Teachers Off Duty

If you can dodge a desk you can teach a classroom!  Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Bri Richardson, Jess Smith, and Tyler Jackowski share their experiences as first year teachers.  From being unprepared to teach the curriculum, to students questioning your abilities, the first year of teaching can prove to be extremely overwhelming. That's specifically true for our guest host Tyler, and he's here to tell you guys about all the mistakes he made his first year of teaching, and hopefully you guys can learn from them.  We’ve all had those difficult students before, maybe it's the students having trouble focusing, maybe it's a gap in your teaching style, or maybe it's a combination of both. Either way this week Jess is sharing all of her tips and tricks she's learned about treating this situation to help all of our first year teachers out there. But as long as you don't make any students mad enough to throw a desk at you, your first year is probably going better than Bri’s, tune in to find out the full story! All this being said, teaching must get easier as time goes on… right?! We briefly chat about how the veteran teachers treat the new guys, because although they are filled with great information, they can sometimes be stingy on who they give it out to. Better stay on their good side and maybe they'll give you some nice pointers on your lesson plan.    Jump right to it! 2:30 - Classroom Antics 5:45 - Textbooks vs. Reality 11:25 - Roach-inspired Classroom Control 17:40 - The Art of Dodging Desks 22:50 - Embracing Generational Challenges 29:15 - Mastering Teaching 34:20 - Strategies for Classroom Management   So limber up because you might have to dodge some flying furniture on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.  

Casualties of the copy machine—every teacher's unsung Halloween horror. Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://bit.ly/TODBTCT    Get Teachers Off Duty Premium to access EXCLUSIVE content at: https://teachersoffduty.supercast.com/    Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com   Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod   _________________________________ It's about that time of the year, and we're getting pretty spooky on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty. Our hosts Bri Richardson, Gabe Dannenbring, and Anna Kowal have been through a countless amount of Halloween shenanigans in their times as teachers, so this week they're going to be sharing their most hilariously spooky classroom stories. When people dress up for halloween, they normally want to be a marvel character, a police officer, or something along those lines, however our hosts had a few different ideas. We'll never forget how one year Gabe decided to go as the green M&M, and let's just say it didn't go over well.  As adults we are not exactly that scared of Freddy Kruger or Jason Voorhees, however there are plenty of things that terrify us in our daily lives. From being asked to stay after school to someone absolutely destroying the teacher bathroom, the life of an educator can truly be petrifying, and our hosts are sharing their funniest stories this week.   Jump right to it! 2:15 - Middle School Halloween Tales 7:30 - Unwanted Classroom Visitors 13:20 - Educational Equity vs. Fire Alarms 19:45 - Copy Machine Nightmares 25:30 - Teaching "The Miracle of Life" 32:10 - Staff Bathroom Mysteries   So grab your pumpkin spice latte and enjoy this spooky episode of Teachers Off Duty, and happy Halloween Teachers!   Teachers get your perks!! This episode is brought to you by: Mint Mobile | New customers get 3 months of unlimited premium wireless for just $15 a month by going to https://Mintmobile.com/TOD.    Dinnerly | Head to https://Dinnerly.com/offer/TOD and use code "TOD" for up to 27 free meals!   _________________________________________________ Teachers Off Duty - a Bored Teachers podcast  

You wouldn't believe what started this fight in the hallway….   Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://bit.ly/TODBTCT  TOD Live episodes at the Saved By the Beach Bored Teachers Comedy Fest 2025: https://www.savedbythebeachfest.com     Get Teachers Off Duty Premium to access EXCLUSIVE content at: https://teachersoffduty.supercast.com/   Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com   Listen to the podcast anywhere you stream your favorite shows: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/69pLuB4cKPCP8UG3eCImfP Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teachers-off-duty/id1602160612   Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod   _________________________________ We’ve all seen a good fight in our days, and they can get pretty intense but this week on Teachers Off Duty our hosts Gabe Dannenbring, Bri Richardson, and Anna Kowal share some of the funnier sides of these classroom feuds. As teachers, we all know when kids get caught up in their feelings, they can really say the wildest things. From cafeteria crusades to classroom quarrels, we’ve really seen it all, and you wouldn't believe some of the things these kids decide is worth getting into a screaming match over.  Don't worry, we have better comebacks than most of our students, and the funnier kids have taught us theirs, so you'd be sure to laugh at this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty. Teachers get your perks!! This episode is brought to you by: Better help | BetterHelp | Visit https://betterhelp.com/TOD  to get 10% off your first month. Manscaped | Visit https://Manscaped.com and get 20% off + free shipping with the code TOD at checkout.   _________________________________________________ Teachers Off Duty - a Bored Teachers podcast

You know, if the teacher is 15 minutes late we get to go home… Right?  🚨 Big Announcement! 🚨 The Teachers Off Duty Podcast is hosting its very FIRST LIVE event—and YOU’RE invited! Join us for an epic 3-day getaway in Cancun at the first ever Bored Teachers Comedy Festival! 🌴 Get ready for sun, laughter, and unforgettable moments with your teacher besties. Sign up to be the first to know when tickets go on sale for this ultimate teacher vacation! ✈️ savedbythebeachfest.com Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://bit.ly/TODBTCT   Get Teachers Off Duty Premium to access EXCLUSIVE content at: https://teachersoffduty.supercast.com/ Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod _________________________________ Certainly they weren’t talking about teachers when they were making the rules for school, right? Well, this week on Teachers Off Duty our hosts Gabe Dannenbring, Bri Richardson, and Jess Smith have a chat about the rules that they don't have to follow at school.  As teachers, we are entitled to a couple privileges, and were not just talking about free coffee in the teacher's lounge. We're talking about the rules that just don't apply to us, such as being able to check our phones in class, or taking a bit of a long bathroom break. At the end of the day teaching does have its privileges, or should these double standards be actually enforced? Tune in as we share our thoughts! While on paper it seems pretty cut and dry, we should all follow the same rules, teachers have quite a bit to deal with when it comes to the chaos of the classroom. Us teachers try to play it cool, but we all know that the overstimulation that can come with teaching can become extremely mentally taxing; so maybe teachers taking an extra ten minutes on their bathroom break is the least of our problems.    Jump right to it! 2:34 - Teacher Tardiness Tales 9:15 - Classroom Confessions 16:42 - After-Hours Teacher Antics 24:58 - Rule-Breaking Revelations 33:11 - Staff Meeting Secrets 39:47 - Debate: Classroom Chaos So don’t listen to podcasts while in the classroom because we do think that's against the rules… But if you do, make sure it's this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty. _________________________________________________ Teachers Off Duty - a Bored Teachers podcast

What qualities does it take to make a parent easy or difficult to work with?    Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://bit.ly/TODBTCT    Get Teachers Off Duty Premium to access EXCLUSIVE content at: https://teachersoffduty.supercast.com/   Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com   Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod _________________________________   The dynamics of teacher-parent relationships can be dicey to say the least, and on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty, our hosts Gabe Dannenbring, Bri Richardson, and Jess Smith are going to go over the trials and tribulations with dealing with parents.  From defining boundaries to learning to say “no”, trying to collaborate with our students' parents can get quite difficult, but we have some tips and tricks to nailing your next parent-teacher conference. For example, apparently it’s a teacher's job to make sure their students are regular? The amount of times we’ve been asked to check our students' poops for problems is absolutely insane! Talk about a crappy job amiright?  It's important to remember at the end of the day we should all be working together to make sure we make the best situation for our students to grow and learn. Our hosts finish off their conversation by pointing out how absurd it is that teachers and parents can be at odds with each other, because we’re truly on the same team.    Jump right to it! 3:50 - Working with Parents 7:58 - Personal Experiences of Overwork 7:00 - Parent-Teacher Relationships and Perspectives 16:20 - Challenges of Communication 23:00 - Dealing with Difficult Parent Requests 32:00 - Embarrassing Parent-Teacher Conferences 42:30 - Setting Boundaries 45:00 - Balancing Parent Expectations and Teacher Workload 54:30 - Teamwork Between Teachers and Parents   So don't worry too much, you have plenty of time before that parent teacher conference, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.   Teachers get your perks!! This episode is brought to you by: Brisk Teaching | Head to https://www.briskteaching.com  and download Brisk Teaching for free today. _________________________________________________ Teachers Off Duty - a Bored Teachers podcast  

As R.L Stein once said, viewers beware, you're in for a scare…   Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://bit.ly/TODBTCT    Get Teachers Off Duty Premium to access EXCLUSIVE content at: https://teachersoffduty.supercast.com/   Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com   Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod   _________________________________ Our hosts Gabe Dannenbring, Bri Richardson, and Jess Smith celebrate Halloween on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty by diving into the world of ghost stories, haunted schools, and eerie encounters in the classroom. Do you believe in the paranormal? Because we do, and we share our strategy on how we would react to some of the most spine-tingling spectral situations you could imagine. It's all in good fun... unless you’re afraid of ghosts! Kids have the craziest imaginations, and as teachers we get to hear all the terrifying tales that they end up coming up with. Apparently anything can be haunted these days, we recently heard a story about a possessed pottery wheel named Patrick? We don't know what our students think is so scary about a pottery wheel, but it's definitely an entertaining idea.    Jump right to it! 9:39 - The Harry Potter Debate 16:55 - Do You Believe in Ghosts? 24:36 - Ouija Board in Class? 28:06 - Spooky Stories & Haunted Schools 38:19 - The Swing Set Ghost So get prepared to sleep with your lights on, because we're getting pretty spooky on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.    Teachers get your perks!! This episode is brought to you by: MintMobile | New customers get 3 months of unlimited premium wireless for just $15 a month by going to https://Mintmobile.com/TOD.  Brisk Teaching | Head to https://www.briskteaching.com and download Brisk Teaching for free today. _________________________________________________ Teachers Off Duty - a Bored Teachers podcast

So, why do we need to do a dance party in the staff meeting again?    Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://bit.ly/TODBTCT  Get Teachers Off Duty Premium to access EXCLUSIVE content at: https://teachersoffduty.supercast.com/ Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com  Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod   _________________________________   You’d think staff meetings would be boring but strap in for these ridiculous stories! Our hosts Gabe Dannenbring, Bri Richardson, and Jess Smith are about to spill the tea on some of the funniest stories from the most bizarre staff meetings they've attended on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty. As teachers we deal with too many shenanigans to count, even in our staff meetings; from a principal making teachers run in a "flock of geese" formation (whatever that means), to staff meetings that unexpectedly turned into singalongs or dance parties, they've seen it all! By the way - beware of those “anonymous” surveys. You won’t believe what one principal made his teachers do after receiving negative feedback. We don’t want to give too much away, but it’s pretty petty.    Jump right to it! 8:31 - Worst Staff Meeting Experiences 12:01 - Therapy and Boundary Setting for Teachers 13:31 - Cahoots and Gamifying Staff Meetings 16:31 - Teachers Quitting Dramatically 19:01 - Funny Games at Staff Meetings 23:31 - Fights at Staff Meetings   We promise we won’t be as boring as your usual staff meeting as you join us for this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.   Teachers get your perks!! This episode is brought to you by: BetterHelp | Visit https://betterhelp.com/TOD to get 10% off your first month. Brisk Teaching | Head to https://www.briskteaching.com and download Brisk Teaching for free today.   _________________________________________________ Teachers Off Duty - a Bored Teachers podcast

Can saying 'no' actually make you a better teacher?   Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://bit.ly/TODBTCT    Get Teachers Off Duty Premium to access EXCLUSIVE content at: https://teachersoffduty.supercast.com/    Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com   Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod   _________________________________   From saying "no" to overwork and underappreciated responsibilities, to discussing the harsh financial realities teachers face, our hosts Gabe Dannenbring, Leslie Rob, and Tyler Jackowski are FED UP. From dodging lunch duty like a ninja to telling yourself it’s OKAY to take a mental health day, our hosts Gabe Dannenbring, Leslie Rob, and Tyler Jackowski are FED UP with the everyday struggles of balancing work, life, and sanity. Leslie, Gabe, and Tyler share their funniest stories about first-year teaching nightmares, side hustles (yes, some of us have to work with our students... as bosses), and the art of avoiding unnecessary extra duties. Plus, we stir some drama on why coaching might not be as glamorous as it sounds and how learning to say “no” can actually make you a better teacher. Listen up as we break down the myth of summers off, why teachers should vent (but wisely!), and the best ways to embrace your teacher tribe. And don’t worry—we’ve got plenty of laughs to get you through those tough days. Tune in or we’ll assign you extra recess duty! Teachers get your perks!! This episode is brought to you by: Brisk Teaching | Head to https://www.briskteaching.com and download Brisk Teaching for free today. _________________________________________________ Teachers Off Duty - a Bored Teachers podcast

From breakups to viral TikToks, student drama isn't what it used to be… Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://bit.ly/TODBTCT   Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com Get Teachers Off Duty Premium to access EXCLUSIVE content at: https://teachersoffduty.supercast.com/   Listen to the podcast anywhere you stream your favorite shows: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/69pLuB4cKPCP8UG3eCImfP Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teachers-off-duty/id1602160612   Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod   _________________________________   Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Gabe Dannenbring, Leslie Rob, and Tyler Jackowski spill the tea, and share their wildest classroom drama stories! We all know how dramatic our students can be, and it's been like that for years, however unlike previous generations, they now have a platform to share their drama right in the palm of their hands. With the high availability of social media and technology, drama in school has been heavily amplified, and almost impossible to escape. While students used to be able to break up with their school sweetheart, and only have her immediate friends talk about them, now kids are dealing with the entire school knowing every detail of a potentially messy breakup. So with all that being said, how do us teachers deal with all this drama? Tune in to find out! Nowadays, most of our social life has found itself on the internet, which is great for keeping up with long distance friends or sharing cat memes with your mother, but with all these positives there's always the flip side to it. We're talking about online bullying, and as social media influencers, we’ve dealt with our fair share of haters, and this week we're going to be sharing not only our negative experiences with people on the internet, but also how we've been able to deal with online negativity.   Finally, we wrap up with a discussion on how drama spreads quickly on social media, and how it often leads to unintended consequences. We share our personal experiences of social media drama in the classroom, but most importantly we emphasize the importance of maintaining a positive and supportive community both online and in real life.   Jump right to it! 6:54 - Student Drama in the Classroom 13:12 - Middle School Relationships and Breakups 21:10 - Promise Rings and Teenage Love 23:33 - April Fool's Laxative Prank 25:30 - Teacher Relationships and Drama 31:30 - Social Media's Impact on Student Drama 38:42 - Bullying and Positivity in Social Media   So tell your friends because we just posted some spicy drama on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.  

Can wearing all black really make you a criminal? Some schools seem to think so! Can wearing all black really make you a criminal? Some schools seem to think so! Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://bit.ly/TODBTCT Check out our new MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com Listen to the podcast anywhere you stream your favorite shows: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/69pLuB4cKPCP8UG3eCImfP Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teachers-off-duty/id1602160612 Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod Get Teachers Off Duty Premium to access EXCLUSIVE content at: https://teachersoffduty.supercast.com/   _________________________________   Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Gabe Dannenbring, Leslie Rob, and Tyler Jackowski share their most bizarre dress code stories! We start off by covering some of the weirdest dress code rules we’ve encountered, from prohibitions on wearing tennis shoes without a doctor's note, to restrictions on the number of toes that can be shown, and even policies that prevent teachers from changing their hairstyles throughout the school year, we've seen it all. Even though we don't think about it, how we dress impacts our lives in major ways, but not only for our students though… Now when we talk about dress codes normally it’s pertaining to our students, but today we are going to be going into some dress codes for teachers! Apparently at some schools teachers are required to wear three-piece pantsuits; and we debate on whether professionality comes before the impracticality and financial burden that this outfit would put on its teachers. We also touch on the broader implications of these rules, such as the negative effects on teacher morale and the potential for dress codes to enforce outdated or discriminatory standards. Jump right to it! 2:32 - Dress Codes and First Impressions 6:36 - Spirit Week and Costume Fun 11:08 - Ridiculous Rules: No Tennis Shoes 15:06 - Footwear Frustrations and Ankle Rules 29:15 - Denim Drama: No Jeans Allowed 41:08 - Male Jewelry Ban and Expression Restrictions 47:21 - The Black Clothing Ban and Mental Health Misconceptions   So put on your best three piece suit, because teachers are getting dress coded on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.  

Teaching isn’t just about lesson plans… Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://www.boredteachers.com/comedy-tour   Get Teachers Off Duty Premium to access EXCLUSIVE content at: https://teachersoffduty.supercast.com/   Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com   Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod   _________________________________   Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Gabe Dannenbring, Leslie Rob, and Tyler Jackowski share the ups and downs of teaching! We can all agree that teaching is a really rewarding job, but with such satisfaction there are always some drawbacks. This week we’re talking about the emotional highs and lows that come with the profession, such as building relationships with students, handling anxiety, and dealing with safety concerns in schools. First we are going to share some stories that highlight the importance of maintaining high expectations for students while also recognizing the challenges they face, particularly those with traumatic backgrounds. It's extremely important for us teachers to find a good balance between being supportive and knowing when to seek professional help for students dealing with serious issues. Now with all this in mind, we have a responsibility of being a trusted educator, and we have to be ready for the emotional weight that comes with that. So this week we're going to talk about the importance of self-care for us educators, and the need to establish boundaries to avoid burnout. But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom, because we finish off by sharing some of our proudest moments as teachers, including stories of student success and personal growth.   Jump right to it! 4:12 - The Importance of Building Student Relationships 18:18 - Navigating Teacher Guilt and Stress 22:56 - Handling School Lockdowns  40:00 - Managing Administrative Challenges 45:50 - The Weight of Being a Teacher Who Listens 52:50 - Balancing Discipline and Compassion in the Classroom   So get the tissues ready, because we're getting personal on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty. Teachers get your perks!! This episode is brought to you by: Mint Mobile | New customers get 3 months of unlimited premium wireless for just $15 a month by going to https://Mintmobile.com/TOD.  Better Help | Visit https://betterhelp.com/TOD to get 10% off your first month.  

Find out how a Teacher's Quick Comeback Made a Student Rethink Everything! Get 30 days of Teacher Style Box for free by going to https://teacherstylebox.com and using promo code TOD30. Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Gabe Dannenbring, Leslie Rob, and Tyler Jackowski share their funniest classroom moments! We kick off this week's episode with some of the weirdest situations our hosts have found themselves in. For example our teachers have been put in a lot of positions that are quite ridiculous, like for example Tyler was put in charge of teaching a subject he had no clue about. Tune in to find out what he was forced to teach! Have you ever tried to look really cool for your students? We feel like most first year teachers struggle with finding that line with their students, and we're here to share our funniest stories of us trying to be cool with these kids. We also share what happens when students get a bit too comfortable and start to roast us; and might we add, these kids are starting to get pretty clever with some of their insults.  Speaking of students starting to develop colorful language, we reminisce on some of the most amusing things we've heard and seen in the classroom. Whether it be probably the best (and inappropriate) shirt that Spencer's sells, or hilarious backhanded compliments, we’ve experienced it all, and we're sharing it all with you this week! Teachers, get your perks!! Acorns | head to https://acorns.com/TOD or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future today! Jump right to it! 2:46 - First-Year Teaching Struggles 11:01 - The Reality of Student Teaching 19:31 - Students say the darndest things 34:01 - Navigating Gen Z and Alpha Slang   So get ready to laugh and giggle because we can all relate to these situations on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.

Shadow Boxing Helps you with your Algebra!? Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Bri Richardson, Jess Smith, and Tyler Jackowski share their best games for student engagement. Everyone loves a good game of Smash Bros or Monopoly, but how does this help us in the classroom? Well maybe these games won't help, but this week we give our opinions on how helpful playing a simple learning game could be, to not only help our students understand our curriculum more, but also have fun in the process. Tyler even takes it a step further by sharing his research on how brain games specifically designed for people who have ADHD/ADD can help them learn faster. Tune in to find out what he found! Now we've all played a good game of Kahoot, but this week we were thinking out of the box and sharing some obscure games that we’ve played in the classroom, and how they helped our students. For example, Bri has apparently had her kids shadow box in the class before? Well at least they call it shadow boxing, it's kind of a lot to explain, so watch us play it on today's episode. Now if you're looking for new ideas for games in the classroom, we have you covered for that as well! Whether it be as simple as implementing a curriculum into a game of mini basketball, or as complex as making animal noises and running around the classroom, we have something for everyone. So join us this week and we’ll give you plenty of ideas on ways to make your classroom more fun and engaging!   Jump right to it! 2:52 - Importance of Games in the Classroom 7:29 - Personal Teaching Experiences 19:50 - Creative Classroom Activities 39:51 - Brain Games and Research   So go ahead and enter that Kahoot code, but remember it's not all fun and games on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.  

There’s no way your student said that… Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Bri Richardson, Jess Smith, and Tyler Jackowski share the craziest things that students have said to them. We all love a good roast, but it really doesn’t hit when it's coming from a twelve year old kid. Our students can be really brutal, and we start off the episode by saying the worst insults our students have given us. Some of these are really hurtful, from making fun of our fashion, to our career decisions; these kids are really going for the throat. All this being said however, is it unprofessional to clap back at their insults, or should we just remember not to take it so personal? These kids are really not pulling any punches recently with their roasts, Bri shares a story about a student that called her poor for never skiing before. Big talk coming from someone who still gets an allowance! Tyler also shares his story of a kid who made fun of his hair, and lets just say things got a little out of hand, tune in to find out what happened! But it's not all about hurtful student insults, we also are celebrating Halloween a little early this year with our host’s sharing their paranormal experiences in haunted schools. Whether it be apparitions, weird noises down the halls, or our extra homework coming back to haunt us, we have some chilling tales for you this week.  Jump right to it! 4:19 - Kids say the darnedest things 10:09 - Teachers' Personal Anecdotes 17:00 - Roast Battles with Students 23:43 - Handling Awkward Situations 31:47 - Unfiltered Student Comments 38:09 - Supernatural School Tales So get your comebacks ready and leave your feelings at home, because the roasts are getting pretty personal on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.  

What does it really take to keep educators motivated and effective? Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Bri Richardson, Jess Smith, and Tyler Jackowski talk about a hot button issue, how can schools retain their educators? To find out how to keep teachers, we think it's smart to first figure out why they are leaving in the first place. We use our personal experiences as teachers, and a bit of research we've found, to really unpack all the problems that teachers are facing today.  Whether it be burnout, a lack of support from the school board, or the low pay, teachers are presented with a lot of challenges in their professional careers. Each of us brings our own experiences to the table, while Tyler believes it's a deep systematic problem like the small salary of teachers, Bri thinks that the problem is as simple as a lack of appreciation for our educators. Or maybe it’s possible that we're all right, and it's just a combination of multiple factors?  At the end of the day teachers are the backbone of our society, and we need them to shape the future people who are going to be running our world. So how are we going to convince them to stay, how are we going to keep them motivated, and how are we going to give them all the perks that they deserve? Well tune in to hear us try to answer these difficult questions!  Jump right to it! 5:50 - Classroom Stories 7:51 - Disciplinary Challenges 17:15 - Supporting Teacher Mental Health 27:45 - Truly Teachable Moments 38:20 - Our Humbling Experiences 47:00 - Innovative Teacher Support Programs So tear up that two week notice, because we're going to try to fix your work problems on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty. New customers get 3 months of unlimited premium wireless for just $15 a month by going to https://Mintmobile.com/TOD.    

Our teachers have had the weirdest summer jobs… Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Bri Richardson, Devin Siebold, and Jess Smith share their most unforgettable side hustles.    Sometimes teachers need a bit of extra cash when summer break rolls around, and when they need a break from teaching summer school, they have to look into other side hustles. Our hosts each have extremely diverse resumes, from working in a frozen pizza factory assembly line to being a DJ for weddings, our hosts have had a lot of odd jobs outside of the classroom; and they are excited to share some of their weirdest stories with you. Devin takes a walk down memory lane and reminisces about his days as a book bindery, talk about a departure from teaching! When you think of it though, it can be very nice to take some time away from lesson plans and demanding students and work with your hands at a quiet little book binding shop. However, not all summer jobs are glamorous, Jess once spent a summer as an Aquatic Nuisance Species Inspector at a state park. With no internet service and the hot summer sun, she was absolutely miserable, but to look at the bright side, she had plenty of time to take in the beauty of the Florida nature and get a killer tan.  Jump right to it! 4:30 – Teachers' Summer Myths  13:45 – Unusual Summer Jobs Revealed 19:30 – Balancing Rest and Hustle 24:05 – Funniest Summer Incidents 28:50 – Summer's Impact on Teaching So fire up that resume, because our teachers definitely did on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.

Did admin really just call me trash?! Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Bri Richardson, Devin Seibold, and Jess Smith share some of the worst observations they've ever had! Wouldn’t you think it would be fun to invite admin in for a little fun game with students? Well we’ve tried that and when the kids got a bit too competitive things quickly spiraled out of control.  This week we shared some real horror stories from our classroom observations. From literal fires, accidental scissor stabbing, nervous vomiting, we've seen it all. In hindsight it's all pretty funny, and we can laugh about it now, but at the moment we’ve all had a bad observation, so laugh along with us and don’t make the same mistakes we have.  Speaking of terrible observations, one teacher, when they asked for feedback, only got told that their lesson plan was just “trash”. We think we need to teach admin about the compliment sandwich, because we can’t help but notice that feedback is less than helpful.    Jump right to it!   2:45 Tales of Classroom Brawls 7:30 Tech Fails Galore 13:10 Unexpected Observations Insights 19:50 Teacher Blunder Confessions 26:25 Observations: What Not To Do 32:40 Funniest Observation Anecdotes   So leave your feelings at home, because this feedback from admin is pretty harsh on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.  

This Teacher Math Doesn't Add Up. Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Bri Richardson, Devin Seibold, and Jess Smith discuss schools newest subject, teacher math! Now if you don’t know what girl math is, don't worry, we didn't know either, but essentially it's just doing mental gymnastics to justify large purchases. Like yea, buying a new purse for 300 bucks sounds rough, but when you're returning a clutch worth 250, you're essentially only paying 50 bucks right? And a little bit of girl math can be good for everyone, sometimes financial decisions are hard, and a little bit of romanticizing your purchases is comforting right? And that is especially true for buying school supplies.  So how does this pertain to teachers? Well we've come up with a new phenomenon, teacher math. For example, how is it that even though I've only been a teacher for six years, it feels like I've been teaching for fifty five years?    Jump right to it!   4:30 - "Teacher Math" Defined 7:50 - First Math Mishap 12:45 - Calculating Confessions 17:20 - Devin's Decimal Disaster 23:35 - Hilarious Math Anecdotes 28:40 - Outtakes & Bloopers   So grab your calculator, because the math isn't mathing on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.  

We have a feeling the five-day school week is outdated… Welcome back to another episode of Teachers Off Duty! In this episode, Bri Richardson, Jess Smith, and Devin Siebold discuss a hot topic in the education world: 4-day school weeks. With the constant pressure to improve student performance and reduce costs, many school districts are considering switching to a 4-day school week. On paper, it seems like a win-win situation - students get an extra day off and schools save money. But is it really that simple? This week we break down the pros and cons of 4-day school weeks. Together, we dive into the potential benefits, such as increased attendance and improved teacher morale, as well as the potential challenges, such as longer school days and the impact on working parents. But it's not just about the logistics. We also explore the potential impact on student learning and achievement. Are longer weekends really beneficial for students? Will they fall behind in their studies? Our panel shares their personal experiences and research-based evidence to shed light on these important questions.   Jump right to it! 2:45 Four-Day School Potential 6:30 Unschooling Defined 11:15 Public vs. Unschooling 17:40 Five-Day Grind Issues 23:50 Year-Round Schooling Debate 29:05 Educational System Overhaul   Watch us question tradition on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.  

Teaching really isn’t what it used to be…   Welcome back to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Bri Richardson, Gabe Dannenbring, and Jess Smith break down some of the morally gray areas of teaching.    Here’s a hot take, homework is overrated. We had an intense debate over whether or not homework is even necessary in schools. Should students bring their studies home, or should teachers give them time for after school activities?    Between grading, lesson plans, and babysitting, teachers have a lot on their plate, so it could be hard to find friends. But sometimes during parent/teacher conferences you find out that some of your favorite students are cool because they have cool parents. Is it alright to hang out with students' parents after school, or do you think it could lead to unneeded classroom drama?   Social media is at the forefront of most of our lives, but what happens when your personal life interacts with your work life? This happens all the time with admin monitoring teachers social media accounts. Is it fair for teachers to be judged at work for bar photos on instagram, or should we just let them have a personal life?  Jump right to it! 03:15 Social Media Etiquette for Teachers 08:30 Student-Teacher Friendship Boundaries 14:20 Handling Emotional Breakups 20:50 The Debate Over Student Hugs 27:25 The Disappearing Teacher Act 33:40 Faculty Potluck Shenanigans   So tune in and let us be your moral compass on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty.