In this episode, we ask the age-old question: is education about expanding minds or just grooming future tax-filers who won’t unionize? We tear into the cult of standardized testing—brought to you by the same folks who think your worth fits neatly on a Scantron. We then side-eye AI’s double life as both tutor and tool of empire: yes it helped us write this episode’s description but it’s also chillin’ in Tel Aviv helping plan war crimes. From ZIP codes to Zoom classes, we explore how geography still decides if you get Shakespeare or just worksheets. Our first-ever special guest Miss J, a public school teacher who hasn’t fled the profession, joins to dish classroom truths and drop some pedagogical fire. We dream big (universal basic income for all!) and settle for less awful (eliminating standardized testing!). We close by asking: did we all just get a little more educated, or are we just better at faking it? Either way, the herd’s a bit less bewildered. Maybe.