My Most Irrational Classroom Pet Peeve

Gerry: [00:00:00] You know how like you ever watch the Marvel movies? 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: You know how like end game where half half the Avengers are dead and they go get 'em all back? Yeah. And then they snap down us away. They win 

Andrea: spoilers. 

Gerry: Yes. This is my end game. It's not spoilers movie came out seven years ago. 

Andrea: Okay. 

Gerry: Your kids weren't.

Thoughts

Theme: classroom. 

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It also has advice on how to build trust with families, how to manage grading and lesson plans and IEPs and everything in between that they never went over in your teacher prep program. They never taught us. That is [00:01:00] available everywhere right now for pre-order.

Hey, teacher besties. Welcome to How to Survive the Classroom. I am Andrea Fork. 

Gerry: I'm Jerry 

Andrea: Patoka, and I am very, very excited about today because, uh, Jerry's been texting me this week, guys. He is finishing his teacher licensure paperwork right now. And, uh, because I am obviously a doctor and a professional in the field, he asked me for help and I was no help whatsoever.

What, what is it called again, the edTPA that you're doing? 

Gerry: The edTPA if you can't ask doctors for help? 

Andrea: I'm not, so, I, I don't know how I fully avoided the edTPA. A because I, I got my initial licensure in Virginia and I taught there for three years, and I got my master's degree. Then when I moved to California, California had a law that I had to pass, like some test.

But if you had your master's degree, a full license and three years of experience, you [00:02:00] didn't have to do the edTPA in California. So I transferred out and did that. Those are the only two states I've taught in, so I had to do like a final project thing when I got my license. Yeah. So I never had to take the edTPA.

I never had to do it, but my student teachers that I worked with in California did have to do it. And good, lovely friend of the podcast, a Denver who you have not yet met, but I'm gonna try and have her come on because she did do it. And so I think it would be really fun. To have Denver explain to you what to do on the edTPA A Um, and those of you guys who have been listening long enough to know Denver would know why I chuckle a little bit at the thought of that because Denver's had some, some, some uphill battles we'll say with her teaching career.

Um, but it would be a delight to hear her explain it to you. So I'm trying to figure out a day that she can come on and hopefully help you and hopefully soon, because now, where are you at with your edTPA? When's it due, I guess is the best question. 

Gerry: You asking a lot of questions. 

Andrea: Oh [00:03:00] my gosh, Jerry, when is the, so when is your edTPA due?

Gerry: I, I don't know. So here, oh 

Andrea: my gosh. 

Gerry: This program is self-paced. 

Andrea: Uhhuh 

Gerry: and I got started on it. It got real, I got the ball rolling, like I pushed the ball a little bit, but I got really got the ball rolling kind of late in the game. So I'm grinding through this program. Multiple screens at a time. I'm doing all the tests and everything.

I want to be a bad test taker so bad 'cause it taking tests, screws with my brain. I cannot focus, but I keep passing them chokers. 

Andrea: Really? 

Gerry: I like, yes. I, so we call at my school, we have a phrase for it. I coined it, but they kind of just roll with it, we call it. Um, I'm gonna pka it. I'm going to find a way that's the easiest possible way and I'm [00:04:00] gonna do things that should have prob like that shouldn't be able to get done.

Like I, um, we talked about the PE practice. Yeah. PE practice is hard. I've never met a PE teacher or health teacher that has not agreed. The PE practice is hard. I may be studied for two hours cumulatively. That's it. I said I word right? And I may have studied for two hours and I passed the test. Kind of on nothing.

And then the business one, I think I like opened a quiz that one time and I just went and sat down and, and passed it with the practice both times. And I keep finding ways to meet the requirements for this program despite doing very little work. Perfect. And now I'm doing a lot of work and I'm That's, and that's that why I texted you.

'cause I'm like, there's gotta be a way around this at tpa. 

Andrea: There's really not. There's really not. 'cause. So for those of you who aren't teachers, and the edTPA is essentially a multi-section document that you are basically showing to the state that you [00:05:00] have been teaching that you know what you're doing when you're like, it's, you get your teaching credentials and then you have to go and really prove that you know how to teach, which is insane.

It's the most obnoxious extra stuff that I, I fully think that the edTPA is funded by. The companies like here, here's my like absolute belief in my heart of hearts, I think that the reason you have to do the edTPA and the reason that the Praxis tests are what they are is not because it actually ensures good teaching.

It is because the companies that own the. The graders of the edTPA, the all these requirements, all these hoops, you have to jump through. All these fees you have to pay because you have to pay. Most teachers have to pay out of pocket. And I think those companies have a ton of lobbyists, and I think all those lobbyists are like pushing on the state and on the federal level and saying, no, no, no.

Teachers need to do this because it's what's best for the kids when there's no actual like [00:06:00] research at all related to that. So. That's my thought. Not to like further make you deincentivize. 

Gerry: No, no. And I, I wish I could say this and not mean it genuinely. 

Andrea: Mm-hmm. 

Gerry: This is the toughest battle the edTPA has ever had to face.

Because I'm gonna PTO this thing. 

Andrea: You're gonna patoka it. I know, 

Gerry: I know. I'm gonna get like a really high score on it. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: And then people are gonna be like, the ED CPA is the hardest thing. I be like, wasn't that bad? 

Andrea: I love it. 

Gerry: Figured out. I love 

Andrea: it so 

Gerry: much. Figured out. I dunno. 

Andrea: You know what's crazy though?

So you, you mentioned the PE uh, Praxis being super hard. So State of Indiana recently had a couple of policies that came through and this to me. So wild. So essentially Indiana is like trying to lower the bar for teachers to get their licenses because there's such a huge teaching shortage in Indiana, but they don't actually wanna pay teachers or treat them well.

And so they're like, oh no, what can we [00:07:00] do? And so they just keep lowering the bar. And one of the things they did is they're, and this did not actually make it through, but one of the suggestions was they were gonna remove the Praxis test. For music, art, and PE completely. So when you become a teacher for either any of those three things, you wouldn't have to show expertise in the subject, which is so deeply insulting to all three of those subjects of like, it actually doesn't matter what, you know, like you, your classes are on vibes, so it's fine.

You can just roll in, do your thing. 

Gerry: Uh. 

Andrea: Are you gonna agree with that? 

Gerry: No. Um, 

Andrea: Jerry, the look on the look in your eyes was like, but you probably don't need the praxis. That's what your face just said to me. Not every 

Gerry: I'm the baby. If I wanna say it, 

Andrea: say it. 

Gerry: What? I, I think having taught pe 

Andrea: mm-hmm. 

Gerry: We'll be all right.

You know, [00:08:00] like, I think, I think we'll be fine. Like. That's 

Andrea: why not everyone can just PTO it though. Some people need 

Gerry: and, and they can't, but like, like, Hey, hey. Stay in the room. 

Andrea: Mm. 

Gerry: Keep your hands to yourself and, and like I do. I I'm not saying anybody can teach pe we've had this conversation. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: I think it takes a special kind of person to teach PE Uhhuh.

I don't think you can give a practice test to test what kind of person that is because I could go give. I'd go find a teacher and, and, and I, I could walk into, if I like observed a school for a day, I can tell you who can teach PE and who can't. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: Could 

Andrea: I, I could. Do you think I could teach pe 

Gerry: I could tell you who could teach PE and who can't.

You might, I mean, I don't know. You was just yelling at your son and scared me a little bit, 

Andrea: but, um, we were gonna cut that out. Thank you very much. No, I didn't even yell. I used my mom voice. 

Gerry: Scared me, but 

Andrea: good. [00:09:00] 

Gerry: But, but you might, but then there's some people who can't. But if I apply a T-chart, I'm gonna be like, listen guys, I kind of just needed a job.

Like, like no way. There's no way I'm, I'm teaching art, you know? 

Andrea: Yeah, yeah. I just, honestly, the, the biggest concern I have is that part of like the p pe credentials is like, it's like PE and health together a lot of times and like we should probably make sure that the people who are teaching health to kids actually know about that stuff.

Some people 

Gerry: take 'em separately. 

Andrea: Oh, okay. 

Gerry: So maybe, so I think there's a PE A health and a PE and health. I took PE and Health. 

Andrea: I 

Gerry: think so. So I will backtrack. I do think like help, you can kind of just Google that right quick before you do it, but 

Andrea: great. 

Gerry: But like band, I'm not learning how to play the flute before class.

Andrea: That one honestly to me is the craziest because music teachers have to not number one, music [00:10:00] teachers have the most students. Because, and elementary music teachers especially will usually teach like a huge chunk of the school because they only have music like once or twice a week, and so they have like 300, 400, 500 students that they see and they have to be proficient in all of these different instruments in at least enough to be able to tell the student what to do.

To say that, that doesn't require some level of like expertise is crazy to me. 

Gerry: And I'd be in the band teacher's room talking about, you know how I play this? And she'd be like, yep. And I'm like, that's crazy in me, man. Wild's. 

Andrea: So 

Gerry: like that's wild to me's. So, and it's like, but it's like I can go into the g into the gym and be like, yeah, I know how I play this game, but it's not the same.

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: Well, hey, like, hey, I can pick up team handball. Yeah. And figure it out. You know what I'm saying? 

Andrea: Right, right. 

Gerry: Um, and some of it you can't, like basketball, you kind gotta know a thing or two. But, um, I can, [00:11:00] you're 

Andrea: not doing that with 

Gerry: a violin. I can teach someone to play basketball a lot faster than I can with some drum.

Andrea: Yeah. Yeah, a hundred percent. Um, okay, so speaking of, uh, things we do in our spare time, I know a lot of the country has been stuck inside. You are finally right back at school now. 

Gerry: Yeah, it's 65 degrees in North Carolina right now. It's last week we were snowed out. 

Andrea: Yeah, it's 55 right now. It's killing me to be inside.

I went outside and just like stood for a second. Um, but when I am locked inside, I a lot of times will watch all the things. Um, and I've been watching two shows right now that I am absolutely obsessed with. The Pit is one of them. Have you ever watched The Pit? 

Gerry: No. 

Andrea: Okay, so it's actually written by the same people as er, it's like a medical drama type thing.

It's like if ER and 24 had a baby, that would be the pit, and it's very good. Very, very good. 

Gerry: I've never seen er, I've never seen 24. 

Andrea: I forgot your 11. 

Gerry: So I [00:12:00] know CE just got arrested 

Andrea: for what? 

Gerry: We do. 

Andrea: You can't drop more like that and then just be like, I don't know. That's crazy. 

Gerry: Probably something he was doing in the show that got him in trouble 

Andrea: probably.

I don't know. Don't, that's defamation. We should Google that real quick. 

Gerry: No, he did. I he did. He really, and, but I don't know what happened after. It wasn't, I don't, I mean, I don't think it was, I think he like threatened Uber driver or something 

Andrea: that is not the same thing as what he just said. Uh, yeah, so you're right.

He got arrested January 12th, 2026 in la uh, felony criminal threats with an Uber driver. Wow. He's like, I'm still a dangerous spy person. Um, oh. Apparently there's been DUI, he's got like a long history of DUIs, but he wasn't driving. That's why he was an 

Gerry: Uber. This is 

Andrea: progress. He was in the Uber. Yeah. 

Gerry: He's 

Andrea: put in the right direction.

We'll take it. Um, no, it's so, it's, it's very good. It's a medical, um, the pit is like a medical show, but it's, [00:13:00] it's guys, you have to watch it. It's so good. I will say both of my recommendations are not recommendations that are like watch with younger kids around or even probably like preteen kids. Um.

Because there is like nudity in different parts in the pit. The nudity is like medical nudity. And so like there is a scene where a guy had taken too many erectile dysfunction pills and so they had, do you know what they have to do if that happens? And it won't go down? 

Gerry: No. 

Andrea: So when that happens, they have to stab it with a needle and they have to remove the blood because it's like, so.

Stuck in there. And so they show a whole, you are so red right now.

They stab it with a needle and they drain it. Um, so they have that, that part in the movie. Are you okay? Do you need, do you need to take a second? You are like bright red. [00:14:00] Do you teach health, Jerry? 

Gerry: It was not that.

Andrea: Yeah, 

Gerry: there's, I never been like, uh, been like a sidebar, 

Andrea: so listen, gonna 

Gerry: happen. No, 

Andrea: I that if you wanna find a good hook that would do it. That would do it. And on the same, uh, line of things, uh, the other show I've been watching is Night of The Seven Kingdoms, which is like The Game of Throne Spinoff. Never heard that.

Which if you guys have, it's, you've never heard of Game of Thrones or Night of the Seven Kingdoms? 

Gerry: I heard Game of Thrones. I never saw. 

Andrea: Okay. 

Gerry: The shows we're watching are different, 

Andrea: clearly. Clearly. But there, the second, you know, where you should start is just watch the very beginning of the second episode of Night of the Seven Kingdoms, and you'll know why I made that bridge between the two shows.

Um, but what, okay, so you are not watching my good shows. What are you watching? 

Gerry: I've been watch, I, I started watching this like last week. I used to watch it when it was on. I don't, I, I don't watch many news shows often. I've been watching my [00:15:00] wife and kids with Damon WANs, 

Andrea: oh my gosh, 

Gerry: on Disney Plus. I'm watching my wife and kids with Damon WANs.

I've been watching Animal Control with, uh, Joel McHale and Michael Rowland. 

Andrea: That one's good. I like that. 

Gerry: I'm, I've been watching that. Um, the shows that are like playing, playing that was watching. I, I haven't watched The New Seasons Tulsa King with Sylvester Stallone, never played a mobster who lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I like to watch the first two seasons. 

Andrea: Are there mobsters in Tulsa? 

Gerry: I don't know. I forgot to check, but I know, I know Sylvester Stallone play one and that show, it's pretty good. It's not winning the awards, but it's pretty good. 

Andrea: All right. 

Gerry: Um, and season three, I think probably finished coming out like a month ago.

I haven't watched yet. Okay. And shrinking season three just came out and I haven't started season three yet. 

Andrea: Okay. I haven't started either, but I love shrinking. Guys, if you haven't seen shrinking. [00:16:00] Amazing. So, 

Gerry: so good. Oh my. It's one of my favorite shows ever. I like to let 'em get a little ahead so I can catch up.

Like if I'm like so locked in, I won't watch that. I'll watch it by release, but it's like if I can get distracted and just focus on, like, I've been watching my wife and kids that's been out for 20 years. I'll go, it's so random what you're 

Andrea: watching. 

Gerry: It's good. 

Andrea: I believe you. 

Gerry: Yeah. I don't know if it can air, if it can air.

Right now it's, it's probably not, and it's not like. Super inappropriate. Funny, but it's not 2026. 

Andrea: Gotcha. 

Gerry: Cable TV appropriate, like, 

Andrea: yeah. Yeah. Uh, I have to watch. I haven't watched that in a very long, I think I, I caught a few episodes, but my parents weren't big sitcom people, so, um, it's 

Gerry: on Disney Plus and Hulu.

Andrea: All right. There you go, guys. And mine, I think HBO and Amazon, I think is where the other one is. 

Gerry: How crazy is the Damon Wayans as a Disney prince? Technically 

Andrea: Is [00:17:00] he? I guess. Yeah, 

Gerry: he on Disney. Yeah. 

Andrea: Yeah. Gosh, I didn't even think about that. It's been a long time since I've seen those shows. 

Gerry: That's 

Andrea: crazy, 

Gerry: man.

Andrea: I know. Um, okay, so I think we have time to listen to one of the fan questions or fan stories that was sent in this week before our break. So we are going to, uh, see what you guys got for us. This week. 

Voicemail: Hey, my name's Carly. I'm a first year high school math teacher. Um, I have a classroom management question for you.

Um, the few minutes before the bell rings, like during the passing period, and then those first couple minutes after the bell rings are insanity in my classroom and I don't know how to make it better. Um, I feel like I can't get all the things done that I need to do, especially when it comes to taking attendance.

Our school's really strict about tardies and so I'm trying to, you know, like. Watch, help the couple kids who are absent, get them what they need. Um, but I have, you know, 12 to 15 kids all [00:18:00] coming up to me asking me questions at the exact same time, expecting to be answered first. And they're all questions that they should know the answers to.

You know, do we have a starter quiz? Yes. Every day. Where do I get a pencil? You know, it's that drawer over there. Um, am I supposed to pick up these papers? Yes. You always pick up the papers. These are things that I review regularly with them. My classroom procedures are very clear and set. I review them often.

I have clear instructions on the board and they just don't know how to help themselves. Um, and they expect me to answer all their questions first, and then I can't help the two kids that actually really need my help and also take attendance and take accurate attendance. How do I get them to all stop badgering me at the same time?

Right at the beginning of class, I, I feel like I've tried to set that boundary and I don't know how to do it better so that they figure things out on their own. And I have a couple minutes at the beginning of class to take attendance and help the couple kids that really need it. How do I do [00:19:00] that?

Please help. You're wonderful. Thank you. 

Andrea: Oh, man. Jerry, do you have any recommendations? 

Gerry: You, you, you gotta dunk on them kids, sweetie. They, you can't let on you. I, I, when them kids come in. I tell 'em you, you come in and some of the, some of the time, like I've, I've sat down the hallway, I come in, them kids know where they're supposed to be when they come in.

You, they come in, they sit in their seats, they get their Chromebook out. Everything that gets asked to me gets answered with another question, unless it's something that I know they don't know the answer to. Am I supposed to pick them papers up? I'm, I'm I are. You supposed pick them papers up? They say, yeah, I'm, why you asking me?

Um. Pencil, can I get a pencil? Mine's, can I get a computer charger? I make 'em pay rent for stuff. They gotta leave a pencil. They gotta leave a shoe. Something like, they know what it is, but uh, yeah, like co coming up all that. I'm like, nah, what are you supposed to do? They're like, we're supposed to come in and sit down and be quiet.

I'm [00:20:00] like, all right. What'd you do? They was like, not that. I'm like, alright, sit down. Be quiet. Get your computer out. I'm not doing none of that. And for kids who are like tardies, lock the door. Lock the door, shut the door, they'll knock and then let 'em in. And then you see who's coming in. 

Andrea: Yeah, I, so I think that because number one, it sounds like you are answering their questions when they're asking them.

You, I think, need to probably give your students a talk where you're like, guys, listen, I need the first 10 minutes uninterrupted. You know, you're supposed to pick up that paper. You're supposed to sit down, you're supposed to do, I think you said you have a starter quiz. Um, that's what you're supposed to do, and you need to not speak to me until I have a chance to finish everything I gotta get done.

And then when I come to the front of the classroom, we can ask questions and at first they're not gonna do it. And so I have, honestly before when I've had classes like this that were just super wild, I, when people start like coming up, asking questions, interrupting me and say, [00:21:00] okay guys, actually we all have to leave the class and we're gonna have to come back in and we're gonna have to do it the way that I've told you we need to do it.

And if they start doing it again, we say, okay, sorry guys. We're gonna have to head out to the hall again. And they hate it, but it will annoy them enough. That they'll start kind of policing each other and be like, dude, shut up. She's gonna make us go in the hall and come back in again. Because it's like, guys, we're not, we're not in first grade.

You know? Like, we can, we can handle this assuming they're not in first grade. You know, like, um, so that I think would be my, my biggest recommendation is, but she says 

Gerry: high school. 

Andrea: Okay, perfect. Yeah, that's right. That's right. Yeah. 

Gerry: Yeah. No, stop. Yeah. Stop answering the questions. 

Andrea: Mm-hmm. 

Gerry: Like, yeah, I, I. I ain.

Never thought about it. I might start taking my kids in the hallway a one night. Y'all go back outside. We not doing this. If you start answering the questions, they go, they, they going to keep asking questions. I'll, I, I'll say, I can't hear you if you ain't raise your hand. I'm not, I'm not talking to you.

And if, if you keep answering the questions [00:22:00] and doing it for them, why wouldn't they stop? Yeah. Like you doing it for 'em. You're making their lives easy. Make 'em think a little bit. 

Andrea: Yep. I think that's good advice. We nailed it. Team. Um, on that note, we are gonna take a very quick break and then we have some more fun questions, so we will be right back.

Have you ever wondered what I would say if my mother and my administrators weren't watching every single thing I do on social media? Well, that's exactly what my standup show is, and I'm gonna be coming to a town near you super soon. You can get tickets@educatorandrea.com slash tickets. All right.

Welcome back, teacher besties. So this was a question that was submitted, um, that I think is really fun actually. So what is your most rational classroom pet peeve? 

Gerry: I, I hate with, with a pet. And there I got certain things like drills need to go. [00:23:00] Okay. Fire drills. Fire drills. Okay. Lock down drills. All the drills need to go well.

Um, I, I tell 'em I don't want it to be good. I want to be great. We're gonna be perfect. 'cause if somebody comes, says something to me, I'm being embarrassed and I don't like being embarrassed. Yeah. And I'm, I'm gonna come back on y'all for that. I don't like people talking while I'm talking. I think that's universal.

It gets on my nerves. My biggest one, and I don't think it bothers many people to do me if they leave my room and then when they leave, that door was closed and they leave that door open, I snap. Leave shut my door, shut my classroom door. 'cause them kids running up and down the hallways making all this noise.

There ain't no kids in my class doing that. I'm, I'm like, nah, I'm gonna go crazy if it's kids come out my room and doing that. I don't like it. And, and I will my, my classroom's right by the bathrooms, so I'm not faulting the teachers on my hallway. 'cause they don't, the kids get down the hallway, they start making noise and they're gonna hear it.

But when they do, they're always coming in my direction. And or it's lunch is transitioning, right. We're also right by the cafeteria and there's people coming down. There's just [00:24:00] a hot spot for noise right outside my room. And I'm like, no, close my door. I don't wanna hear all that. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: And my room stays quiet.

We ain't doing nothing. When we talk, I'll decide when we talking and they know when to lock it down. And if it's quiet and we're working, we're quiet and we're working. I don't need all the extra nonsense. And if you leave my door, you are like, you ain't got no home training. You won't shut that door. So I've gone before and locked the, locked the door and shut it.

Really? Yeah. And not, I'd be, I'd be like, yeah. I'd be like, I'd be like, why, why are you locked out? I'm be like, you ain't shut my door. I may before come in the room. I'd be like, okay, close the door. They close it. I'm like, I open the door, close the door, open the door close. I'll do it however many times you think I do it.

I'll do a couple more than that down one. You got it down now. And they're like, yeah. I'm like, all right. 

Andrea: That's so petty. I love it. 

Gerry: Love it. No, they don't, they don't close my door. I'm gonna lay in front of the door 

Andrea: that I, I [00:25:00] don't know if I, IUI. So even at the college, I do tend to keep my door closed because even in, in college, no one's running and screaming up and down the halls, but people will be just walking up and down the halls chatting or whatever.

And it's awkward for both of us if someone's coming by and just yapping and they, they kinda like look in the classroom. Um, so my irrational one, which I don't, again, I don't think either of these are like. Fully irrational, but um, I'm gonna do it at home. Infuriates me with like, I like, oh, I get so mad. I, especially right after we came back from the pandemic and I had these kids that they had done nothing, like we had absolutely nothing completed on the grade book.

I would give them class time because that was the other big push and emphasis is like, don't give them homework. You don't know what, what they have going on at home. So we're gonna do stuff in class, we're gonna give class time so you can support 'em, help 'em through it. Right? And then these freaking kids would be like, no, miss, I'm gonna do [00:26:00] it at home.

And then they'd be watching like, uh, what's that really horrifying teen show that would go, that was like really popular for a while. 

Gerry: Pretty little liars. 

Andrea: No, it was like a little bit after Pretty Little Liars. Uh, 

Gerry: 13 Reasons Why. 

Andrea: Euphoria. Euphoria. That's 

Gerry: way after. 

Andrea: Yes. I didn't How old do you think I am? I haven't been teaching.

This was like five years ago. 

Gerry: Those, okay. Those shows 

Andrea: were 

Gerry: on when you were teaching? 

Andrea: Uh, 13 Reasons Why I was, yeah. 'cause that one also got me real mad because it got really popular. 

Gerry: Pretty wires was newer than that, wasn't it? 

Andrea: I don't know. I never watched any of those. Shows. So I don't know, including euphoria, I haven't, I actually haven't seen any of them other than over the shoulder of my students when I'm telling them to put away their Chromebooks and stop watching shows during my class, that one infuriates me like to no end.

Like, no, no, I'm just gonna do it at home. Like, no, you're not. No, you're not. Just be honest with [00:27:00] yourself and be honest with me that it's not gonna, I would, I would always rather. Have a student be straight up, honest with me and be like, I'm just gonna take the L on this one. All right. Okay. Molly can't force 

Gerry: you to do anything.

Yeah. Sometimes they're like, and 'cause there's other little things that, that bother me and if, if they're just like, no, I'm gonna do this. I'm like, at least you, you stand on business. Like, I don't, I don't like it, but it's like, at least, um, at least you're being honest with me. Like, um, yeah, it's, 

Andrea: yeah. I, uh, I remember vividly actually, when I was in high school, I would pass notes to my friends because, uh, we had cell phones, but we had to pay per text when I was in high school.

So back in my day, if you were texting your friends during class, that was, that was, that was crazy. That's 10 cents a text. That's insane. You couldn't be doing that. Yeah. Yeah. Jerry, let me tell you how it was back in my day. All right. We had. [00:28:00] Insane. 

Gerry: I knew how to work, but I forgot. And isn't it crazy now?

'cause some people like you, you know I do it. I text in different thoughts. So you'll get four or five texts from me. 'cause I did, I'm not texting all in one bubble. Mm-hmm. And may I just spend 50 cents 

Andrea: Uhhuh. Exactly. It was insane. I remember there was a couple of times where I was texting with my friends and then my, the phone bill came and it was a real surprise to all of us and I was in a lot of trouble.

So in my class we, you, if you wanted to communicate, you guys were actually like writing down, like passing notes. And I was. I was passing notes in my English class and I really loved my English teacher. I thought she was so cool and so smart. And, um, so I, I would be passing notes in her class and I would do it really obviously.

Like, I wasn't like trying to be sneaky with it or anything. I would just be like, Hey, and I would like hand it to my friend, right? And she's like, and she came over, she's like, Andrea, I can see you. And I was like, no, I know. I don't wanna insult your intelligence by trying to do it like sneakily. Like, you know, I'm doing it.[00:29:00] 

I know, you know. So what, like, why are we playing games? And she's like, but like, you gotta give me plausible deniability. Stop showing me that you're passing notes in class. And I'm like, okay, that's fair. And so then I had to try and be a little bit sneakier, but she's like, dude, what are you doing? 

Gerry: Do you ever have a teacher take it and read it?

Andrea: Uh, not aloud, like, not like read it for the class, but I'm sure that, yeah, she prob I'm, I'm sure that I had notes discovered and all sorts of secrets 

Gerry: I kind of wish I had taught in them days. 

Andrea: In the days when you could just like basically pick 

Gerry: up, taking, 

Andrea: pick, 

Gerry: taking by his phone and reading the text, 

Andrea: God, can you imagine?

Gerry: No. 

Andrea: Can you imagine if a student showed you like a picture or something and like, I, I don't even like when anyone shows me their phone period, because I don't know what's gonna, like, I don't know what messages they're gonna get. I don't know what's gonna pop up on the screen. And I've, I've had people that like will take the phone and they'll start to scroll and I'm like.

You are a bold individual 'cause you just don't know what's on people's [00:30:00] phones. Yeah. You really don't. It's terrifying. I can't imagine doing that with, that's crazy. A student's phone. 

Gerry: Oh, I wish I could take some notes 'cause I wouldn't read the note aloud. 

Andrea: Mm-hmm. 

Gerry: But I would lie, I'm gonna read the note and I'm gonna make, I, I'm gonna write my own plot.

Andrea: I love that. That actually sounds, 

Gerry: I'm, I'm be like, I'm Maria. I'm like, you for real? They do that for real, you 

Andrea: know. Jerry, you say that as if you couldn't do that and pretend that you found the note and like create your own lore. Like students probably would know that you didn't write. I'm 

Gerry: gonna start carrying paper around with me and be like, Hmm.

Like it's the 

Andrea: constitution. 

Gerry: Yeah, just 

Andrea: exactly. Just unroll it like a scroll and be like, let's talk about what we have here today in this classroom full of young pupils. It would be great. That also sounds like an excellent setup for, uh, a bit in a standup set is like trying to like, create lore for your students and all of that kind [00:31:00] of stuff.

Gerry: I, I'm trying to keep track of all the things, like I say to clown, the kids 

Andrea: uhhuh. 

Gerry: Like I just started to, I'm pretty sure I have an existing note where I've done it before. I told one kid say he smelled like a foot with cologne on. 

Andrea: That's so good because I can exactly pinpoint what that would smell like.

And I, I think that, 

Gerry: yeah, I, it's 

Andrea: probably 

Gerry: accurate. I said, so he said, somebody Cologne. I said, I said, you put the whole bottle on it. He is like, nah. He said, I just got the bottles a hundred ounces. He on 98 of 'em, brother. 

Andrea: Oh my gosh, it's good. They can't do that. 

Gerry: They can't do, do nothing around me. 

Andrea: They need, they need to be humbled.

Um, I'm trying to think of a hill I would die on. I do feel pretty strongly about the, the pet peeves. I feel like those are very close to a hill that we would die on. Um, I don't think I have any individual new hills other than I 

Gerry: I think you did it with the edTPA thing that felt like a hill. You would die on 

Andrea: that.

That's true. So that, that was my hill. 

Gerry: I don't even know what it stands for. 

Andrea: Me neither actually. Teacher 

Gerry: ed. [00:32:00] Teachers 

Andrea: education. Hold on. Let's see. I 

Gerry: does it. Oh yeah. And Gabby education. That's the whole thing. 

Andrea: Ed TPA stands for 

Gerry: Educational Teacher Prep Assistants. 

Andrea: No, it's so obnoxious. It stands for educative, which I did not know.

That was a word. Me. Educative. I 

Voicemail: made that one up. 

Andrea: Educative Teacher performance assessment. 

Gerry: That sounds like something that like is a, that sounds like a performance enhancing drug. 

Andrea: It does. Yeah. I think they should be investigated. I hate it. I like 

Gerry: that. 

Andrea: Yeah. I don't like it either. 

Gerry: What we got here next week on I'm done.

Andrea: Then you would've pka did and I'm 

Gerry: finished. I got, I got pka. 

Andrea: I need you. Well, that. If that's the case, then we need to have Denver on here so you can teach her how to patoka things. 'cause she does whatever is like the opposite of that. She like shs it. Sometimes 

Gerry: you, you can't teach it. 

Andrea: Mm. It 

Gerry: just has to be like, [00:33:00] you, you either do it or you don't.

I, I, um, here, here's my thing. Going into it, I, mm-hmm. I have patoka so many things since I started teaching and working in schools. I mean, every year I've had to patoka something except for when you're like, legit. To the point that they were like, man, Pocco might not be able to come back if you don't get this figured out.

And I'd figure it out at the buzzer last year, I figured out with two weeks left school. What did you figure 

Andrea: out? 

Gerry: I, so the program I was in, I was still, I was behind on a couple payments. Mm-hmm. And I was like, oh, it's fine. Like, uh, you can, you, you're able to log in and pay whatever. It doesn't hit your account.

It doesn't really affect you. I didn't think. I was behind and I didn't have the money to pay for it. And I found out they wouldn't sign my temporary license until it got paid. And I was like, yo, I gotta find the money. And so you sold feet 

Andrea: picks and 

Gerry: I, I figured stuff out. Uh, that makes it sound [00:34:00] like I did sell fe Picks.

I did not do that. I, I, I, I, I got lucky. Got a loan, paid it, and then it took them forever to approve it and send the money over. Legit, like two weeks left in the school year. They send the money over. My paperwork gets signed. I'm good for another year. One of 'em was, uh, my college GPA was low and I couldn't get accepted into a GA prep program.

Theme: Mm-hmm. 

Gerry: Um, nobody would take my undergrad GPA and then this program was like, oh, hold on. You passed your Praxis already. Oh, that waves the GPA. You're good. 

Andrea: Incredible. 

Gerry: And they let me in patok and there's has been something every, like, like one time, like we, um, this, they had the smooth positions around and this, this was the, the first big one of 'em was I was trying to get a teaching job that wasn't that big of Patoka.

That one was fine. The first big patoka was, [00:35:00] um, I had to move from PE. What couldn't teach anything else. I had to go take a praxis in like the last month of school and make sure I passed. I had like one chance to pass it. It was the business when I passed it and they moved me into business. That was a patoka.

And here's my goodness. I've done all this POCing, I have all the experience and as far as I can tell, this is the last one I'll have to do for a long time. Love it. So this is my grand finale of Patoka in something. 

Andrea: The Grand Patoka. 

Gerry: I love that. This is, this is my final trick. 

Andrea: I love it. This 

Gerry: is what I, I got it.

I'm, I'm lost. 

Andrea: You're like an inspirational story for everyone. They're gonna make movies about you. It's amazing. 

Gerry: You, you know how like you ever watch the Marvel movies? 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: You know how in like end game where half, half the Avengers are dead and they go get 'em all back? And then they snap down us away.

They win 

Andrea: spoilers. Yes. 

Gerry: This is my end game. It's not spoilers. Movie came out seven years ago. 

Andrea: Okay. 

Gerry: Your kids weren't [00:36:00] thoughts. 

Andrea: I don't think it's been that long, but fair. Um, okay. Wait. It has been before. Before we let everyone off to go and patoka their lives. Um, where are you gonna be? Do you have any shows other than this weekend, which, well, no.

Next weekend. Uh, when. You are gonna be in Indianapolis, although sadly this episode I think comes out after that. But, uh, what other shows do you have coming up? 

Gerry: I will be at Brass Tap in Raleigh, North Carolina on February 27th, and I will be at Waterline Distillery in Wilmington, North Carolina on March 4th, and Mystic Distillery and Durham, North Carolina on March 6th.

That's all I can think of that comes out after this episode is released. 

Andrea: Perfect. Um, I'm gonna be with the Teacher's Lounge in DC and Philly. Uh, Philly. Actually, we added a second [00:37:00] show because the first one sold out, so make sure to get your tickets for that. Um, and then I'm gonna be in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, March 21st, New York City, March 22nd.

Then end of the month in April, um, April 25th and 26th, I'm gonna be in Kansas City and nsa, Missouri. And then we just added on May 17th, new Orleans. And I'm gonna be doing a conference in Indianapolis, June 20th. So lots and lots of dates. You guys can get my tickets@educatorandrea.com and you can find me at Educator Andrea on Instagram and TikTok.

And you can find Jerry 

Gerry: at comedy about GP on the Instagram and TikTok. 

Andrea: That was so smooth this time. That was amazing. I love it. Um, I am your host, Andrew, for. I'm 

Gerry: Jerry Petco. 

Andrea: Our executive producers are Andrea Ham, Aron Korney, Rob Goldman, and S Shahnti Brook. Our editor is Andrew Sims. Our engineer is Jason Portizo.

Our music is by Omer Ben-Zvi. To learn more about how to survive the classroom's program, disclaimer and ethics policy and [00:38:00] 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.