they're not the ones who filled the crack, they don't have to back up filling or fixing this windshield. And so I'm standing there and I'm like. Dude, no. And I'm like, I'm, I'm racking my brain, right? Like my parents have watched my kids for, um, like my husband and I take a vacation once, did, did my windshield crack, and they fix it.

So I texted them and I was like, Hey, did you guys fix my windshield at some point? And they were like, no. And I was like, okay, great. And I'm like, texting my husband, like, did, did I forget? And I asked the guy, I'm like, can you look it up on our VIN number and make sure that it doesn't say anywhere on there that you guys have filled.

A chip in our windshield. And he's like, sure. And so he is like, no, all I see is last July we, um, replaced your windshield. And I was like, well, you guys are the only ones who have touched it. And he is like, well, I can tell you that's not true because. There's resin in that, do you want me to show you? And I was like, yes, I do.

And so I, we went out there and you can feel the divot in the front side of the windshield, but on the backside [00:04:00] you can see that there was resin like on the inside. And he's like, I just can't believe you never saw it before. And that's the point that I got pissed. And I was like, don't do that. Don't do that and act like I've been walking around, driving around with a massive chip in the front of my windshield and like suddenly just noticed it.

He was like, no, no, no, no, no. Like maybe it got filled. And then since then, like it hit like, you know, like, like making it seem like I had gotten a chip, I had filled it and then it got hit again, but I probably still should have seen it before. And I was like, no, that's literally the only people who have touched our windshields.

Are you, so are you guys putting windshields on that? Have been recently fixed and saying their new windshield, and he is like, no, we would never do that. And I was like, well, I'm telling you, no one has touched our windshield but you. And he is like, well, I can't fix something that's already fixed. And I'm like, so you're telling me that's not gonna splinter?

And he is like, well, I can't guarantee other people's work.

When I tell you my rage, I was stand because here's the [00:05:00] thing, I believe him that it, there is a spot on that windshield that looks like it has been filled with resin before. I am actually not questioning that. What I am questioning is what is safe flight? Doing safe flight? Call me. Anytime now and tell me what you're doing.

Putting windshields that have been, because I'm not crazy and that stuff is expensive. I think I would remember paying like $275 to get my windshield fixed. I just, when I tell you I was heated, so I am, I am open. For other people to give me possible answers. I'll even, I'll have my producers put a picture of what the win that, what the spot looks like.

'cause it does, it looks like there had been a crack and then someone filled, like, because there's like a little tiny circle around it almost. And the only potential possibility is that they put a windshield on my car that has been recent, that had already been patched. Like, that's it. Like, so either safe flight's being sketchy, [00:06:00] the people that work there are being sketchy.

And I, I know I was trying so hard because when I worked in customer service, I never wanna be that person yelling at anyone. But I was, I like, I had to take sev several breaths and was like, okay, like, uh, clearly we're not getting anywhere. You're not gonna fix it. He's like, well, it's already fixed. And I'm like, and you're not gonna back it up.

And he is like, well, we we're not the ones who did the work. And I was like. You're the only, but you guys told me this windshield and I haven't so vis-a-vis. Um, so I'm heated today, moment. Both of my children are in the room at the moment because we are on summer break. Love that for them and for me and for all of us.

Um, but that means that they get to hang out with me all the time now. Um, and they are in summer camp, but only three days a week. And I am about to leave tomorrow to go to Syracuse, New York, which by the way, I am so hyped about, I'm gonna be working. Um. Like a teacher hype event for CUNY, [00:07:00] um, in Corning, New York.

And I've never been to Corning before, but I'm very excited about going through Syracuse, New York because that is the home of Wegmans food markets. That's like the founding place of Wegmans food markets. And that, as I've shared on here before, was where I worked when I was a college student, when I was working my way through, and who I really credit.

For opening me up to the possibility of becoming an educator since I trained cashiers. And so I'm so excited 'cause there's two Wegmans in the places I'm going. There's one in Syracuse where my flight lands and then there's one in Corning. Um, and so the girl who's like helping orchestrate me coming out there and all of that, she's like, let me know if you wanna do anything.

And I was like, girl. Can we maybe go grocery shopping? Like, so weird. Um, but I'm really excited and actually not nervous at all about tomorrow because I did two standup shows this last weekend and before you do some of this stuff like you, like you don't wanna tell people it's your first time because then people are gonna be like, I don't want her to like break the seal with [00:08:00] me in the room.

'cause that's gonna be weird. Like, I did the, the teacher's lounge shows with Gasper and Phil. My first time on stage doing any kind of comedy was with Gasper and Phil last February. And this last weekend though was the first time I was a headliner. We had, I think like 145 people bought tickets for the Kansas City show.

And then we had, I think around 55 in a venue of like that seat 75 over in Topeka. Um, and I. I can't even tell you how much fun it was. Like it, I, I was so nervous. I was like shaking and nauseous before I went on stage in Kansas City the first night. Um, so, so scared that I was gonna get up there and forget everything.

I had a set list with me, um, just in case I forgot something. But I mean, honestly, as soon as I got up there, I was like, oh. This is like teaching a class of people that like me, like I got up there and the jokes really hit. Um, it is really, really fun getting to see people who have followed you for a long time.

I had several people come up to me and be like, oh my gosh, I'm so and so from online who have DMD with before. And I'm like, oh, hey, what's up? [00:09:00] It was incredible and I had the best intro guy of all time. Um. Maybe I'll have my producer like plug in the audio for how, uh, how I was introduced so you guys can hear it.

Because I don't know that I'm ever gonna, like, regardless of where my comedy career goes from here on, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to hit the level of cool. That I was when this guy introduced me, 

Stand Up Announcer: teachers substitutes assistance and everything in between. The students are gone. The parents aren't here to complain, and now it's time to cut loose and get down.

Kansas City style. You know our headliner of tonight, the terrible student. Turned, multifaceted, educator, comedian, speaker, and all around, amazing person who is destined to help us laugh into the chaos. Her highly popular videos online and her award-winning podcast, how to survive the Classroom, have amassed her millions [00:10:00] upon millions of fans and new friends just like us Tonight, she's heard some crazy stuff in her time and tonight she's gonna turn it into comedy Magic.

So with that being said, let's make some noise for the woman herself. Your headliner. She is your teacher bestie. She is the, a bloom of academia. She is educator. Andrea, 

Andrea: that guy. And here's the thing, when I went to the Kansas City Funny Bone, you guys, it's. Like being a, a new comic, you're just thankful to be there.

You're thankful that anyone's coming to see you, talk to you, especially in, in doing the teacher niche. I am truly so grateful that educators are spending their hard-earned money coming to see me, which is why it's so important to me that I do the meet and greet with every single person who wants to meet me because I do know that it's a sacrifice of time and energy and a time when we're really, really burned out and tired.

Um, and I want them to have such a good time and all of that. And when ione. [00:11:00] The guy who did that intro, his name's Shannon. Um, and he does, like, I, I was talking to some of other comics that go there a lot, and they were telling me that like, this guy goes in. Early researches, every comic who comes through and then introduces them with that same level of intensity and energy, whether it's some random content creator who's cutting her teeth or like really, really big comics who everybody knows, like he gives that same level of intensity.

And I just, to me, that shows so much integrity and passion for your job. So I wanted to give him a shout out because. I was sitting backstage, I was hearing him introduce me and he even, he even introduced me talking about the podcast and all of that. And I just like, it was so moving to hear somebody introduce me that way and hype me up that way and did such a good job hyping up the crowd and all of that, it was incredible.

Um, and additionally, I. I also had a videographer that videoed it so I could take clips and stuff like that. Um, and he also did [00:12:00] such an incredible job and went so much further than just like, oh, I'm gonna sit in the back and I'm gonna film you. Like, he took a bunch of still photos of me up on stage and even got a photo of my husband watching me perform, which was so above and beyond and made me immediately start crying because this picture that I'll, I'll share with my producer, it's so many pictures to show you guys about my crazy weekend.

Um, this picture of my husband, like. My husband and I have been together for 19 years. Right? And I'm gonna cry. This is so. I've had quite an emotional day, as you guys can tell, this picture of him sitting and watching me perform and like the, the videographers and stuff knew he was my husband 'cause they met him backstage and all that kind of stuff.

Um, but he, like my husband is sitting there watching me perform and he has this, like, this smile on his face and just looks so proud of me. And they caught that. And like, again, that's just shows so much like pride in their work that they're going so far above and beyond for, again, I'm not. Like a big deal.

Like I'm not big enough of a deal for people to treat me [00:13:00] like that. And so when, when you do treat people like that, when they are not selling out massive stages or any of that kind of stuff, I think shows the value of their work. So I will make sure to tag their social media and stuff. If you're in the Kansas City area, um, especially if you need a videographer, anything like that, he, his name was RJ and he was absolutely incredible.

So Shannon and RJ really. Incredible humans. Love you guys so much. Um, so yeah, I had a heck of a weekend. It was a ride and I had so much fun. Um, also didn't realize, somehow managed to forget that Topeka is also where Brown versus Board of Education is like the school that had to sue to, um, integrate the schools.

And I was really excited to see this historical marker. And it was kind of funny because I was talking to some people, I was like, I totally didn't know. I was so excited when they saw that and people were kind of weird about it, and they're like, oh yeah. And I was like, what? And they're like, well, it's not.

You know, it's not great that they had to sue the state and the. Desegregate and I was like, oh, I guess that's true. That might be a little bit of a [00:14:00] awkward thing for you guys. For me, I'm just like, incredible. This is history right here. And I like took pictures of the building and video of the building.

They have these beautiful murals and I'm like the bravery of these people and everyone who like lives in Topeka, they're like not a, not a proud moment for us that we had to be sued to. You know, do that. So it was like, yeah, you're right. Alright. Without further ado, I do wanna get to the stuff that you guys sent me.

So let's go ahead and jump in to the first audio clip that was sent. 

Voicemail: So I am a high school science teacher, but not a bio or an anatomy teacher, which is, is relevant to this story. Uh, a bunch of years ago, students were supposed to be working on a project, and I overhear a group, mixed girls and boys. Uh, the boy, maybe 15 years old was talking about how he wanted to get a vasectomy.

Uh. Control instead of using any sort of other method, [00:15:00] because he thought that was pretty foolproof. Uh, so I thought, wow, this, uh, this is a chance for me to actually educate them on something that would be useful for their life. So I went over and explained to them how that was a terrible idea and it's possibly not reversible.

And, uh, also no doctor is. Um, they just kind of looked at me and they're like, yeah, okay, whatever. Um, so I move on, make my rounds talking to other students, and all of a sudden I hear, uh, a little bit of a commotion. I turn around and it's the same group of students and they have the computer open and I look and the kid had pulled up a YouTube video of someone actually getting a va.

So.

And, uh, it was about to stop it, but I thought, you know what? That's gonna be better education than anything They're gonna hear from me. So, uh, I, I don't think, uh, [00:16:00] he followed through on this plan. 

Andrea: Yeah, I bet not, not after watching the video of what is involved in a vasectomy. Um, you know, what is, I think wild to me as well about like, oh, I'm just gonna use it as birth control.

'cause obviously that's why, why people do it. Um, here's the thing though. I know so many people. Who, like the husband went, like they were done. Right? And it was almost always couples that were like, okay, we had two kids, like, we're done now he's gonna get a vasectomy. Guy goes, gets his vasectomy. Um, and then within a year they're pregnant because it did not take, because that is one of the crazier things is like your body will sometimes heal.

And you will in fact end up still being fertile. And so I have one friend in particular who had given us our highchair with our kids, like right before we moved, um, she had just given us a highchair because I. Um, like, you know, we needed an extra one and all of that. And she had had [00:17:00] two kids and then her husband got a vasectomy.

And then I saw on Facebook that she was pregnant. Like she was like six months along when she announced it. And I was like, oh no, because I knew her husband had gotten a vasectomy. She's like, we're definitely done. He got surgery. And I was like, all right, cool girl. And then, um. She announced like, oh, I'm six months long.

You know what a surprise this was, blah, blah, blah. And then he got another vasectomy. Then we find out like, I think it was a year after that, after his second vasectomy, she got pregnant again. So it was two failed vasectomies. And here's the thing is like you're supposed to go back for follow up appointments at like different iterations, but I also feel like it really matters like how fertile.

Both of you are, because I would never trust a vasectomy. Like I have so many friends and family who, you know, they've dealt with all these kind of fertility challenges and stuff like that. Like that was never something that, that we dealt with. Like, I had a miscarriage early on, um, with my first pregnancy, but I never dealt, um, with infertility [00:18:00] like really after that.

Um, and so I would like, I would not try, my husband's father has nine children. If like mm-hmm. If my husband were to look at me wrong and I didn't have my IUD in wrong, like correctly, I'd be pregnant. So, no, thank you. I don't trust that at all. Um, but I do think it's really hilarious that they were looking at it like that.

Like, I don't know. And I feel like, did we talk about it on here before, that when men get vasectomies, they have to be in stirrups? I don't know if we talked about that, but I have a friend who, um, she went to her, her husband's vasectomy, and she was like, cool, like, I'm just gonna be there, like to support you, I guess.

And, um, no, they do. They, they make the man like sit in stirrups. Then anytime that they like do any surgery, they'll always put like down, like a sheet to like tape around the, the incision area and all of that. And so in the case of VAs [00:19:00] vasectomy, they will put down a sheet over everything. They, they tape the penis to their belly, and then they just plop out each testy and just.

Just hibachi grill, the whole thing. Um, no, I'm sure it's not at like a HaBO, I don't think they're allowed to throw the, the scalpels around when they're doing it. Um, but they do in fact like just plop those bad boys out and then, and the guys like in stirrups and, and all of that. So not to like dissuade anyone from getting this, because I've heard it's not all that horrible pain wise or recovery wise.

And then usually get like pretty good drugs when they, when they get this stuff done. Um, but good, good little knowledge nuggets for you that, um, you should go watch your. Go and get their vasectomy when they do it, because I would absolutely kill to see my husband have to.

It's absolutely terrible. Alright, on that note, that very important medical note, I feel like that was a moment that we should have had our, I guess it would, well, I don't even know if it would [00:20:00] be called like a brother podcast, knock, knock, knock, knock eye or knock, knock high with the Glaucomflecken Flein, um, who our producers also work with.

And so they're, and I'd recently listened to one of their podcast episodes, so maybe I'm just feeling particularly medicinal right now. And I also ate lunch with, um, one of my husband's friends who he went to PA school with. And they were like talking about all the stuff that they saw and all of that. So, um, I don't know.

I just was like, let's talk about some medicine. If we're gonna talk about a vasectomy, let's really dive in. Let's go in deep. Um, that's what she said. Let's listen to the next audio file that was sent in 

Voicemail: one ear. I was pregnant, extremely nauseous and I. Very sick. Every time I went over to a particular area of my classroom, could not really hold it in like it was bad.

Uh, turns out that in this particular area of my classroom, one of my students was wiping poop on the bottom of his desk all day long. He would just take his little hand, reach behind his back, straight in [00:21:00] there, get a little bit, come to find out that he, um, has never been taught to wipe. So just hanging out there.

When I talked to his mom about it, he, she said that, um, she didn't know how to teach him. She didn't like teaching him things. There was really nothing that she could do about it. I suggested a few activities that could help and nope, wasn't gonna happen. I did fortunately, have really great admin that year, so my.

That I was not involved with on how to fix that. Not that it stopped, but. 

Andrea: So that is terrifying to me. I do think it's really interesting because there are some things as a parent, you know, automatically, like you have to explicitly teach, like when you're potty training is generally the time that you are explicitly teaching how to white properly.

And I remember for a while there [00:22:00] was videos of like somebody who would take peanut butter and they would put it on like. A either like a peach or they would put it on something like that else and they would show people like, okay, this is how we do it and this is how you wipe, and all of that kind of stuff.

And so I feel like there are ways that you could teach someone without actually like being in the bathroom with them, which maybe is a potential option. Um, I did recently come across a TikTok, and I don't remember the creator's name, but she was a waxer and she was talking about how like. As a waxer, you see a lot of things.

And so she wanted to kind of give a PSA about different hygienic things, and she's like, this isn't judgment. And she actually was very gentle with it, I thought in a way that was like pretty constructive, where she's like, listen, I know not everyone is brought up the same way and taught everything the same way, but I'm gonna tell you some things that you should be doing as a, as somebody who's gonna be down in that business.

Like, I can tell you things that don't bother me and things that do bother me. [00:23:00] And she went through things like, if you're coming for a wax, don't come straight from the gym. Which to me is outrageous that people would do that. Like if you know someone's gonna be up in your junk, I. You would come freshly bathed, you would think.

But again, there are parents apparently out there saying like, it's not my problem that my kid has poop all over their butt. Like that's not only unhygienic like that could cause illness, right? Like there's so many diseases, thank you, knock, knock high, um, that come from feces, right? From cow feces and all sorts of feces like that is so likely to cause illness.

And so like there's the hygienic like health side of things. And so this waxer was talking about like you should be wiping from front. To back like all the time. She's like, otherwise there is like feces in your discharge when I'm waxing you. And I was like, oh my gosh. I like immediately started dry heaving because I cannot imagine.

And she's like, you know, it does like normal smells because you do get kind of used to like [00:24:00] what is a normal smell, I guess, which again. There's no way waxers are paid enough. There's no way. I've actually never gotten a wax. I think I got a, my legs waxed one time. I've never gotten a wax anywhere else. Um.

And I like, not that I'm like, like, 'cause again, I've had kids, I've been in those stirrups like I am not super shy, but also like that is so personal and these waxers. I remember one time there was even a girl who came on TikTok or something and was like, my Waxer said that I smelled bad, so I left and blah, blah.

She said like, I smelled wrong. Everyone in her comments were like, girl, if your waxer says you smell wrong, she's probably right. You probably have like a bacterial infection or yeast infection or something. Like, you should go to the doctor, not TikTok, because they do like, they're around that all of the time.

So like I, I might trust them more than I trust, like actual medical professionals sometimes 'cause they're in it all the time. Um, but yeah, this woman went through like, okay, you, you wipe from front. To back and you make sure that, you know, [00:25:00] you clean yourselves well, you do have to wash the exterior parts of your body and like went through all of these details.

And so I do think it's really fascinating that for people who have access to these kind of pages and stuff like that now as they become adults, like how many adults are out there that didn't realize some of these things that were like, oh, well maybe that's why I'm getting all those UTIs right? Like, which blows my mind.

But you would really hope that. They would have it figured out, but sadly, like some people truly are not taught or they're like, you know, and I, I try and have empathy for those people because it's like, oh, that's like, that's rough, right? Um, but yeah. So, um, sorry about your poop desk. I think it's wild that you didn't realize immediately like you were smelling feces.

But it is a wild time when you're pregnant anyways and you're just like always nauseous. So it's hard to figure out what is causing it specifically. Um, but I feel bad for that little kiddo that was just like. So I think it was a very natural consequence to make him clean it. Um, [00:26:00] because then like he's not gonna wanna do it again.

Right. So hopefully he also, um, was taught how to clean things properly. Um, alright, so I'm very excited because I have a resource that you guys are gonna love. Um, so we are gonna talk about that right after this.

Welcome back, teacher besties. So I don't know about you guys, but I was not a Lego girly, and I feel bad about that because actually my very first job ever was Lego land. I worked as a. Ride. Oh, what did they call it? I was like ride operator type person at Legoland, because Legoland would have job fairs at my high school.

And so they would show up, they would have a desk, you'd go, you'd chat. And then Legoland was about 20 minutes away from where my school was. And I loved it. It was so much fun. I worked on this ride called the Dragon, so I, for a long time was just like ride operator would like check the height of kids [00:27:00] before they got on the dragon.

Um. I actually got to see the actress who plays Phoebe Buffet. Um, one time when she came to Legoland with her kids. Um, and lots of Disney pop stars and stuff like that were always in and out, but I never knew who they were because I didn't watch like the teeny B shows on, on Disney. Um, but I saw a lot of them and I was 16 at the time.

Okay. So I think I was just 16. I think I worked there for like eight months. Um. They, at one point after I'd worked there for a couple months, they put me in charge of the control center for who hit start to make the rollercoaster go. And at the time I was like, of course they would. I'm obviously a responsible, fully developed adult human.

And now I'm like, you gave a 16-year-old the control. Like I'm the one my with my undiagnosed unmedicated, A DHD, I'm the one you're gonna have decide who needs. To get this thing going. Seems like a terrible idea. Um, I did that for a very long time. Uh, I [00:28:00] ironically do not enjoy Legos. My brother always did, but he's an aerospace engineer, you know, so he would be like that little nerd over there, like building stuff all the time.

And I never got into it because to me, I. If I build something, I want it to then be usable. It infuriated me that, and I felt the same way about puzzles by the way, that like you would work so hard on something and then you either have to destroy it or never touch it again. And I'm like, that's dumb. And so like there were some like diplo ones that I liked that were like you very big chunky pieces that would be together.

But anything that, like any kind of like. Like amazing works of art that you could create with Legos that would immediately fall apart. The second you sneeze wrong, not interested, absolutely not interested. Um, but I loved working for Legoland. I loved it. It was such a fun place to work. Um, and I don't know if it still is 'cause it's now been.

I don't wanna think about that math. 22 years since I worked there in Carlsbad. [00:29:00] Um, oh, oh yeah, gimme me a stomachache. Um, but when I worked there, it was frigging awesome. So 10 outta 10 experience working at Legoland as a first job, and it was above minimum wage at the time. So that was also really cool. I was like, I'm rich.

Um, but the reason I bring up Legoland and Legos is. Education do lego.com exists and they have a bunch of different steam activities for you and your kids at a bunch of different ages. So if you go on to education.lego.com and you're wanting to introduce your child to different types of learning things they have, like for example, a coding express.

Set. So you buy the set, it's got 234 elements including duplo, connected train hub tracks, there's resources and then there's eight lessons and stuff like that. So like the lesson piece is included. Um, but obviously the Lego sets, they're not gonna be like, here's free lick, obviously. Um, but they do have a bunch of [00:30:00] different steam options for you once you get into middle school, I think is where it's really cool.

And again, this is something you'd probably wanna use like a GoFundMe or something else like that because of course Legos are, are not cheap. Um, the, they have something that is called the brick motion prime, and it says there's 10 hours of learning, 564 elements. They've got professional development options, classroom activities, technical support, so like these are basically Lego sets that are built.

Specifically for learning goals that are aligned to standards for the classroom. So if you are like in a elementary school or a library or something like that and you're like trying to get kids into STEM and into like robotics, this is a good first step. Towards that. Is that like, okay, I can't get these kids interested.

Andrea thinks that Legos are dumb anyways. Like how am I gonna, like maybe if you were like, okay, we're gonna do this cool project, like if it was schoolwork that I was then messing with Legos, I think maybe I would be game, because [00:31:00] then I'm like, well this is better than sitting still, obviously. Um, and anytime we can use manipulatives or anything like that with kids who want to move.

The better. Right. Um, so they have a bunch of different, um, elementary ones. They have a bunch of different lessons. Oh my gosh. So they have one, um, of the sets in here that it says that there's 108 lessons that they have for it, which is insane. So even if you decided as a science teacher or a STEM teacher to work with a couple other teachers or get funding from your school or get funding from the community in some way, like.

Incredible. Right? Like that's, that just seems to me like such a, a fun way to get kids engaged with STEM and learning and all of that. Um, they also have the same thing for science, where it's like specific to different science lessons. Which again, I think is really, really fun. Um, on the par, like if you're sitting over there and you're like, we don't, I don't need to ask for [00:32:00] money.

People just give me funding for my classroom, first of all. Okay. You don't need to brag, but if you're one of those people, you could get something that is like a classroom bundle and then that comes with like 24 kits and there's like a charger and all of that. But that's like 2000. That's crazy.

Everything else was like a hundred, 200, which is still a lot when you're dealing with classroom stuff. But, um, yeah, if you're like rolling and you're in one of those districts or you're like, you know. A parent who wants to give the gift of something really, really cool for a STEM teacher. They do have like some of the pricier ones out there.

Um, so yeah, I, I just, I. Love anytime we can take something that kids are into anyways. Because I know I am in the minority when it comes to being like, uh, do we really wanna play with Legos? This is kind of boring. Um, I know I'm in the mor minority with that. So if you are somebody who really loves that, I would take a look and then add it to a wishlist.

Add it to, you know, one of like, 'cause every, every once in a [00:33:00] while your district will come to you and usually it's not your district, it's usually like your chair or your admin that's like, Hey. We have $700, we have to spend it by the end of the week. Because if we don't, then the district thinks we don't need that money.

What are we gonna spend it on? And all of a sudden you're like, I have 24 hours to spend. What? And you've just told me I had no money for the past two years. I don't know. Put this on a list for yourself. So that way when those moments come as rare as they are, you can be like, I would like this Lego set for my classroom.

Right? Like, so have the, have that list at the ready. Um, because there were a lot of times like we would be told, we have no money. No money. No money, no money. And then some random March afternoon, our chair would be like, Hey, I just found out we have to buy $738 worth of books, or we won't get that money.

Send me book titles and we would have to come up with seven $38 worth of books. All of a sudden. It's very stressful. So if you are, you know, even if you're not at a district that normally has the funds for stuff like that, add this to that list of like. If money should so appear or if you have a wishlist [00:34:00] and you're gonna post it somewhere, like, these are really cool.

People love Legos. Um, and the good thing is with Legos too, they do kind of last forever. Like if, as long as you can keep track of them, I wouldn't know. I can't keep track of anything. But as long as you can keep track of them, won't be me. But maybe you, um, then they, you know, they last forever. Um, so that is just a fun resource that I came across.

Um, I am really excited because I have a bunch of shows coming up. I'm gonna be performing, um, some solo shows here and there. I am actually trying to book a St. Louis solo show and an Indianapolis solo show. So. Stay tuned for that, um, at a couple of the helium that are in those areas. I'm very excited about getting to go there.

Um, and then I have a bunch of dates with the Teacher's Lounge, which is with Gasper Ando and Philip Lindsay. And we are all kind of, well at the same time, like we've got obviously our shows together, and then we're all kind of building our own stuff as well. So if you're ever wondering like. Who you're gonna be seeing, it's always very clear.

We are never going to try and make you come to a [00:35:00] show and make you think that all three of us are gonna be there if all three of us are not gonna be there. It's really important to us that you know who you're seeing. Um, so if Jasper's talking about a show that he's doing and he does not explicitly say Teacher's lounge, then it's just him and you should go see him because he is.

Absolutely hilarious. And same thing with Phil and me. Like we will always be really clear that like, on our posters, like whether it's just us individually or if it's gonna be all three, then we, we, um, have it tagged as like the teacher's lounge and you'll know it'll be the three of us doing our standup, doing our hangout, doing all of that.

And I. Again, all of our shows, we're gonna have free meet and greet. So if you see a VIP ticket, um, the VIP tickets are for people who wanna sit up close, which, you know, if you wanna like, smell the sweat, you know, be in the splash zone, then that's a VIP ticket. But other than that, it's pretty much just.

Like, if you wanna hang out with us afterwards, just stay after. We'll take a picture, we'll say hi, we'll chit chat and all of that stuff. And again, thank you guys so much who have come out to the shows and the people who have spent the time and money and all of that to [00:36:00] hang out And, um, also who have like followed up and commented and been like, Hey, I really enjoyed this.

Like, that really is meaningful to me. Um, as I'm starting out with all of this, because. I want people to have fun and I want people to enjoy it. And so when I hear that people are having a good time, it just fills my heart. Um, and it's been really, really cool getting to meet everybody and hang out. Um, and I also think that this podcast is a really good way of getting the word out for all of that and getting, um, a lot of like-minded educators together.

So if you haven't yet shared this podcast with somebody who you think would like it, please do. Um, maybe tag Safelite. I don't know. Maybe they wanna support a teacher and. Fix my windshield. Um, but if you have other thoughts about what we talked about today, you can contact me, andrea@humancontent.com or educator Andrea on TikTok or Instagram or the whole Human Content Podcast family at Human Content Pods.

You can also join our Patreon, which is amazing. Um, it's [00:37:00] called Those Who Can Read and we go over some books. We have some little book Club hangs. We do some book club lives and it is. So much freaking fun to hang out with people. And I also do tell the patrons when I'm gonna be somewhere a little bit sooner.

Like, there's one of our patrons, shout out to Zach, um, who asked me if I was gonna be doing any shows in New York. And I was like, actually there is like something I'm doing for CU See you NY. Um, and so I might actually get to meet one of the patrons while I'm in town there, which is so exciting. Um, so yeah, please do join the Patreon.

It's five bucks a month and you get extra content, extra episodes, all of that stuff. So it is super, super fun and thank you guys so much who have left reviews and all of that. I appreciate you. Um, it really helps other people find the show as well. And if you wanna catch full video episodes, you will catch them on YouTube at Educator.

Andrea, thank you so much for listening. Wow, I couldn't, couldn't get through that one. Thank you so much for listening. I'm your host, Andrea for gum. Our executive producers are Andrea for gum, Aaron [00:38:00] Corny Rob Goldman, and Shahnti Brooke. Our editor is Andrew Sims. Our engineer is Jason Portizo. Our music is by Omer Ben-Zvi.

Our recording location is Indiana State by College of Education. To learn more about our How to survive the Classrooms program, disclaimer and ethics, policy and submission verification and licensing terms, you can go to podcast or andrea.com. How to Survive the Classroom is a human content. Production.

Thank you so much for watching. Want more of how to survive the classroom? You can watch more episodes right now. Just click on that little box over there, you see it, and if you haven't yet, please subscribe. Okay, bye.