Hope Benzie is a longtime elementary school teacher in the Irvine, CA education community, as well as Ben's 3rd grade teacher (2005–2006 academic year). The two reconnect in person for the first time in decades, catching up on life, family, and the winding roads that brought them both to where they are now. Ben asks questions about the teaching profession as he transitions to becoming a teacher himself, and old memories, hard-won wisdom, and plenty of laughs come up along the way.

Discussed in this episode:

0:00 — Intro

0:56 — Catching Up

4:50 — The Thanksgiving Play & "Turkeys on Strike"

7:30 — Comedy vs. Teaching: Surprising Parallels

9:36 — How Kids' Knowledge Has Changed (Social Media, Coddling & Resilience)

17:26 — "Everybody Has Feelings": Classroom Empathy 101

21:44 — How Parenting Has Changed Since COVID

27:35 — Handling Difficult Parents (& Losing Their Cool)

31:55 — What Hope Remembers About Ben

34:18 — Moving as Teenagers: Shared Culture Shock Stories

41:50 — Hope's Soft Retirement & What Led Her There

48:02 — Standup, Public Speaking & Speaking From the Heart

59:42 — Outro 

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Ben is performing at ⁠Guy Reuven⁠’s show July 8 at 7PM at Broadway Comedy Club in NYC. (Guy is genuinely one of the funniest guys doing it right now.) Tickets can be purchased ⁠here⁠ or at tinyurl.com/bwaycomedy. 

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