How To Survive The Classroom

By Andrea ForcumEducation

How To Survive The Classroom episodes

August 31 Help Us Save School Spirit Week
Hey teacher besties, we're starting this one off with a real crisis, because I just found out I might have lice after spending a week in California with my whole extended family, and I am spiraling. Somehow we end up debating whether chest hair can get lice, and we also give Gerry exactly 60 seconds to nerd out about his Marvel figure collection.
Then we get into some real teacher chaos: my kids catching random spiders in high school, Molly's cockroach-on-the-mouth horror story that may or may not be a lie, and an incredibly detailed debate about whether you'd rather poop your pants in public or eat a live cockroach. We also help Molly brainstorm ideas to boost school spirit at her school, swap our worst pajama day stories, and Gerry tells us about the time he dropped it low in front of his coworkers. We close it out with a hill Molly's dying on this week, that people are boring because they don't embarrass themselves enough, so go do something new.
Takeaways:
Lice can apparently spread through an entire extended family within days, and adults are just as vulnerable as kids.
Simple, low-cost spirit week themes, like anything-but-a-backpack day or decades day, tend to get more student participation than overly complicated ones.
Pajama day can create real dress code challenges for both students and teachers.
Trying something new that you know you'll be bad at is a great way to build funny stories and a growth mindset.
Class or grade-level competitions, like themed dress-up days tied to a fun concept, tend to build long-term school spirit and tradition
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Knoword is an online tool for creating fun vocabulary games. Visit Knoword.com to learn how it fits into your classroom.
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Teachers’ night out? Yes, please! Come see comedian Educator Andrea…Get your tickets at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠teachersloungelive.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Educatorandrea.com/tickets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for laugh out loud Education!
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Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.comWatch on YouTube: @educatorandreaA Human Content Production
Chapter:
0:00 - Intro
1:17 - Andrea might have lice
4:57 - 60 seconds of Spider-Man
7:24 - Homework & celebrity DMs
11:07 - Classroom pest horror stories
16:28 - Would you rather: cockroach or poop your pants
22:33 - Best & worst spirit days

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47 min
August 24 Back to School Fears, Debunked
Hey teacher besties, we are deep in back-to-school season! My kids are starting a brand new school after their old one shut down (yes, that's apparently a thing that can happen), and thanks to our vacation timing, they're going to miss their actual first day. Gerry and Molly assure me this is fine, and I'm choosing to believe them. We also get into Gerry's actual classroom rules, and guys, I would pay real money to be a fly on the wall when he lays down the law. We spend a good chunk of this episode trying to figure out why it works so well for him and why my crash outs just get me giggled at instead of feared.
Then we get into some real advice for new teachers, because Molly and I both remember exactly how terrifying that first summer is when you don't even know what your first unit is supposed to be. We share some of our favorite first week icebreaker activities too, so steal those if you need them. And then, because we can never end an episode without at least one hill to die on, Molly gives an incredible rant about men who say creepy things to teachers, and I finally get to publicly drag my husband for something he said to me eighteen years ago about cheerleading. You're welcome.
Takeaways:
Gerry's classroom management style leans heavily on intimidation and clear boundaries from day one, and he swears by it.
New teachers often think everyone else has it all figured out, but the reality is most teachers, even veteran ones, are making it up as they go.
Simple icebreaker activities, like two truths and a lie or investigating the classroom for clues about the teacher, are great low-stakes ways to build community in the first week.
Telling a teacher you would have had a crush on them if they'd been your teacher is creepy and predatory, not flattering, so please just don't.
Screen time rules can and should be thrown out the window the second you're on a plane or road trip, no guilt required.
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Knoword is an online tool for creating fun vocabulary games. Visit Knoword.com to learn how it fits into your classroom.
--
Teachers’ night out? Yes, please! Come see comedian Educator Andrea…Get your tickets at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠teachersloungelive.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Educatorandrea.com/tickets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for laugh out loud Education!
—
Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.comWatch on YouTube: @educatorandreaA Human Content Production
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
2:54 - Gerry's Classroom Rules
7:04 - Is It a Gender Thing?
10:35 - Kicking Kids Out
18:09 - Missing the First Day
26:14 - New Teacher Fears
45:45 - Hills to Die On

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1 hr 1 min
August 17 Are You a Good Teacher Just Because You Worried About It?
Hey teacher besties, buckle up because this one starts rough. Gerry left me a voicemail after last episode that I simply had to share with all of you, and it involves Jersey Mike's, a very close call, and some deeply unhinged bathroom habits I did not know existed until today. We fully unpack the fact that Gerry takes his shirt off to poop (sometimes his pants too), and then my own kid hops on to side with Gerry and betray me completely.
Once we recover from that, we get into some real talk. I rant about a Facebook quote that's been living rent-free in my head (the "if you worry you're a bad teacher, you're actually a good one" nonsense), which spirals into a genuinely great debate with Gerry and Molly about self-awareness, comedians, narcissism, and Principal Lamb’s haters. Then Molly brings the hill she's dying on this week: teenagers' out-of-control screen time and caffeine intake, and honestly, it broke my heart a little. We close it out by checking our own screen time live on air, and let's just say we are all a little ashamed (well, maybe not Gerry).
5 Takeaways:
Gerry takes his shirt off (and sometimes fully undresses) to use the bathroom, and my own kid apparently agrees with him.
Just because you worry about being a good teacher doesn't automatically mean you are one, some people genuinely aren't cut out for it.
Principal Lamb's haters say more about themselves than they do about him, and I stand by that.
Teens are averaging alarming amounts of caffeine and screen time at night, and it's genuinely hurting their ability to function at school.
Content creators' screen time numbers are inflated by actual work, but scrolling is still scrolling, and we all need to check ourselves.
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Knoword is an online tool for creating fun vocabulary games. Visit Knoword.com to learn how it fits into your classroom.
--
Teachers’ night out? Yes, please! Come see comedian Educator Andrea…Get your tickets at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠teachersloungelive.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Educatorandrea.com/tickets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for laugh out loud Education!
—
Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.comWatch on YouTube: @educatorandreaA Human Content Production
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:08 - Gerry's Voicemail
10:48 - Molly's Master's Degree Meltdown
16:07 - The "Good Teacher" Quote That Set Andrea Off
30:33 - Kids' Screen Time Is a Real Crisis

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42 min
August 10Why Colonoscopies Are Underrated
Hey teacher besties! This week is a big one because Molly is officially, permanently part of the podcast now, so it's me, Gerry, and Molly for the long haul. I catch you all up on the first ever Teacher Talk Sycamore Summit I hosted (mimosas, a rage room dream for next year, and Gaspar Randazzo doing a fully clean set), and then we get into some real teacher talk: professional development horror stories, including Molly's unforgettable superintendent-with-a-50-slide-clip-art-deck story. We also swap first week of school stories, Gerry's "I'm a warden" intimidation tactics, plus Molly's mortifying tale of teaching an entire day with her sleeves completely ripped off and not knowing it.
Then things get a little unhinged, because that's just how we do it. I tell you guys about the time I genuinely thought there was a man in a ski mask behind my house (spoiler: I grabbed scissors and did absolutely nothing useful with them), Gerry one-ups me with his own naked-scissors home defense story, and somehow we end up giving out medical advice about colonoscopies and IBS. We close it out with our hills to die on, because apparently off-brand crayons and back-to-school-night-the-night-before-school are both worth fighting for. It's a chaotic one, guys, but I loved it.

ORDER MY NEW BOOK (AVAILABLE NOW)!!! — https://bit.ly/49CZ5A0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Takeaways:
Molly is officially a permanent co-host on the podcast now, and I could not be more excited about it.

Bad professional development, minor disasters, and embarrassing moments genuinely make the best content if you can laugh at yourself.

Gerry's classroom management strategy involves a lot of scaring kids and occasionally flipping a desk for emphasis.

Real talk: get your colonoscopy, guys, because colon cancer is scary and it's showing up younger than people think.

I will always stand firm on my hill that off-brand crayons and colored pencils are simply unacceptable.
--
Knoword is an online tool for creating fun vocabulary games. Visit Knoword.com to learn how it fits into your classroom.
--
Teachers’ night out? Yes, please! Come see comedian Educator Andrea…Get your tickets at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠teachersloungelive.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Educatorandrea.com/tickets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for laugh out loud Education!
—
Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.com
Watch on YouTube: @educatorandrea
A Human Content Production
Chapters:
1:08 - Intro
3:33 - Sycamore Summit Recap
10:23 - Gerry Gets Licensed
24:11 - First Week of School Stories
36:06 - Ski Mask Neighbor & Home Defense Chaos
42:11 - Colonoscopy PSA
48:12 - Hills to Die On

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57 min
August 03Welcome Back To School
We are BACK, teacher besties, and I have SO much to catch you up on. It's the season three premiere of How to Survive the Classroom, and Gerry has arrived with a NEW nose ring, a PASSED edTPA, and a very concerning number of years since his last dentist appointment. Buckle up.
We recap Gerry's full edTPA journey and then get into a real conversation kicked off by my 100-year-old grandpa, who was a teacher for seven years before he quit, largely because he was frustrated that pay was tied to years of service instead of actual skill. Fifty years later, that same debate is still going, and we dig into merit-based pay, the limits of standardized testing, and why electives teachers get left out of the conversation entirely.
Then we jump into back-to-school fan questions: what NOT to do your first year, the worst icebreakers ever, and how new teachers can actually protect their time. Plus, an unhinged Two Truths and a Lie round where Gerry casually mentions being present for an Easter Sunday prison riot and I have some follow-up questions.

ORDER MY NEW BOOK (AVAILABLE NOW)!!! — https://bit.ly/49CZ5A0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Takeaways:
Do NOT coach your first year of teaching. Even if you love the sport, the workload will bury you. Wait until year two if you can.
Please do not become a teacher just because you want to coach. Coaching is its own career path, teaching kids just to earn a whistle isn't fair to the students in your classroom.
Watch your icebreakers. Two Truths and a Lie in a class of 30 will take the entire period AND leave you exposed to whatever wild thing a student wants to reveal. Choose carefully.
Do the work at school. Grading, prep, and lesson planning inside the building beats opening your laptop at 9 PM every night. Protect your home time.
The teacher pay debate has been the same conversation for 50+ years. Both skill and years of service matter, but standardized test scores mostly measure the poverty level of an area, so any "merit-based" system needs a smarter way to measure real impact.
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Teachers’ night out? Yes, please! Come see comedian Educator Andrea…Get your tickets at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠teachersloungelive.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Educatorandrea.com/tickets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for laugh out loud Education!
—
Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.com
Watch on YouTube: @educatorandrea
A Human Content Production

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42 min
June 29edTPA Survival Guide
Teacher besties, we made it. This is the season finale of How to Survive the Classroom, and we're going out with a BIG one. Gerry has NEWS, he submitted his edTPA. Like, two hours before the Pacific Time deadline news. (He fully Patoka'd it.) He walks me through his 4 Ps of marketing lesson plan, we trauma-bond over watching yourself teach on video, and he reveals that his comedy tell when a joke bombs is just saying "Hell yeah" into the mic, which will now live rent-free in my head for the rest of my life.
Then we tackle fan questions. How to actually land a teaching job, what to ask in the interview, and which AI tools and books are actually worth your time.
We also get into the Roast of Kevin Hart and why lazy jokes never land, why Tires might be the funniest sitcom on TV right now, and the ongoing saga of my mom genuinely believing Gerry has face tattoos.
Gerry's hill to die on this week: the edTPA needs to go. Mine: every single teacher is allowed to COUCH ROT this summer with zero guilt. We'll see you back in August for the next season.

ORDER MY NEW BOOK (AVAILABLE NOW)!!! — https://bit.ly/49CZ5A0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Takeaways:
The "side door" is a legit way into the classroom. Subbing, long-term subbing, and instructional assistant roles can absolutely lead to full-time teaching jobs, and often build the relationships that get you hired.
In a job interview, ask about adjunct duties (lunch, bus, coverage) AND whether they're paid. Knowing your district's coverage policy before you sign saves you a lot of resentment later.
AI tools like Magic School AI and Diffit can be genuine time-savers for lesson planning, generating questions, and differentiating materials, as long as you're using them to support your work, not replace your thinking.
The edTPA may have its place in traditional teacher prep, but for lateral-entry teachers who have already been in the classroom for years, the hoop-jumping starts to feel pointless. Worth pushing back on.
Teachers: you are allowed to do absolutely NOTHING this summer. Couch rotting is a valid, evidence-based recovery method. (Source: me.)
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Teachers’ night out? Yes, please! Come see comedian Educator Andrea…Get your tickets at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠teachersloungelive.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Educatorandrea.com/tickets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for laugh out loud Education!
—
Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.com
Watch on YouTube: @educatorandrea
A Human Content Production

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
52 min
June 22New Teacher Survival Guide
It is officially summer, teacher besties, and I have made a HUGE mistake. I decided I wasn't going to pay for summer camp this year, which means I'm home with my own children, who can apparently sense when I'm overstimulated and somehow get closer AND louder. This week's How to Survive the Classroom is a wide-ranging chat that takes us from Gerry's truly unhinged childhood Holocaust summer camp, to the ethics of ghost tours, to the dark history of New Orleans, to the new-teacher essentials you do (and definitely DON'T) actually need.
Then I get on a soapbox about the real hill this week: the federal Department of Education said it was going away, and somehow Linda McMahon is still posting mandates on Instagram. We also briefly fall down the rabbit hole of Stone Cold Steve Austin running for office and the MMA stadium being built on the White House lawn, because of course we do.

ORDER MY NEW BOOK (AVAILABLE NOW)!!! — https://bit.ly/49CZ5A0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Takeaways:
New teachers, save your money. Highlighters, fancy turn-in baskets, and elaborate organizational systems are mostly overrated. Focus your energy on a bathroom-pass system you'll actually use.
The most underrated new-teacher skill is teaching classroom routines on purpose. If kids walk in wrong, make them walk in again. They'll be annoyed, but it works.
The "everyone else has it together" myth is a lie. Even veteran teachers are pivoting, guessing, and occasionally throwing on Shark Tank when the copies didn't get made.
Year seven is when you officially become a veteran teacher, with bonus dog years for anyone who taught through the pandemic or wore multiple hats early in their career.
When the federal government says it's dismantling the Department of Education but is somehow still issuing mandates, it's worth paying attention and worth pushing back, no matter where you sit politically.
--
Teachers’ night out? Yes, please! Come see comedian Educator Andrea…Get your tickets at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠teachersloungelive.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Educatorandrea.com/tickets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for laugh out loud Education!
—
Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.com
Watch on YouTube: @educatorandrea
A Human Content Production

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
44 min
June 15Winston Hodges on Working With Autistic Students & Going Viral on Funny AF
Gerry and I are joined by Funny AF top six finalist and stand-up comedian Winston Hodges, who, before he was making Kevin Hart, Chelsea Handler, and Kumail Nanjiani laugh on Netflix, spent four years teaching at a school for kids on the autism spectrum in Virginia.
Winston shares some of the wildest classroom stories I've heard on this pod, whether it's getting hit with a globe mid-Civil War lecture, becoming the school's unofficial crisis negotiator, or the one-month average staff retention that meant his coworker Marissa quit on day TWO. He also explains why special education teachers are tough as nails, and how working with kids on the autism spectrum made him weirdly elite at managing other comedians' meltdowns.
Then we go fully behind the scenes of Funny AF. Who ran the light by ten full minutes and genuinely thought they killed, the conversation about his late dad that got cut, why some sets got edited harder than others, and how he handled the brutal Threads discourse around the show.

ORDER MY NEW BOOK (AVAILABLE NOW)!!! — https://bit.ly/49CZ5A0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Takeaways:
Special education teachers are some of the toughest, most skilled humans in the building. The "sweet and gentle" stereotype misses the patience, paperwork, and de-escalation skills the job actually demands.
Crisis de-escalation is a transferable superpower. Working with autistic students made Winston better at handling hecklers, talking comics off the ledge, and the kind of active listening most people don't get in their day-to-day life.
Reality TV editing is real, but Funny AF wasn't a hit piece. Winston says the team genuinely loved comedy and worked to make everyone look good, even when they could have done the opposite.
Don't trust the algorithm to tell you when your favorite comic is in town. Get on their email list, or you'll be the person commenting "when are you coming to my city?" two days after they leave.
Comedy used to feel like a brotherhood, comics could trash-talk each other privately but had each other's backs publicly. That solidarity is slipping, and it's a bummer for the whole craft.
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Teachers’ night out? Yes, please! Come see comedian Educator Andrea…Get your tickets at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠teachersloungelive.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Educatorandrea.com/tickets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for laugh out loud Education!
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Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.com
Watch on YouTube: @educatorandrea
A Human Content Production

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51 min
June 08Classroom Management Hacks That Backfire
I bombed a comedy show in New Orleans this weekend, and Gerry and I are unpacking every chaotic detail on this week's How to Survive the Classroom, from the venue surprise-merging me with another show, to the broken mic, to me literally apologizing to Kevin Hart in my anxiety dream that night.
Then we finally dive into the Canvas hack and how Gerry's school was down for FIVE days. We dig into how the breach actually happened, why district-issued phishing tests are honestly the pettiest thing in education, and the unhinged disgruntled-employee email saga I once lived through that the district quietly scrubbed from every inbox overnight.

ORDER MY NEW BOOK (AVAILABLE NOW)!!! — https://bit.ly/49CZ5A0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Takeaways:
Comedians are often nicer to you after a bad set than a good one, which honestly says everything you need to know about the industry (and frankly, teaching, too).
The Canvas hack was resolved because Instructure paid up. The breach started with a free for-teacher account, so treat suspicious emails like the threat they are.
"I'll wait" classroom management only works if you're ready for it NOT to work. Always have a real Plan B for the class that calls your bluff.
Telling students you'll be absent is a gamble. Some classes will plan accordingly, others will use it as permission to check out before you even leave.
We may need to rethink the kindergarten / fifth grade / preschool graduation industrial complex. Save the bedazzled cap energy for moments that actually mark a meaningful transition.
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Teachers’ night out? Yes, please! Come see comedian Educator Andrea…Get your tickets at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠teachersloungelive.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Educatorandrea.com/tickets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for laugh out loud Education!
—
Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.com
Watch on YouTube: @educatorandrea
A Human Content Production

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45 min
June 01Is Anyone Thinking Critically? Homeschool and AI
Are these new teacher red flags or green flags? This week we play a back-to-school hallway game ranking the behaviors that tell you exactly what kind of colleague you're dealing with, from Bitmoji classrooms to teachers who don't drink caffeine to anyone clickety-clacking down the hallway in stiletto heels.
Then we get into a question I have been wrestling with hard: should teachers use AI to grade essays? We dig into what AI gets right, what it gets wrong, and the bigger danger of "internet consensus" quietly replacing real critical thinking in our classrooms.

ORDER MY NEW BOOK (AVAILABLE NOW)!!! — https://bit.ly/49CZ5A0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Takeaways:
Teacher hallway red flags are real. Lifelong-learner energy on PD day, brand-new Bitmoji classrooms in 2026, no caffeine ever, and stiletto heels in the hallway all earn the side-eye.
AI essay grading (like Magic School AI) can be useful for big class loads and reducing bias, but it's a tool, not a replacement for your eyes on the page.
ChatGPT is a people pleaser. It will agree with you even when it's wrong, which is exactly why teaching kids critical thinking around AI matters more than ever.
If you homeschool, you should be the loudest advocate for better public schools. A strong, well-funded public education system is foundational to a strong democracy.
When enrollment shrinks, push your district to keep class sizes small instead of cutting teachers. Smaller classes are a tangible win you can advocate for right now.
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Teachers’ night out? Yes, please! Come see comedian Educator Andrea…Get your tickets at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠teachersloungelive.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Educatorandrea.com/tickets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for laugh out loud Education!
—
Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.com
Watch on YouTube: @educatorandrea
A Human Content Production

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
40 min