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Teacher besties… this episode is a little heavier than usual, but it’s one I felt I needed to record exactly as it is.

Lately, the news cycle has been overwhelming, and as teachers, we don’t get the luxury of tuning it out, because our students bring it straight into our classrooms. In this episode, I talk honestly about what it feels like to be asked to “say something,” why nuance disappears online, and how impossible it can feel to hold space for kids who are scared, angry, confused, or all three at once.

I share why structure can be one of the most compassionate things we give students during chaotic times, how I’ve navigated these conversations in my own classroom, and why empathy has to come before ideology when kids are involved.

Then, we pivot, because life doesn’t stop. I respond to a first-year English teacher who is cheering out loud while grading student writing (yes, really), reflect on the power of what we say to kids, and explain why words from teachers can echo for decades.

Why “just stay neutral” isn’t as simple as people think for teachers.

The classroom strategy that can ground students when the world feels unsafe.

A grading moment so joyful it startled a janitor.

The reminder of how deeply a teacher’s words can shape a student’s future.

The grading policy hill I am fully prepared to die on.

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