Teacher Misery

Is it okay to share a clip of a teacher properly handling a difficult situation with a special ed. student or is it not for social media? Why summer reading assignments are the bane of an English teacher’s existence; corporal punishment in schools is still legal in 19 states, 15 of those include special ed. students; stories from What It’s Really Like: Foot fetish kid, H.S. kids who don’t understand how a map or time works; angry email from a 7th grader, inappropriate but cheerful student email, student payment request, an insulting thank you letter, shocking parent and student messages; student comments on teacher evaluations. Visit teachermisery.com and teachermiseryshop.com for snarky gifts!

Lauren was in charge of “frogger” at kindergarten field day, and a kid grabbed her chest; little boys can’t stop scratching down there; the corn vat; random business ideas; is it okay for admin. to paddle a very misbehaved student? Does it actually deter bad behavior? What should a parent do if their kid spits at a teacher? Where are the truancy officers? What is the “Teachers’ Bill of Rights” and will it actually be adhered to? Old discipline and late policies that actually worked; the only way to get rid of bullies; why boys bully girls they like; is there anyone who didn’t have a traumatic middle school experience? What if adults acted like middle schoolers? Visit teachermisery.com and shop fun gifts at teachermiseryshop.com!

Lauren was in charge of 5 kindergarteners on a field trip and it was crazy; should Sunday secrets be censored so they don’t offend anyone or are they a prompt for conversations? Why the law exists in some states that you can’t share a student’s preferred gender or pronouns with their parents; secrets have gotten so extremely sad and never fun or funny anymore; suicidal messages and teachers who are forced on mental health leave; it’s asking too much to leave sub plans for 6 weeks leave; do subs really need detailed lesson plans? Update on the student who tackled an aide for taking his Nintendo Switch; most of the time kids act out because there is a deeper problem going on; money in schools is spent so poorly! If you like what we’re doing, you can support us by rating us 5 stars, subscribing, and telling a friend! Also visit teachermisery.com and I just opened a gift shop, teachermiseryshop.com!

It is confusing and hard to find a job outside of teaching; the system makes you feel like you are the problem for not being able to stay; people who stay have unhealthy coping mechanisms; why do administrators bully teachers during such a bad shortage; it’s hard to get rid of feelings of anger after being bullied at work, teaching takes away your creativity and wild spirit, how hard it is to leave a dependable job and leap into what you really want to do with no security net! Visit teachermisery.com and teachermiseryshop.com for more!

On this episode, we interview a drama teacher (who prefers to remain anonymous) about her first teaching job, which she quit after three months. We talk about the toxic working conditions, violent, criminal behavior of the students, and lack of support from the administration. Then, we play a game where DeAndre and our guest have to guess which of two crazy news headlines about school is real and which is made up. Don't forget to rate us 5 stars and visit TeacherMisery.com and TeacherMiseryShop.com!

Should teachers be allowed to carry concealed guns? Why don’t more schools have metal detectors? Districts are begging teachers to drive buses and offering a pathetic incentive; riding the school bus is a crazy experience as a kid; in Florida, they want to take back brand new pay raises; many teachers make so little money they qualify for welfare and use a food pantry; should teachers have to pay for their own appreciation dinner? Potlucks are gross; should teachers be considered first responders? Giving CPR is scary and hard; people like to get mad over everything; kids’ creepy questions; it is so hard traveling with students and being a camp counselor; they only tip counselors in N.Y.? Which gift cards are best to give the teacher? Don't forget to visit teachermisery.com and teachermiseryshop.com!

Librarians in Texas all have to reapply for their jobs; librarians are a great resource who are experiencing a lot of pressure; do we need computer or tech teachers? Shortages are the biggest stressor for teachers right now; crash course on crazy-ass Betsy DeVos; what happened to the separation of church and state? We talk about shitty billionaires a bit; the meaning of being “woke;” book ban chat; religious and political arguments keep us from being mad about taxes; big discussion about crazy weird school fundraisers such as toe licking!

We briefly discuss the ruling on Nex’s cause of death; we take a deep dive into the proposed bill in Missouri that would make teachers who “support” transgender students have to register as sex offenders; Is there anything in the bible about gender identity? What it’s like being black and gay in America; what it’s like when other teachers are racist; should students who see another student with a gun and don’t alert anyone be expelled? Parents who reward their kids when they get suspended; what is it like teaching in a juvenile detention center? Lauren talks about being a brand new teacher and working at a lockdown psychiatric center; how do you get a job as an educational consultant who makes a shit ton of money? If you like what we’re doing, you can support us by rating us 5 stars, subscribing, and telling a friend! Also visit teachermisery.com and I just opened a gift shop, teachermiseryshop.com!

Episode 24: Behavior Expert/counselor Zack Kasabo We talk with school counselor and behavior expert Zack Kasabo about kids relying too heavily on accommodations and not learning to adapt, schools not having the resources to give a lot of the suggested accommodations, parents of younger kids refusing to accept IEPs, kids who play the system and use IEPs/504s not to do work, admin not wanting teachers and counselors to tell the truth in front of parents, why schools are so afraid of parents, the problem with clearing the room during a tantrum and equity for the other students, how differently kids are parented now as opposed to when we were growing up, kids who take their lousy work ethic to college, how ADD is often just mismanaged anxiety… and so much more! If you like what we’re doing, you can support us by rating us 5 stars, subscribing, and telling a friend! Also visit teachermisery.com and I just opened a gift shop… teachermiseryshop.com! Follow DeAndre @ItsDeAndreRashard and Zack @CoachKasabo.

We discuss recent news stories involving schools, such as the naked high school student who tried to kill an elderly janitor, how challenging working in SPED has become, parents who don’t want their kids in SPED, kids who take advantage of accommodations, whether or not you should tell your own kid’s teacher that you are/used to be a teacher, the mom who snuck into her kid’s school to beat the crap out of a teacher; annoying sayings like “fill your cup,” Lauren’s humor makes some teachers uncomfortable, inequality when it comes to teachers’ schedules, racist teachers and the school experience for students of color If you like what we’re doing, you can support us by rating us 5 stars, subscribing, and telling a friend! Also visit teachermisery.com and I just opened a gift shop… teachermiseryshop.com!

For something a little different, Lauren reads a few chapters from my second book More Teacher Misery. These include Chapter 2: Disgruntled Debbie & Other Teachers You'll Find in Any School; Chapter 5: “Your Ass is Getting Huge” & Other Things Kids Said to Me during Pregnancy; Chapter 6: Butt Chugging & Other Fun Activities; Chapter 12: Interview Questions & What They Are Really Asking; and Chapter 16: “Sorry for the Incontinence:” Real Notes & Emails.

Lauren has nostalgic feelings about teaching for the first time in a year... how graduation used to make us feel important and emotional, but is it really honorable anymore considering all those kids who shouldn’t graduate? Is teaching college any different/better than secondary school? Is eaching grad. school the answer? What it’s like being a corporate trainer and how the money outweighs the boring stuff... how weird and awful remote teaching was... We need consequences for violent behavior... Is ODD a real thing? How does everyone have ADD/ADHD? Unbelievable things kids do with no consequence at school... If you like what we’re doing, you can support us by rating us 5 stars, subscribing, and telling a friend! Also, visit teachermisery.com, and I just opened a gift shop… teachermiseryshop.com!

Lauren welcomes Jaclyn Kirby, author of Teachers Are Human Too. They discuss why she decided to leave the classroom after only two years, how there need to be a lot more opportunities for natural SEL to occur in the class, how teachers cannot have any reaction to trauma, how they destroy the things we spend money on, the time a fart made Lauren cry; there’s no right way to handle a student fight, how sometimes you have to laugh during horrible situations, the weight of not being able to help kids with terrible home lives, and how hard it can be to be the young, new teacher. If you like what we’re doing, you can support us by rating us 5 stars, subscribing, and telling a friend! Also visit teachermisery.com and I just opened a gift shop at teachermiseryshop.com!

Lauren and DeAndre discuss the most useless and humiliating professional development sessions they had to endure, such as a 4-hour-long training on Microsoft, including how to send an email, country line dancing, and reading from a kindergarten book while in a parrot costume. They also discuss batshit crazy teachers who are completely ineffective yet can't be fired and students who look up their teachers on the internet and how damn creepy it can get!

In episode 19, Lauren and DeAndre review various slang terms provided by middle and high school teachers and try to identify them. Then, we discuss some of the dumbest and weirdest sex education questions that students had the audacity to ask their teachers. This is a very inappropriate and hilarious episode! If you like what we’re doing, you can support us by rating us 5 stars, subscribing, and telling a friend! Also visit teachermisery.com and I just opened a gift shop… teachermiseryshop.com!

We talk with Dr. Julia, a former school counselor and psychologist, who runs the @sarcasticschoolpsychologist Instagram. We discuss teacher stress and anxiety before and after COVID, how bad admins keep their jobs in a state with no tenure, the lack of options for teachers outside of the teaching field, how much SPED teachers are expected to do and keep track of, the lack of creativity in teaching, how there’s no support after a serious tragedy (trigger warning: suicide), teaching brings out your deepest psychological issues, teachers don’t get any grace as far as mental health, teachers are held to impossible standards in society, the abuse that Special Ed. teachers have to take, teachers need more resources and compassion for the heavy load they carry! If you like what we’re doing, you can support us by rating us 5 stars, subscribing, and telling a friend! Also visit teachermisery.com and I just opened a gift shop… teachermiseryshop.com!

Nightmares about school, what DeAndre learned in his educational leadership classes and, more importantly, what he didn’t learn, kids in mainstream classrooms who have violent outbursts and how there is no protocol or solution other than evacuating the class, the 1st grader in Virginia who shot his teacher and how that situation unfolded, a creepy kid who gave Lauren’s kid a bloody nose and how to handle that, kids should be required to take pre-k, too many kids are given melatonin to sleep, and we react to outrageously inappropriate comments on observation reports. You can support us by rating us 5 stars, subscribing, and telling a friend! Also visit teachermisery.com and TM just opened a gift shop… teachermiseryshop.com!

We recorded our first podcast in February of 2020, and didn’t record again until the middle of 2023. Here we talk about teachers in elementary school who had a positive impact on us, the lack of options for handling badass kids, how kids get expelled and reenroll in other schools, why teachers aren’t allowed to know a student’s mental health history, how frustrating negative observations are, and lots of other teacher misery-related topics that haven’t changed at all! Dont forget to follow @Teachermisery on Instagram and Facebook and check out teachermisery.com. Also, TM has a gift shop! Teachermiseryshop.com!

On this episode, Lauren and DeAndre discuss ridiculous grading policies they have had to implement and other rules that Teacher Misery followers have shared. These policies include the very popular no student gets a zero rule, low scoring assignments (or non-existent ones) getting rounded up to 50% , a 20% passing rate, 50% equaling an A (yes, you read that correctly), incentives other than grades we've tried to get kids to do their work and whether or not they worked, and a few parent requests that are so crazy we had to discuss about them! (Warm the toilet seat for your kid? Absolutely not!) Follow Teacher Misery on Instagram and Facebook and check out teachermisery.com and Lauren's new gift shop TeacherMiseryShop.com!

Charlene Lynch, part-time teacher, and career coach, joins us to discuss the ten different districts she worked for, gossipy coworkers and how to avoid them, ways to save your sanity at school, the problem of tenure, ways to protect your energy at school, and how to navigate the world outside of teaching. Support us by rating us 5 stars, subscribing, and telling a friend! Also check out teachermisery.com and teachermiseryshop.com, Lauren's new gift shop!