No Wrong Answers

A new poll reveals the political beliefs of teachers. The real question is, how should whether a teacher is Democrat or Republican affect their work in class? Also, we've marked a sad anniversary: five years since the Sandy Hook school shooting. We ask our teachers what the legacy of that tragedy is still today. Finally, are teachers as worried as the rest of the internet about Net Neutrality?

Washington D.C. is crazy right now, but we draw your attention to an emerging problem that could affect your kids: federal CHIP funding. Plus, the Senate passes its version of a massive tax overhaul, and they not only keep the teacher classroom supplies deduction but double it. Our teachers say, nice try. Also, a new study from Stanford gives us a school evaluation tool that our teaches say is better than test scores.

Sexual harassment allegations have rocked America from Washington D.C. to Hollywood. But has the conversation trickled down into schools? Are schools going through their own #MeToo reckoning? Plus, a high school's inflated graduation rate shocks many, but not our teachers. They say that kind of fakery happens all the time.

The GOP tax plan has one provision that could have a big impact on teachers. We discuss what it would mean to lose the yearly deduction for materials. Plus, what are the pay structures to determine teacher salaries? Our team says schools should ditch the traditional salary schedule. Then, an educational game asks students to role-play a slave girl trying to escape to freedom. Our teachers say—what the hell?

Students these days are skeptical of authority, so why are they so bad at being skeptical of what they read online? Plus, our teachers say in-school suspensions are generally ineffective, so why do we keep giving them? And, is saying the F word acceptable in class? You may be surprised what our teachers think.

Music used in this episode is Inspiring Corporate and Scottish Indie by Scott Holmes; Modes by Primary Color Music

On this Extra Credit, we bring you an episode recorded live in Wichita at the Kansas Association of Teachers of English. We discuss how english educators specifically are adapting to teaching under the Trump administration. Have they changed what books they read and what writing assignments they give to students? Listen and subscribe!

Music used in this episode is Inspiring Corporate and Scottish Indie by Scott Holmes

As #MeToo is still prominent in the news, we ask our teachers how the ongoing conversation about sexual harassment and assault is affecting how they interact with their students. Also, what do you do when a white student says something racist in class? Our teacher's answers aren't as simple as you might think. Plus, another edition of the Betsy Breakdown. 

Music used in this episode is Inspiring Corporate and Scottish Indie by Scott Holmes and All Hot Lights by Poddington Bear

A Mississippi school district's decision to take To Kill A Mockingbird out of its curriculum sparked an internet uproar after it went viral. Our teachers have opinions about how this historic book should be taught in classrooms. Plus, we discuss another internet outrage after a New Jersey teacher told students to "speak American". Finally, we end with a slightly unnerving conversation about the increase in time students spend with screens. 

Music used in this episode is Inspiring Corporate and Scottish Indie by Scott Holmes; and Back Stairs by Podington Bear; all have been edited.