We Are Your Mother Now

Gerry: [00:00:00] This is why we do it, not because we're trying to teach 'em math or nothing like that, because math sucks, but sorry. Math 

Andrea: teachers,

Theme: the classroom. 

Andrea: Hey, teacher besties. I am so excited to share with you that my book, they never taught us, that is available for pre-order right now. It is. Everything in experience first year teachers need to manage the chaos of the modern classroom, including some anecdotes to make you feel a little bit better because if there is a way you can screw up, I have probably done it.

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 available everywhere right now for pre-order.

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

Gerry: I'm 

Gerry Potoka 

Andrea: Um, Gerry guess [00:01:00] what? Guess what guys? I'm so excited about this. What? My book, it's here. Hey is here. You know what's crazy about finally getting this book? I worked on it for years. It has been like my life literally been one of my life goals.

Since I was like a child to write a book and I, I did the damn thing, right? Wrote the book, it showed up. I opened the box. I cannot look at any of the pages inside. I cannot read it. I cannot look at it. It makes me feel so terrified to actually think of people reading it for some reason, like. I want people to buy it.

I want people to read it. I believe everything I wrote in there, I'm really proud of it. I cannot look at it, so 

Gerry: that's crazy. If I wrote a book, I would like take it with me. Like I, I'll go on Midnight Target Run. They're gonna be like, why did he bring a [00:02:00] book and blow my book? 

Andrea: Imagine I carry everything like sitting here and then I'm just like.

Every, every time just to make sure everyone knows like, that's me. I wrote that. 

Gerry: That's what, that's what I would do. I would treat it like a dictionary. Somebody asked me a question, be like, hold on, lemme just check my book. I'm gonna look real quick. I got the answers in here. Big dog. 

Andrea: Yeah. You know, ironically, because I do teach teacher prep classes, I could do that.

Like I could be sitting there with my book also. Okay. Question. Is it the most. Narcissistic thing in the world to require my, 

Gerry: to make you book the required reading 

Andrea: uhhuh. 

Gerry: Nah, that's exactly what I was saying. I was like, yo, you could kill two birds with one stone. You can make extra money. 

Andrea: I, but like, it feels gross kind of because you're like, go buy my book.

And I feel like I've had a professor that did that. But it feels weird being like, you guys get me in person, but also now I'm gonna need you to go and buy my book. I think, I [00:03:00] mean, I feel like. If I didn't do that, that's not a very good endorsement of my book either 

Gerry: though. No, I had, I had a professor who did that and um, he, I almost wanna say his name just 'cause I'm like, I could tell him go listen to it.

Um, uh, I'm gonna say his name is Doug Carter. 

Andrea: Okay. 

Gerry: I'm gonna tell him I said this. So you'll go back and listen to the podcast. And his name was Doug Carter and he wrote the, the book that he assigned to us. Class. Like he wrote the textbook. It was, it wasn't like the size of like a normal textbook, but you could tell it was geared towards the class he taught.

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: And I was like, this is gangster dude. Like, you, you wrote the class materials. 

Andrea: Alright. 

Gerry: I, I think it's gangster. 

Andrea: Okay. But here is my biggest, 

Gerry: you were standing on it. 

Andrea: I, and I, and I, and I'm like, I'm with it with all of that. But then if I assign it, I then have to engage with it and read it myself. And it's like.

It's, it's this weird [00:04:00] feeling like it has been through editing, it has been through revisions. I've spent, I don't know how many hours going through it. I believe in it. I'm like giving it to people. Like I'm so proud of it and I, for some reason, the thought of being like, let's do a discussion post on chapter three, makes me nauseous.

I don't know why. So 

Gerry: what you gotta do. Is like, is like fifth grade reading time and be like, okay, so Steven, you start reading here and then Andrea, you start reading here and then Phil will start reading here. You just kinda like popcorn reading. Yeah. Yeah. And you just stand up there like you're like.

Like, you, like a musician listening to his own music and you're like, don't this go hard. 

Andrea: You know what? It's, they're 

Gerry: bobbing your head 

Andrea: to it. That's crazy. That's 

Gerry: what you gotta do 

Andrea: like that. But here's the thing. I feel, I feel like there are actors out there that never watch any of the work that they've done.

And it feels like that. Like I feel [00:05:00] some kind of way about like reading myself. To them, but also I want them to read it because I do believe I give good advice in there and it's really like helpful and beneficial. But at the same time, I'm like, 

Theme: well, 

Andrea: it feels weird. 

Gerry: We're so different. 

Andrea: I know, 

Gerry: I know.

Because I, I, I felt that way for like three months until I started posting stuff online, doing standup. Yeah. And now I'll catch myself. Watching my own videos in full volume and I'm like, I look like a narcissist. Like I like five times the other night just sitting in the living with my grandparents. I'm turning my volume down, my voice is playing, and then I'll hear it coming from my grandpa's follow, like that's osmosis.

We just did. I'm half my own views. 

Andrea: I, okay, so I'll say I can watch my own content when I'm editing and all of that, but if someone else is watching my video. I hear it. It does. It makes me [00:06:00] wanna disappear for whatever reason. Even though I like, I'm comfortable with what I posted, I'm proud of it. I think it's good.

I still am like, I don't want to see you perceive it. Does that make sense? 

Gerry: That that is that okay? That's, that's making sense. That is a little, little odd. 'cause you'd be like, what if they're watching this and you're writing problem em, they're like, 

Andrea: like completely deadpan. Yes. 

Gerry: Like, they're like, this is terrible.

I've, I've had times where I've showed people a video that I did and I'm just watching them. They're like, this 

Andrea: the worst 

Gerry: stone face. 

Andrea: Yes. 

Gerry: And I'm like, I'm like, yeah, well it wasn't that good, but I needed to post today. So. 

Andrea: Well, and like I feel like getting, getting rejected by students in real life. You can like shift, you can adjust, you can, or, or even like live doing standup, you can feel the vibes and you can try and course correct.

It doesn't always work, but you can try. Whereas if the video or the book is out there, like there, you can't do it. It's out there, it's done. And so if they hate it, yeah. And it's terrible. It's just is what it is. So [00:07:00] that's the crash out I've been having all week. The number one, I don't know what level of, um, mental illness this is, but I feel very uncomfortable with pride in my work.

Like saying I'm proud of myself makes me feel gross, and so I've been working on that. I'm being like, no, I am proud of my work. I'm proud of this book. While at the same time like trying to sell it to people, it's very weird to be like, Hey, buy my book. Also, it makes me uncomfortable to tell you I'm proud of something, but also please buy it.

'cause I am proud of it. So I don't know. I don't know what's, what's on with me. But I do want your insight on something. 'cause I have something I'm doing for the university this summer and I actually am so hyped about it. So I'm throwing a conference. It is called the Teacher Talk Sycamore Summit and Sycamore, because it's gonna be hosted this year at Indiana State.

Um, but I am trying to make it something that would not suck and like [00:08:00] actually people wanna go to, so like there's a welcome mimosa and Bloody Mary breakfast time. Like, so when you first get there, hey, yeah, it's gonna be like people are gonna be having a little mimosas in the morning. But then the other thing I really wanna make happen is I want there to be a rage room.

Have you ever been to one of those? 

Gerry: I know what you're talking about. I haven't been to one. I tend to make we room. I'm in the rage room. If I'm feeling it, 

Andrea: you just start like taking a bat to random items around the room. 

Gerry: Yeah. I, I, uh, I, I flipped my standing desk one time. 

Andrea: Did you really? 

Gerry: I was, I just got mad.

Yeah, 

Andrea: that's, was there stuff on it? 

Gerry: Nah, after I flipped it, no. 

Andrea: That's really, really terrifying. Um, no, I, 

Gerry: yeah, no, I probably need anger management. Continue. 

Andrea: Yeah. Okay, great. Well, that's what the rage room is for. Like, I really want at this thing for there to be like a puppy room where people can play with puppies in another room that's like a rage room.

And possibly something with like, I'm thinking having like the applies to like make lanyards, like teacher lanyards at all the, [00:09:00] at the tables and stuff. Um, and then like I have Gasper is my morning keynote. And then I have, uh, Matt Miller who wrote Ditch. That textbook is my evening or like afternoon keynote.

And then I have, um, a couple other speakers and stuff throughout the day. Uh, but I think it's gonna be really cool, but like, I wanna know from you and also from the listeners, if you're thinking about a conference, like one that you're gonna get, like it has to be legit. Like I, I can't just make it fun. It also has to have like valid educational, like.

Stuff to it because people get continuing education credits from the university for going Ah. But like the rage room piece I think is really fun. But I'm trying to think of like other stuff, 

Gerry: a spli or paint room. 

Andrea: See, but like, okay, I like that, but also how would we do that without them then walking around covered in paint all day.

Gerry: Bring your own body suit. [00:10:00] 

Andrea: We just have body suits for people to put on. Like, here you go. Just, 

Gerry: yeah. 

Andrea: Head in there. Um, interesting. 

Gerry: Or hose them off. 

Andrea: Yeah. I had somebody say that you should have like a graffiti wall that says if my admin knew I'd get fired for this. And just like, like a spot for teachers to write all of the ways that they've, you know, done.

Gerry: Oh, that's funny. 

Andrea: Yeah. But here's my concern is like, legally. Are people gonna start admitting some prob problematic things because 

Gerry: this would, but then you, you don't have to know who did it. And here's, here's what I think would be funny is have a little jar of just crazy things that you or have known teachers to do.

Maybe not you particularly, I mean, I'm talking like crazy things, like those problematic things that bucket. And have a wall or like a, or like a, um, what do you call them? Really big pieces of paper that teachers put anchor charts on. 

Andrea: Like a, like a poster. Like one of the big Post-it anchor charts. 

Gerry: Yeah.

One, one of them [00:11:00] and just have 'em make a tally for every time they did that thing on the piece of paper they pulled out. 

Andrea: That would be 

Gerry: insane. 

Andrea: That would be funny. It would be funny. Yeah. I keep on trying to think of like really fun things that are gonna like. Be actually fun. Not the things that, like at every professional development I had to do that.

I was like, this is dumb. Because 

Gerry: yeah, like, alright, alright guys, go find your color. No, don't do 

Andrea: that. Yeah. Yeah. I, so it wasn't a teacher conference, but I did, when Steven and I were like early years of marriage, we went to a marriage conference and there was a session that the speaker made you stare into the eyes of your spouse.

Speak to them with like uninterrupted eye contact. Um, and I didn't think at the time, I, I, I struggled with eye contact stuff. Like I, but it turns out a DHD one of the things is like you kind of tend to like look around in different places. [00:12:00] I could not stay serious. Like all of these couples were so serious the entire time and I could not keep it together because it was just so uncomfortable.

Gerry: It's like when you get a job. They want you to like, like if, if you go do a sales job and they want you to role play the sales pitch, it's like, brother, no. We'll just find out on the fly, like. 

Andrea: Like, I'm not actually gonna gonna do that. I, so one of the early, early events that I had to participate in when I became a teacher was we had like new teacher orientation and they had a huge like, school-wide assembly with all the students on like the very first day.

And they introduced all the new teachers by making us come out and participate in like this fun air quotes. All these fun activities, but one of them was they put, they make, give us all toothpicks and then we had to pass fruit loops from our mouth to the next person on a toothpick. And so from far, that's too sexy [00:13:00] away.

You can't 

Theme: do that. 

Andrea: It was, but it was like me and like a 60-year-old man and like a 50-year-old woman. But far away when you're passing a, a like fruit loop from one person to another, a toothpick, it looks like you're making out with each other. Out there somewhere from like 2013, there's a video of what looks like me making out with a 50-year-old woman in the middle of some dusty gym because I don't know, their a SB were sociopaths and thought it would be funny to make us do that.

Gerry: No, I, no. They, if they, if I was at a conference and they made me do that, I'd be like, no. I'm not, I'm not doing, this is stupid. 

Andrea: I don't think that I'm that susceptible to peer pressure, but it was in front of the entire high school. And so like, it was one of those gyms where like, it's packed on both sides.

Every single bleacher is completely full. And, um, they're all just like [00:14:00] watching me and like seven other new faculty do this. It didn't feel like a choice. It felt like a, this is, this it, this is happening type situation. Now that I'm like an adult, I'm kind of actually shocked. I wasn't like, you know, I'm not doing that.

Gerry: But you weren't an adult then. 

Andrea: I was, but I don't know if I was a, an adult now. 

Gerry: But you like a real one now? 

Andrea: Yeah, now I'm like, for real. Like you, I like, you know 

Gerry: how taxes work. 

Andrea: I, dude, I unfortunately, so know even business taxes, it's, it's a lot. It's, it's a whole lot. 

Gerry: I, I, I only, I can't even find my W2 and it, and it's, we got five As 

Andrea: okay.

But I do wanna know, number one, have you ever had a professional development experience that you were like, this is actually insane. Um, also from the listeners, if you guys had some kind of professional development experience that was insane. I had, and I've heard of this from like a lot of people where they do like a simulated, um.

Lockdown where they like actually have like [00:15:00] local police department people come by with like, like, like blanks and they make like actually fire a gun with blanks in the school. So you could see what it sounds like. That's 

Gerry: crazy. 

Andrea: The most traumatizing, like the most traumatizing, the worst I had with any of that was like you'd watch a video and it was like interviews with teachers that went through a real event.

But I didn't have anything like that. I did have a university professor. This was out when I worked in Virginia, and I, I will never forget when we found out as like a faculty, and at that point I was making as a first year teacher, I think $41,000 a year, and the speaker they brought in who came and spoke to us for one hour in the morning, and then we got her book, we found out that she made $43,000 and she was supposed to come back like two more times, and she never did.

But she like made $43,000 for her fees for like professional development of our school and like [00:16:00] that. But 

Gerry: she never came back. 

Andrea: We ne I never saw her again. Maybe she went, maybe she was like for the whole district and maybe she visited other schools. C but there was only one high school in the district that I worked in, so I couldn't tell tell you.

That's 

Gerry: crazy. 

Andrea: But that was one of those that I was like, damn. I can tell you that I have not been paid anywhere near that for speaking at any schools ever. Like maybe now I got my book. I can be like, now you must pay me an entire year's salary so I can feel uncomfortable holding my book in front of you.

Gerry: If they ever start doing that, I'm coming with you and I'm walking, I'll get the book tattooed on me and walk around. I. 

Andrea: You're just a human billboard walking around for me. Yeah, I love that. I think that's amazing. 

Gerry: Like I wear the front cover as like one of them pullover signs I wear. Yeah. 

Andrea: Front 

Gerry: on my front, like a 

Andrea: sandwich 

Gerry: board in the back, on my back.

Yeah. And I just walk around doing a little dance. I'm just like, bad book. 

Andrea: I love it 

Gerry: book. 

Andrea: I think that's, I think that's an excellent plan. Um, have you had anything [00:17:00] insane in any of your professional development or has it all been pretty chill? 

Gerry: Nothing that like sticks out. It's all, it's always like the, okay, move to this next table.

And I kind of just, and they're like, go find your number, and I kind of just go find my friends or I'll go to the bathroom or something. 

Andrea: So I do think that's one of the things that districts are always trying to get us to do, where it was like, we need you to get to know people at your school that are not in your department.

And I'm like, for what? Why? 

Gerry: This is what's crazy in me. Is, why do they want us to socialize with people we don't know when our whole job involves socializing with 140 children that we don't know, like, bro, we do that already. Let, let's be comfortable. 

Andrea: That's a skillset set we have developed. We know how.

Gerry: Yeah. 

Andrea: Very clearly. That is, that is 

Gerry: one of the, yeah, we good man. 

Andrea: Yeah, that, that's one of the ones that really did annoy me a lot is they'd be like, we want you to get to know other people at the school. And I'm like, even if I'm like, wow, this person is the coolest person I've ever met, if they are on the opposite side of [00:18:00] campus.

And there's no reason for us to interact except her at these big meetings. Like we're not, I'm not walking that far. Like it's not happening. Put me, get me in a group with like either people who teach the same thing as me or are on like either side of my classroom. 'cause those are the people I'm probably actually gonna hang out with.

Nine times outta 10. I'm too lazy to walk that far. 

Gerry: Oh, I'll talk, I'll talk to people all over the building. My building's small. I've been doing laps around the building sometimes just to get my steps in. 

Andrea: I, I do wonder sometimes, do you think you were a, like a personality hire? Like maybe they just keep you there for the vibes?

Gerry: Oh, for sure. 

Andrea: Mm, 

Gerry: for sure. I've been telling 'em, I said they could get me out of the classroom, but keep me in the building. They'd be happy. 

Andrea: You could 

Gerry: be, because I'm good in the, I'm good in the classroom, but like, I'd be like. I'm, I'm bad at checking my email and I'm bad at like, putting stuff in on, at, doing stuff on time.

Right? They'd be getting on me. Any surveys that gets sent out, any grades that need to go in, they're like, yeah, so's not doing it. Like, we gotta go tell them. We gotta go find them and sit there until he [00:19:00] does it. And it is kind of a problem. But I'm like, nah, they, they like me because like, I go, I like, I like, like, I'll, I'll see people talk.

I, and we gonna talk about this later. I people talk trash about my school online, and I'll go and like, defend it. I'm like, nah, you don't argue with me. I'm the king. Don't mess with me. Oh 

Andrea: my gosh. I, 

Gerry: so, I, I, I started some be Facebook beef this week. We'll talk about it later. I finally got hit. 

Andrea: Yeah. Oh my gosh.

I'm so excited 

Gerry: for that. Started some Facebook beef and I, and, and I won. 

Andrea: Ooh, I, if anyone really wins in Facebook beef, but I am really excited.

Oh, can't wait for that. I mean. Well, I, we'll let, we'll let people sound off and decide on that when you, when you share on your, your hill, you're gonna die on. Um, but this feels like the right time to take a quick break, so we will be right back.[00:20:00] 

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. Welcome back, teacher besties.

So we got a couple of questions before we get to the hill. Not to like tease it too much, but before we get to the hill that you're gonna die on this week. Uh, I had a moment this week. I was visiting a school and. The, there was this student who I really enjoyed visiting with every time I was at the school.

She was so funny, but also one of those kids that like, is so mean. Um, and I saw this clip on Instagram that was like this guy who had caught a, a, like a venomous snake and he was holding the snake and this snake was like very clearly like trying to bite him. And he is like this snake. It hates me a little bit right now.

It's very angry. It's kind [00:21:00] of ous, but I love him. It reminded me so much of those students where I'm like, I know that some of those students, like especially when I taught high school, is really where I'm, I'm thinking of where like they are like so angry and so mean, but they are the ones that genuinely I would connect with the most because they're usually the kids who have really rough home lives.

They really need like a caring adult to be like, Hey, I actually believe in you. Um, you know, you're gonna do amazing things and all of that kind of stuff. And I saw a girl this week who, like, she unfortunately, like she got expelled. Um, and I was so bummed about it, but it reminded me of the question, like, what are like the moments that remind you why you teach?

Because for me it was always students like that. There's this young lady who I taught at the last school I was at. Who unfortunately her mom had passed away in like sometime during middle school. Um, [00:22:00] and there was one morning, it was me and her and like three other students all hanging out in there. And it came out while we were sitting there that every single one of them had at least one parent who had passed away.

And I was like sitting there with these kids who literally just like, as much as I'm sure I taught them about English, really just wanted like a mother figure in their lives to talk to and to like, you know, care about them. And I still to this day, I will get like Mother's Day messages from that student.

Um, and so I didn't know if you had a moment or something that you think of when people are like, why do you teach? Because we all know it. It ain't for the cash, right? Like. What are the things that make you think like, all right, like, that was a good day. That's why I do this. 

Gerry: It's stuff like, so the example I thought of when you brought that up was after I was with Teachers Lounge in Columbus, I stayed an extra day with the, with with, with, with the Mayor Akron.

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: And I stayed with the [00:23:00] mayor and we went to, um, Canton, to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and we're walking through the Hall of Fame and just like hanging out. And this dude comes and grabs and says, Hey, Earl Campbell's giving a speech down down the hall. Earl Campbell, it's a Hall of Fame running back, uh, who played in the seventies, played for the Houston Oilers.

And we're like, oh, that's sick. We're gonna go listen to Earl Campbell. And so we go in. Earl Campbell's giving the speech about how, um, uh, essentially just not even really giving a speech. He's answering questions and kind of talking about, um. How he got to play in the NFL and play as well in the NFL as he did and what it took and kind of his upbringing, things like that.

So I was at the back of line to go up and meet him, and I started talking about like, coaching kids in middle school. And I used, I, I used one kid as an example. Me like, [00:24:00] yeah, this kid, just like, we know he's talented, we know he's an athlete, but he. Can't get out his own way and get himself in trouble. And he was like, okay, do you have that kid's phone number?

And I was like, no. He was a, he's a middle schooler. It'd be weird if I had his phone number. I, he said, you have your cell phone? I said, yeah. He said, okay, I'm gonna make a video. And he made a video for that kid for me to take back and show him. Oh. And it's kind of like I'm showing this kid this video and like he's seeing this 7-year-old man in a.

Uh, wheelchair. Tell, like tell him about like, hey, get, get your head on straight. Make sure you're surrounding yourself with the right people. But it's like he has, because like this guy was like the man Yeah. When he was playing. Like, this was the dude, this dude used to turn around and run through four different grown men.

Just 'cause like he, he could crush people. Yeah. It's like, and this guy's in the hall of fame. So it was like, yeah, that was a pretty cool, [00:25:00] pretty cool moment. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: Was like. Oh, this is why we do it, not because we're trying to teach 'em math or nothing like that, because math sucks, but, sorry, math teachers, but stupid.

Andrea: Honestly though, I mean that really is it, right? Like, because I, I remember the times in my life where there were teachers who actually did like challenge me to do more, and it, in my acknowledgements, I've got my high school English teacher in my book, and so. When I go back this summer to visit in California, like I'm hoping to like bring her the book and thank her in person for every, because I genuinely don't think I would be doing any of the stuff I'm doing if she hadn't called me out on my BS and been like, no, you need to actually lock in like you're smarter than this.

You're being lazy. Um, and it's that, right? It's just an adult that cares enough about a kid to see beyond their current behavior. Like you said, like that kid getting out of his own way. Like I, it's the same with that girl who I met, who [00:26:00] I really liked. Who she, she, that's exactly it. Like she just can't get out of her own way.

And with those kids, a lot of times they don't get out of their own way. And then a few years later, they're the ones that come back and they're like, I, it mattered to me that you said that I could do, you know, do better than what I was doing. And it didn't happen right away, but eventually it did. And that's the same as what I was telling.

One of my, um, teacher prep students was like, listen. Because he was upset about the fact that he wasn't gonna get to work with her anymore either. And I'm like, I, I know you feel like it didn't make a difference when you talk to her about this stuff, but you don't know. Like a lot of times we don't know until years and years down the line when that student looks us up and it's like, Hey, actually what you said mattered and what you said actually did make a difference.

And, um, I don't know. I think for me that's, that's a lot of. Why it matters so much that we continue doing what we're doing is because like even though I don't get to teach K 12 anymore, and a lot of those kids that really desperately [00:27:00] need the adult, like they unfortunately either don't make it up to college, but a lot of times don't end up in the education program.

And so I don't get to interact with those kinds of kids as much anymore. And so my hope is always like, okay, well I am prepping future teachers, so hopefully. I'm at least making an impact on them, on how to best work with kids like that because they're the ones I feel like that that need us the most, which a call back to our previous episode talking about robot teachers.

The robot teachers aren't gonna be able to help with those kids. Like it's that human element of knowing that a kid is worth it and like chat or AI being like I believe in you, is probably not gonna have the same impact as a real caring adult. Who like got a video from a hall of Famer to show to a kid.

Like, it's just not, not gonna have the same kind of resonance with a kid, I think. 

Gerry: Yeah. But I think it, it, it does stick like in college too though. Like, like I was one as like, yeah, I need a bunch of attention. Yeah. Like, through high school [00:28:00] and college. Like, I just, I just wanted to do whatever I wanted to do and I kind of didn't care.

Like I didn't know what I wanted to do. I went to college because I felt like that's what you were supposed to do. I went to college probably because my friends was going, and I was like, no, I need to have a degree because I wanna be able to get ball, know what I wanna do. And the same dude, I'll use the same guy as example Mr.

Carter, who was, um, I can't, I, I can't remember the name of the class. He taught me it, it was like, and I can't remember the name of any classes I took in college. They, they gave man what wrong for no long, for no reason. Yeah, they did like just math or science or whatever. This was his was like. I can't remember exactly what class it was, and, um, and he may not either, but it, uh, I remember I liked him and it was, it was like somebody I could respond to.

And at the time, I can't remember her name. I had this advisor at the community college I was supposed to transfer and I was like, I don't even know why I'm meeting with this lady. So I, I, um, I went to [00:29:00] somebody over her and said, Hey, can I switch and let Mr. Carter be my advisor? I, and then like I see her on campus the next day and she's like, Hey, it, it was nice working with you.

I'm like, yeah, peace out. Yeah. And Mr. Carter was my advisor and he kind of got me like on the right path to wherever I was going. And I, I still feel like I put him through it because I didn't know what I was doing. He kind of had to like, tell me is like, yeah, maybe you should do this. I'm like, yeah, maybe you're right.

And, uh, and then, um. I still didn't even do what he sent me off to do. So my bad, Mr. Carter, 

Andrea: Mr. Carter, you really put that guy through it. 

Gerry: You need could reach out. No, no. He, he, he, he, he did his best. He, he, he, he, he got me on something and like understood me enough to at least point me in a direction. 

Andrea: Yeah.

Gerry: Now, by the time I left that school, he, he lost his grip on me. I went off and I went and became a teacher and he was probably like, no, you fool. What have you done yourself? You ruined the, the, the ger I created. He's [00:30:00] mb away. That's, 

Andrea: yeah. Oh, I mean, I feel like it says something pretty impressive that you remember his name.

Because I'm trying to think back of my college professors and it's been obviously much longer for me than it has for you, but I don't remember most of their names. Um, like, 

Gerry: I'm trying to think of how many names I remember now. I remember him. Dr. Adams, I had her like three times. 

Andrea: Okay. 

Gerry: Community college. We had like five teachers.

Andrea: Yeah. Yeah. I, that 

Gerry: why I, and you just took everybody 

Andrea: to, to 

Gerry: start too. And I had Dr. Hurley at NC State and I hope he hears, I hope he somehow hears this. 'cause I do not remember what he taught. I did. I somehow got like a 60 or seven year something in his class. Barely got out there. I don't really know what the class was about, but he kept trying to get me to watch The Big Lebowski.

That's what I remember is I remember he was dating another professor I had at the time. They were dating and they had some kind of wedding, and they didn't actually get married, but they had kids together. 

Andrea: Look 

Gerry: at you just like he watch Bigs on this guy. [00:31:00] They might still be together. I don't know. But every time I, I, I can think of like two or three different times like, did you watch Leki yet?

And I was like, I hadn't yet. Um, early, if you listen to this, you still, I still have not watched, 

Andrea: oh my gosh, 

Gerry: it's been seven years. It's been seven years. I still haven't watched the Big without. 

Andrea: Unbelievable. Um, okay. So other than the fact that apparently you are dead set on not watching, I'm a 

Gerry: terrible student.

I like all this was like, look at these teachers who tried their best. 

Andrea: You're like, didn't do a thing for 'em, nothing. Couldn't tell you what they taught. Nothing for 

Gerry: me. 

Andrea: Insane. Um, okay, but what is the hill? That you're gonna die on this week, Jerry? Because I don't have one this week. 

Gerry: I, I don't know the best way to word it, but I have beef, so I don't know how common this is.

Um, my, my county and No. And other, other places have to have it too. There's like a Facebook group where all the teachers in the county can interact post, and it's like [00:32:00] you're supposed to be able to support other teachers, whether they have small businesses. Talk about things going on alive ends up being, Hey, are we gonna have a two hour delay tomorrow because of weather?

Stuff like that. Yeah. Just little discourse. But for some reason people like to use the anon and I don't know if you're in Facebook groups, you 

Andrea: I am. 

Gerry: You're. Don't, you're don't, you're a white don't white mom in America. Oh, you're in Facebook groups. My 

Andrea: gosh. You're not, unfortunately, you're not wrong about that.

Gerry: Yeah. You, you're in a few of them. 

Andrea: Mm-hmm. 

Gerry: But people can post, can yours, can people post anonymously? 

Andrea: I think so. Yeah. 

Gerry: Yeah. People post anonymously. They'll say, anonymous member or like fake little usernames with fake little images like a owl or, or a tiger or something. And. People will go on there and they feel really bold to speak reckless.

Mm-hmm. So it's getting time where people can hit the transfer window to go to other schools [00:33:00] and people are on there, Hey, what do you think of this school? What do you think of that school? And anytime somebody mentions my school, which I'm not gonna do, but anytime somebody mentions my school, I will go on there and say, Hey, here's what I feel about it.

Because I feel positively if I, if I felt negatively, I'd keep scrolling, right? I don't keep scrolling. If I see it, I'll say, Hey, here's what I think the only time somebody has anything negative to say, it's under one of those anonymous comments. 

Andrea: Of course. 

Gerry: So this week I had somebody, somebody who's on their dis in our special ed department, and, um, they're like, yeah, we'd love to know why you think this way.

I'm like, yeah, so would I, I would love to know why you think this way. It became a lot of ask them how they do this. Ask them how they do that. I'm like, well, we asked you why you felt that way. You felt like you had something to say. Say it. And I said, I feel like going into a public forum, which really, they could have dunked on me.

Right? Then you have to request to join. It was a private forum. I was a little wrong, but whatever. [00:34:00] It, it's got 9,000 people in it. It feels public to me. 

Andrea: That's pre, that's pretty public. Yeah, 

Gerry: it's pretty public. I'd say if you wanna make a anonymous comment in a public forum and not have anything to base it on, this isn't a point of view.

This is slander. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: So if you, if you got something you wanna say, put your name on it. Stand on business because I, if I got something negative to say, my name's gonna be right there over it. 

Andrea: Yeah, 

Gerry: but I'm an adult. If I got something negative to say, I'm gonna go to that person, I'm gonna say it to their face.

Yeah. I'm gonna dunk on you. Like, I, I, I'm the one that's like, Hey, let, let's, let's talk. 

Andrea: Right? 

Gerry: Um, and anybody who works with me can tell you like, yeah, I've gotten in, I've, I've gotten in some heated exchanges with people I work with. Uh, and it's like, yeah, it is what it is. But we move on. If you have something to talk about, talk about, don't go on some Facebook posts and try [00:35:00] and hide behind the fake username and diss people and diss schools.

Um, no. If you got beef, be productive with it. Do something about it. Don't, don't just go on there and complain. Um, 'cause chances are, um. If we saw your name, it'd probably be pretty true sided. 

Andrea: Uh, yeah. 

Gerry: Feeling so, 

Andrea: yeah, exactly. So the hill you're dying on is, if you're gonna talk smack, do like stand on it and put your name to it.

Gerry: Yeah. 

Andrea: Is that kind of what you're saying? 

Gerry: Yeah. I, I, I think we, it's a problem if, if people want to hide and run their mouths, um, and this schools and this school employees, like, that's not enough of a problem as it is. Yeah. 

Andrea: I agree, 

Gerry: agree and place is agree, supposed to be meant to promote it. So 

Andrea: yeah, I agree.

And I, I feel like it also, like the damage of that is so far reaching too, because if like a parent or somebody else heard about that, 'cause I see that a lot in the district that I placed teachers at is, especially because I'm not from this [00:36:00] area, originally I had to go on like what other people were saying about different schools and so I would hear like, oh, that school's really bad, the kids there are really bad and all that kind of stuff.

And so I made a point to spend some time in each of those schools and every single time it's like the no, like they're, the, the kids are doing their best. The teachers are doing their best. The admin, for the most part are doing their best. And like the, it, it always really frustrated me 'cause it's usually on, like, we have a, a big community.

Page for this county. 

Gerry: Yeah. 

Andrea: And um, in that community page, people will make comments about specific schools. Like, oh, you know, that school's sketchy or the teachers are bad, or any of that kind of stuff. But yeah, like it always bothers me because people are making all of these comments and a lot of times it's like you said, like unsubstantiated stuff that they're unwilling to put their name on.

Um, and I understand it if it's like, oh, I don't want my child's to get picked on because I'm saying something that happened to them at school. Um, but again, is that really the [00:37:00] place? Like why, why are you not calling admin? The teachers, the, the school board. Like if there is a real issue, there's a whole lot better places than Facebook.

Gerry: Yeah. And that and that. And that's what my problem is. And again, there's a place for. Getting other. If you are unfamiliar, yeah, you're gonna want other people's opinions. You're, you're gonna wanna hear what other people have to say. But there's also a time where you kind of have to make the opinion for yourself.

And if you're gonna have an opinion, have something to back it up. Yeah. That's the problem is a lot of people like to make these claims and they're not telling why. And maybe 'cause it's specific to that person and they wanna hide behind it. And a lie of the defense, which makes sense to an extent, is.

They're like, Hey, we still work in this place. We don't want people seeing this. We don't want to put our jobs at risk. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: But to that same point, it's like if you are posting this online about the admins of the [00:38:00] groups can see who the anonymous posters are, so you're kind of an idiot if that's your defense, you're 

Andrea: watch the admin be the superintendent or something.

Gerry: Yes. And it's like, man, you like, if you feel, oh, well I don't want people seeing that I said this, then don't say it. Shut your mouth. Your mouth. Yeah. But if you're gonna say something problematic or you're gonna say something that's gonna raise concern, I, well, for one, don't say it, but two, if you got something that you feel so strongly about, say it with your chest.

Yeah. And put your name on it. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: Like, I mean, we both do things very publicly online. You a little bit, a lot more publicly than me, but I. In my county, I get it. Where I've had people come to meet the teacher in high school, like, yeah, we saw you do standup with those teachers. And I'm like, Hmm, yeah. Can we stop talking about it?

Like, and people at my school have had it show up on their page. So where I'm at, it's not like I'm talking to nobody in my county. People are [00:39:00] seeing it. Mm-hmm. Um, and if I say something wrong on the internet. All right. Call, call me. Lemme know, 

Andrea: right? 

Gerry: We'll talk about it. Yeah. Don't post about me anonymously on a Facebook group.

Um, if you, if you, if you got words, let's have words, but 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Gerry: Um, yeah, to wrap that whole point up, if you're posting talking trash in a Facebook group anonymously about people you're supposed to support, you're an idiot and I hate you, so. 

Andrea: Oh, good. Yeah. And you know what he said that completely publish 

Gerry: that Rob, 

Andrea: clip it.

Gerry: Publish that, 

Andrea: right? Clip it. You know what? Clip it and then we'll put it in that Facebook group so that you can post it for those 9,000 people. 

Gerry: I did PO make a video about it and rants about, and I was like, I should share this in that group. 

Andrea: You should. You absolutely. 

Gerry: I like the stir. I like the 

Andrea: stir 

Gerry: the, 

Andrea: and while it's posted in that group, while it's posted in that group, everybody buy my book.

Selfless plug. 

Gerry: I'm gonna post your book in the group and anybody who responds [00:40:00] anonymously, and I didn't say a word right, but you know what I meant. Um, I hope that's what gets clicked and that, I wanna see how the audio caption picks that one up. 

Andrea: Mono. 

Gerry: Yeah. Blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm, I'm not in the boo lee.

Correct. But I'm gonna post to anybody who's like, ed care, Andrea is me, me, me. I'm gonna go on there and be like, you're an idiot and I hate you. 

Andrea: I love it. Yeah. Start beef with people for just like, saying, saying some stuff about me. There's Reddit threads about me out there. 

Gerry: Really 

Andrea: there are, I, I came across one, one time and then I agreed with myself to never look at them again because I just hurting my own feelings and I'm like, why am I doing this?

Who cares? 

Gerry: This, this is a quick sidebar. People I know post, you can post like your own clips in the standup comedy. You read it? 

Andrea: Mm-hmm. 

Gerry: It's never good. Nobody's ever, no. It's on Instagram. Everybody's, everybody's always like, oh, well, Bob IG Gore did this joke in 1933. Like, okay. Okay. Yeah. They're, they're gonna be like, yeah.

George Washington actually did this at the first State of the Union. Yeah. At, that was [00:41:00] held in, in Wyoming. Denmark. And it's like, bro.

Andrea: People suck. People are at the worst. Um, except for our listeners, I can make a 

Gerry: diarrhea joke. 

Andrea: No, you can't. Except 

Gerry: for our listeners. 

Andrea: They're the best. 

Gerry: Unless you anonymously comment, then I don't hate you, but stop. 

Andrea: Yeah, but also if you wanted to leave a semi-anonymous comment, but only if it's gonna be nice, you could leave us a review on Apple Podcast.

We wouldn't hate that. That would be great. And I don't even think there's a way to necessarily put your name on there. I don't know, 

Gerry: leave a review unless it's bad, then keep it to yourself. 

Andrea: Exactly. Um, and if you wanna say other nice things to us, you can email me, andrea@humancontent.com or at educator Andrea.

Or you can contact the whole Human Content Podcast family on Instagram, TikTok at Human Content Pods. Um, you can get in touch with Jerry too. Gerry how can they get in touch with you? 

Gerry: I want Instagram and TikTok at comedy by GP and, um. Uh, that's it. I ain't giving y'all my address or nothing. 

Andrea: Yeah. Wow. Or, or he's up in those Facebook groups.

You and he'll, his name will be attached to it. Yeah. You will see 

Gerry: [00:42:00] him. Yeah. Come to, yeah. You, you. You'll see it. Come find me in Facebook group. I'm on Marketplace, baby 

Andrea: On Marketplace. 

Gerry: Pick me up on Marketplace, baby. 

Andrea: Incredible. Um, and if you wanna check out the full video episode, they're up every week on YouTube at Educator.

Andrea, thank you so much for listening. I'm your host, Andrea for. 

Gerry: I'm Jerry Patoka 

Andrea: and our executive producers are Andrea Ham, Aron Korney. Rob Goldman is Shahnti Brook. Our editor is Andrew Sims. Our engineer is Jason Pizzo. Our music is by Omer Ben-Zvi. Learn more about how to survive the classrooms program disclaimer and ethics policy and submission verification and licensing terms.

You can go to podcaster andrea.com. How to survive the classroom is 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, [00:43:00] please subscribe. Okay, bye.