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00:00:01
Educator Andrea
32 Plays12 days ago
Join Alasdair for this extended interview as Educator Andrea discusses teaching, comedy, and her new book! Follow @EducatorAndrea for links to purchase!
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:01
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Outdoorsy Educator Podcast, where stories become lessons and every journey has something to teach us. Every week I sit down with people from all walks of life to hear their adventures, explore their experiences, and uncover the insights that have shaped them along the way.
00:00:21
Speaker
Whether it's from the outdoors, the classroom, or any other path, each conversation offers a fresh perspective on learning, growth, and what it means to truly connect with the world and the people around us.
Meet Andrea: Educator, Comedian, Author
00:00:40
Speaker
And today on the Outdoorsy Educator podcast, I'm joined by someone who has found a unique way to bring laughter, honesty, and heart to education. Andrea is an educator, comedian, and author who reminds us that some of the most meaningful lessons happen when we're willing to laugh, connect, and most importantly, be authentic. Through her work, she's encouraging educators to embrace both the challenges and the joy of teaching. And I can't wait to hear more about this journey. Educator Andrea, welcome. It's wonderful to have you here.
00:01:13
Speaker
Hi, thank you. I'm so excited to be here. Why don't you tell our audience a little bit about who you are? Yeah, so I was a high school English teacher for nine years, and I absolutely loved it. um I taught before, throughout the pandemic, and after the pandemic. um and throughout the but pandemic, I was also getting my PhD in curriculum and instruction. And so um As I was working my way through that, I was mentoring all of these first-year teachers and teachers that were going to be in the classroom. So I had some student teachers.
00:01:46
Speaker
And I felt like there was a massive disconnect between the reality of what it's like being a classroom teacher and what they were being taught and told by teachers who of the a lot of the professors had not been in a real classroom since before cell phones were in classrooms. Right. And so as I i got my PhD, I decided I wanted to change how teachers are trained. And so I got a job at Indiana State University, where I work now as a professor of teaching and learning, working with secondary educators um or future secondary educators. And throughout all that time, I started posting videos online um under the name Educator Andrea, which is how most people
Andrea's Online Persona and Viral Success
00:02:27
Speaker
find me. um And I kind of just...
00:02:31
Speaker
combined the jokes and the reality of what I was seeing and tried to add a little levity and a little gallows humor to what my everyday was. um And yeah, it's been it's been a crazy journey.
00:02:43
Speaker
I love it. You and I, the comedy aside, because that is not my skill set, we're on similar paths. I'm a few years behind. um i just completed my PhD in the spring and now a professor at a local university working with future educators. And like you, I don't certainly don't put words in your mouth. these A lot of these students know the theory of teaching, but the art of teaching, I think, is is a gap that I'm trying to bridge. um Because I've discovered that when you can
00:03:13
Speaker
fulfill yourself as an educator. Yes, we need to know the core subjects. so We need to know what you're teaching, but the engaging of the students and presenting it in a meaningful way is something that's not always taught. And that's one of the reasons I feel like I connect with your work is because that's a shared passion.
00:03:30
Speaker
Thank you. Yeah, it's so funny. I had this one student a couple of years ago now, and he was he loved math. He loved it so, so much. And then I saw, and he had his field experience and he was he was trying to teach math to middle schoolers. And at one point he's he's writing this equation on the board and he's like, and then you do the math.
00:03:49
Speaker
And then he just like skipped to the end. And I was like, oh, that's not, that's not. So I talked to him. i was like, hey, bud, like, what are we doing here? Like, do you, do you love teaching? And he's like, well, I love math. And I was like, no, no different question no, no, that is a completely different thing because here's the thing. You should love your subject, right? But really, unfortunately, think, and this is one of the things that people really don't understand is that if you're an English teacher, yes, you are doing English, but most of what you're doing is not English. Most of what you're doing is managing people and building relationships and trying to help explain information get buy-in from your audience and all of that. And so it's been really, really fun to kind of talk to these budding educators And try and make that connect of like, here's the theory and that's great. But some of those theories are written by people who have never actually had to stand in front of a group of 40 freshmen seventh period after everyone's meds have worn off and the AC stopped working, you know, like the theory is not going to take you through that class. Absolutely. um Like said, you and I share a common passion, but my background is all elementary school. And what you're saying just reminds me of when i I've taught math for several years on and off when the need was there. And I had to fight the urge of not just saying, because it is when a student would ask me, why is three plus three six?
00:05:12
Speaker
yeah And my brain would almost short circuit. it and Because it is. but Because it is. Yeah, because it is. And that really isn't good ah best practices. But like you, when i when I taught English language arts, reading and writing, that that's i embrace it. I love it. I had zero issue
Navigating Online Criticism and Comedy Challenges
00:05:31
Speaker
flipping a a whole lesson on its head because that was my my comfort zone. Yeah. so Yeah. Teaching math, i I'm very aware that's an area of growth for me.
00:05:41
Speaker
Fair enough. Yeah. Now, as you said, many people will know you from your comedy through your short videos. How did you get started in that world? So it it's so funny because 2021, so we were still, i was living in California teaching high school English. And um it was the fall of 2021. And I sat down and I created for myself a five-year plan. um i had already started my PhD program. And I knew that in order to get hired at university, which was you know the end of my five-year plan, is I wanted to get hired at a university, is they wanted to see publications.
00:06:20
Speaker
And so I was like, okay, backwards planning that, like, okay, how do I get published? Well, in order to get published, the publisher has to kind of think, okay, you've got some some social capital here of why anyone would want to write, like read a book that you've said, like written. right um And so i was like, well, maybe I'll just start posting videos. At least then if they Google my name, something will come up. At least there'll be an ah like a trail of, oh, she's been in this space, she's doing stuff. um And the first few videos are some of the worst created videos.
00:06:51
Speaker
pieces of content out there. I mean, they're so uncomfortable because I was uncomfortable and they were very much just repeating what I'd seen done where I was like, and this was 2021. So people were doing a lot of like the, you'd have like a musical thing and then you'd point and then you'd have little word bubbles pop up, you know? And so it was like five tips for prepping for the new school years. it was like, ding, ding,
00:07:14
Speaker
yes And it's so not my vibe at all. And I did that for about, i don't know, a couple weeks. And I just remember being so angry, like setting up my little tripod in in the house. mean, like, this is dumb. I feel dumb. I hate this. i don't want to be a stupid influencer. This is stupid. And so in my frustration one time, I just did like a quick 15 second video.
00:07:38
Speaker
story about how I had a student who showed up to class one day with a blanket and they shared it with a friend. And that's why I don't allow blankets in my class anymore. And it was like a 15 second thing because of what had happened under the blanket. And I kind of insinuated, but didn't say what what had happened under the blanket.
00:07:54
Speaker
and that video within 24 hours had like over a million views and i went from having 140 followers to then a few thousand i think that fall i had like 3 000 followers and i was like i am i famous right now right like i remember going to church that Sunday and waiting to be recognized because a million people had seen my video and I'm like I'm actually a movie star like you start referring to yourself in the third person yes and be like me educator Andrea yes um like of course no one knew who I was no one cared um except for my students in the fall when they found me on TikTok were like oh my gosh you have a few thousand
00:08:36
Speaker
And then, of course, they started roasting They were like, you fell off. You haven't done anything else since then. I was like, all right. um And so then i I really kind of had to find my bearings. Like a lot of content creators, it happened intentionally but accidentally where you kind of accidentally stumble into whatever your secret sauce is And then you try and do that thing and you try and recreate that magic as much as you can. um And so i've you know now it's been you know in in a month, it will be five years since I started that. um
00:09:07
Speaker
And I've gotten a lot of different um series that I've done, some more successful than others, some less successful on views, but made me really happy, which is, I think... Really important when you're creating content online. Yeah. It's like you should be doing like you you do because it's a business. You do have to listen to what people like. But sometimes you just got to do what you like and and hope that your people find you, which is how um my my initial videos a lot of times were me talking like with air quotes, talking to students. I never recorded my students, but I would like have interactions as if I was talking to my students and repeating some of the things I literally had had to say that day. um like please put the tahini packets away like you get you can't keep hiding them in my walls because one of my do you know what tahini is i know that's like i do indeed okay um there's areas of the country that have never had tahini um but in california they even have like little packets that you can get with lunch and so my students would hide them like in my ceiling tiles and underneath my bulletin board paper and so i'd be cleaning stuff there just be tahini packets falling everywhere And so I would just create videos where I did that and kind of recreated those interactions. And it resonated with people because when I started creating, a lot of times all you would see was really sweet, beautiful classrooms, mostly elementary and always very like romanticized, aspirational. And it just felt very um fake to me. And no hate to those creators because I love looking at their content. I thought it was beautiful, but I was like, this is it made me feel bad because I'm like, that's not what my classroom looks like. It's like November and I still have August calendar of how are you living like this? yes um And so I just, I started creating and and people really started to resonate with
Connecting with Audiences through Humor
00:11:02
Speaker
that.
00:11:02
Speaker
I love it. Yeah, this as you said, sometimes I'll watch videos in this this perfect classroom and I'm like, how did you have the budget to do that your first year teaching? Mine was a little sparse. I was taking things I didn't use in my house anymore. thinking and like How can I use that in the classroom? Yeah. You've kind of touched on this a little bit, but I was really curious if you've ever failed publicly and the lessons you might have learned from that, um your greatest lessons perhaps, and that could be on the classroom, on stage, through a video, because I think that's people's biggest fear.
00:11:37
Speaker
It's certainly one of mine about getting online and making videos is looking ridiculous or you know perceiving that you look ridiculous when you probably don't. Yeah. um I mean, I failed on all of those places that you just mentioned. I mean, some some to more um resounding silence than others. I guess the the fear about posting stuff online and looking ridiculous or having the video not go. Here's the good news.
00:12:03
Speaker
if it's a not ah if it's not a good video literally no one's gonna see it probably this is true yeah like that that was always the thing that i found was like oh man like that video was so embarrassing well those original videos that i'm mortified by number one i leave them up i've never taken them down because i think it's helpful for other creators if they wanted to go back and see where i started it's it's helpful to know like we all had really embarrassing content sometimes Um, but then the, the algorithm kind of like figures it out. And so unless you are one of the unfortunate ones that it's so cringy that people then are trolling you, which is like the worst that can happen. But I think it's one of those things that if you've been a teacher, you don't take yourself seriously enough to really be bothered by what people online are saying. um
00:12:51
Speaker
I because I've gotten some some hateful comments before. i don't get many. I know some people who get a lot of really horrible things. um But even when I do get them, I usually think it's funny and usually say something snotty back to them. um But I'm not usually bothered because if somebody is that upset or that, you know, worked up, Um, that's more about what they have going on. You know, it's that, what about me is kind of a thing where they're like, well, my, ah there's one, I got a lot of hate for, which was, um, just a quick little video that basically said like, oh, I'm going to call your coach essentially for your bad grade. And the amount of like guys that have had apparently gotten kicked off their high school football team that were still upset about this. Just the, the worst things anyone could possibly say about me in the comments. And I thought it was so funny because it had nothing to do with me. Like I wasn't the person like at all. So I wouldn't even say having a video go poorly is a failure. I would say that it's, it's, it's data, you know, it's, it's information of like, okay, that didn't go great. And you I never, I know some creators, they'll delete a video that doesn't get good movement. I don't, um just as long as i I didn't say anything in it that I disagree with. Like I've had videos where I've said something where I'm like, somebody was like, hey, so actually maybe consider this piece and then I'll i'll take something down. um
00:14:19
Speaker
But the most painful failure has been on the stand-up stage. um Those are ones i really have lost sleep over because it's one thing if your students didn't like your lesson. It's like, okay, well, suck it up, buttercup. Life is full of things we don't want to do. Right. Mm-hmm. I, as a teacher, you're doing your best to make stuff engaging, but there's going to be days that are not going to be as fun. And it is what it is. Um, you're not beholden to them for entertaining them. Um, but I have had shows where, you know, I, I take, I take it very seriously that people get babysitters drive out, spend the 20, 30 bucks to come to the show. um are there to meet me, to support me, You know, I i know how much it would take for me to attend a show, um especially on someone who is relatively new in the comedy game, came from social media, all of that.
00:15:13
Speaker
And so I take it very seriously and I work really hard. And so when I know that I didn't do my best show and it's evident that it was not as fun as it should have been, um i lose a lot of sleep because you make a joke and then you just hear crickets and you're like, oh, no. And I've gotten better at bouncing back and being able to like play off of that a little bit. um But those are some of the most painful lessons to learn because the silence is resounding. And I just never want anyone um to you know, if it's one thing to disappoint your students who have to be there. It's another for somebody to pay for the privilege to be disappointed by you. like Oh, I would want the stage to swallow me up. Yeah, there have been several times where it it was just some like I afterwards was like, I'm never doing this again. This was a nightmare. um
00:16:06
Speaker
But comedy is one of those weird things where it is some of the most fun and some of the most painful. And you just never really know you can do everything right. And then you step in the room. And it's it's a it's a dance with the the audience. And so sometimes it's just not working. Even the best comedians sometimes will go and the audience is like, nah. And you're like, oh, okay, great. Got it. Yep. I'll go hide.
00:16:30
Speaker
i'll go hide Right. I do want to, I've got one more question about being on stage, but if I don't mention this now, I will forget. yeah For those out there who are not following you on social media, if for nothing else, there's two things that you post that that bring me a lot of joy. One is when you address somebody by my brother in Christ, because I can feel the steam coming out your ears and the exasperation.
00:16:56
Speaker
I just, i don't know why, but that brings me a lot of joy when you deal with somebody with starting out with those four words. Which i usually is like the most, and someone has said something so stupid. Right. And it's, I'm doing everything in my power to be like, you're okay. My brother in Christ. Yeah. Let's, let's discuss what you
Humor in Education and Online Content
00:17:21
Speaker
just said.
00:17:21
Speaker
I could just, and we've all, I think, had that feeling of not quite believing something we've seen or heard. And I can just, it makes me smile because I know it's going to be good when I see those four words. And the other thing, again, if you don't follow Educator Andrew, which you should, if for no other reason, what are those kids doing when you post that on a Friday?
00:17:41
Speaker
Again, just that I find myself sitting, looking at my screens, grinning from ear to ear because it's all so relatable. Yeah. Yeah. And it's, it's so funny because people are a lot of times will accuse me or other creators of being like, you made this up. And I'm like, I don't have to make any of it up guys. Like, I assure you, if you've been in a classroom, you know, yeah these are, these are like the ones that people felt comfortable sharing. Like, right. This is not the worst of the worst. Right, exactly. So yeah, that is one of my favorite things. I always take a break in summer, um just to to give a little bit of a break, which my Australian friends don't love, because they're obviously in school still. And they're like, wait, I have things. I'm like, save them, save them. It's, a you know, August is coming. Yeah, your time is coming in August. Absolutely. Well, one more thing about being on stage. I've got a very good friend who is an actress and comedian. A little shout out to Mary Gallagher. And we've had a lot of conversations over the last year about life lessons learned on stage. And not just if and when you bomb and the you know the bad times, but also the good times. And I was curious as to what life lessons being on stage might have taught you.
00:18:54
Speaker
Yeah, so I mean, it's interesting because it's it is part of the the stage process, but it's it's the environment around being on stage that I think has taught me the most lessons because um i when I tour with the guys, we a lot of times will sell out.
00:19:11
Speaker
And when I first started doing stand-up, I did it with Gaspar Randazzo. And so he was my first like exposure to how to treat the staff, how to communicate with people.
00:19:23
Speaker
And the way that he treated everyone, um the kindness, the courtesy, the respect he gave to everyone, whether you're a waiter or the you know the sound tech or the manager, like he would go up, he'd shake their hand, he'd learn their name, he would chat with them, he would treat them with the respect that they're due. Mm-hmm. And I'll never forget. I can't remember who it was that said they're like, listen, the way you treat people on your way up is the way they're going to treat you on your way back down. Cause none of this lasts forever. i love that. And I was like, that's such a good point.
00:19:58
Speaker
um that like And and it's it's free to be nice. you know It's free to be kind to others and treat people with dignity and respect. And the staff remembers it. you know They remember Gaspar when he comes back a year or two later because he's the really nice guy who you know tipped everybody well and was really kind and really fun to be around. Because that is not the case for all comics. um Right. Yeah.
00:20:21
Speaker
And that that was that's probably the other piece of being in the comedy world and doing stand-up is dealing with other comedians has been more challenging than I thought it would be, um especially if they find out how I got into comedy. Comedians do not like when they find out that you came from content creation. And I think there's a lot of reasons for that. you know They are very hesitant because they...
00:20:48
Speaker
grind, right? Like they are at open mics every night and all of that. And so they don't see that my grind was creating a million videos. And of those videos, that's me checking and testing the temperature of the room and all of that. And it's not the same, but it is a type of joke writing that I've been doing for five years now. um And so just the the lessons of how to interact with with people in that space um and making sure that even if they are not some of the kindest people always, that I can always be kind back. Because usually it's bitterness because people bought tickets to my show, not because they've seen my standup, but because they like my content online. And so I'm headlining and and it's almost always openers that are a little bit snotty. um
00:21:34
Speaker
And that's because they've been you know doing this club. They've been working for 10 years, some of them. multiple times a week. And then I come in and I'm like, yeah, I'm headlining. And they're like, great.
00:21:46
Speaker
and right And maybe they're funnier than me, you know, probably if they've been doing it for 10 years. And so they're like, well, why does she, you know, get, get to do this? And I don't. And it's, it's just, it's one of those things that I,
00:21:59
Speaker
I am very teachable and I always appreciate like the advice and guidance of people who have been doing it longer. And some people are really sweet and kind and supportive and others aren't.
Touring with Educator-Comedians
00:22:08
Speaker
And so one of the lessons I've had to learn is to not let it get to me when people are not as warm as they could be. Because again, kind of like the people who comment stuff online, like that's more about them and their journey than it is about me and what I've got going on.
00:22:21
Speaker
Absolutely. It's very difficult not to internalize that kind of negative feedback. But yeah you're absolutely right. It says more about them than you. I'm really glad you brought Gasper up because I should say two years ago, I hadn't heard of the teacher's lounge and my wife said, I've bought tickets. We're going. If you've got anything on that day, time to cancel because we're going. So I went not having really heard of any of you, you Gasper or Phil. Man alive. It was here in Dallas. We met you after the show. yeah Man Alive, it was a hilarious, and B, one of the things that stuck with me was Gaspar's interaction with the interpreter. right
00:23:00
Speaker
That was one of my favorite shows, yes. I don't know how often he's done that. I don't care. I don't care if that was if he's done a hundred times. That genuinely had ah tears coming down my my face from that. Oh my gosh.
00:23:14
Speaker
It was just... I think of that moment and it comes across my reels and my be once in a while and it still gives me that same level of joy. And I wish I knew her name. Credit to her for the way she she met a lot. Did she just roll with it? And it was amazing.
00:23:30
Speaker
She was great. And so I do want to give context because when he shared that, so some people got very upset and were like, you shouldn't be interacting with her. Did you get her consent? Blah, blah, blah. He did, actually. So before the show, he went and...
00:23:43
Speaker
We didn't know we were having an interpreter there until like right before. And he ran into the green room. He's like, oh my gosh, you guys, there's an interpreter. I'm so excited because he he speaks ASL for anyone who who doesn't know. he's He's fluent in ASL. And so him being able to interact with an interpreter, he gets really excited every single time.
00:24:00
Speaker
And um there's been maybe I think three or four shows we've had an interpreter. And he immediately went up and said like, hey, like are you comfortable with me like involving you and being a part of the bit and all of that? And she's like, oh, absolutely. like I'd love that. And so she was totally down and very game for like being a part of the show. um and the woman who was being, um, who, who was there that she was translating for was also delighted by the fact that it was kind of brought into the show as well. Cause that was the other concern a lot of people had was like, well, you know, they just want to go and watch the show. They don't want to necessarily, be but she, she came over and thanks Gasper and was like, this was so fun. i loved it. Yeah, that that was, I think, one of my favorite. We had such a good time in Dallas. It was such a fun club. Really like a that club is really interesting, too, because the ceilings are really low and it's a weird shape. It's like it is l shape kind of club. it it feels like there's just this small area at the front. And you're right. Then there's this long bit that stretch. I've seen a couple of different comics there over the years. And it's a very you've got to be very careful where you sit.
00:25:02
Speaker
Yes, exactly. Exactly. So yeah, that was a, that was a really fun. Yeah. And Gasper is by far the, like of the three of us, you know, he's been doing comedy forever. Like he's been doing it for years now. And, um, it just, it's, it's been so fun for the three of us to start teacher's lounge and start doing it, doing the, um, the the tour together because we're all very supportive and you know all the negativity and nastiness i mentioned that i've experienced it has never been with either of them we are all of course very excited about seeing each other's success i bully phil those of you guys who don't know phil is mr lindsey sped on tiktok and instagram he does the gen z slang definitions Um, and when we started out, I had the largest platform out of all three and then Phil had to be a show off and now is like twice as big as me, like bigger, like bigger than Gasper and my following combined. And it's like on the today show doing all this crazy stuff. And it's just, it's so fun getting to spend time and go on this journey with two humans that are just like really good, fun humans who are all also still teaching. So it's been, it's been really cool.
00:26:11
Speaker
Yeah, the fact that they are still teaching, I'm sure just feeds their comedy. percent You kind of touch on this in your book, which we're about to get into. But if you left teaching, i don't put want put words in your mouth, but I feel that would impact what you do in other their areas of life, which is why you have no desire to remove yourself from the world of education.
00:26:29
Speaker
Exactly. And it's, it is really hard because teaching college as it it is a form of teaching, but it is not the same as teaching K-12. And I've, I've really struggled with that because I do miss teaching high school. um I miss the relationships you build with kids when you see them every single day all year long, because in college you see them twice a week and they're adults. They don't need you in the
Teaching in Higher Education vs. K-12
00:26:54
Speaker
same kind of way. You don't have the same kind of rapport with them. um And so there are definitely days where I'm like, maybe I'll just i'll just go back. But I don't think, you know, I've got to pay off my student loans first. but Yep, in the same boat.
00:27:07
Speaker
Yep. And it's, it and it is, it is really cool that I still do get the opportunity to go into middle schools and high school and then ah observe and be in that space because it is amazing how every time I go back into a high school, I'm just like, oh yeah, like this is like the most comfortable role for me to play is to be in a teaching role and in a high school working with high schoolers. It's just, it's the sweet spot. um But teaching, working with future teachers is incredibly rewarding because you get to kind of, push them across the finish line, give them a little, like the last little things before they're shoved out of the nest so that they're a little bit more equipped.
00:27:45
Speaker
I love that. And I can relate completely. When I stepped into higher education, I did tell the hiring committee that my my fear was teaching from theory and not from practice. If yeah I lose that connection and I told them, I said, I'm not, I don't know what it's going to look like. I just need to know there's going to be opportunities for me to step back into the classroom At times to make sure I'm not one of those people coming in and trying to tell people how to teach when I've been out the classroom for two years, 10 years. Yeah, I don't want to be that guy
00:28:17
Speaker
I kind of wonder, I keep on trying to figure out if there's a way I can make whatever my sabbatical year is into a classroom year where I'm back teaching high school for a year. Um, because that I think is always the biggest challenge for people is when you've been gone for too long, you just, you lose it. You know, you lose the, the everyday, the stress, and you forget how much teachers carry day to day from period to period. I mean, it's just ah like a shotgun of interactions and people and noise and stimulation and just back to back to back to back all day. And it's so easy to be, be like, well, I, I still teach, but I'm like, okay, but I teach,
00:28:55
Speaker
90 And then I have the rest of the afternoon to grade, to prep, to do research, to do service stuff. Like I'm not interacting face to face with students 90% of my day. It's just so, so different. So yeah, i might, my hope is that eventually there can be something where I can just do a year or two, like back in the classroom and then go back to to teaching college again, just to like, get back into it, you know?
00:29:21
Speaker
100% when I got this job in higher education, my now boss said to me, you're going to struggle with the pace, because it's slower. And you're going to want things. Yes, it's like you're going to want to do things now, now, now, because that's how you're programmed as an educator. And she forewarned me, that's going to be your biggest struggle. Yeah, it's just the pacing is completely different. Yeah, committees and all of that, too. that's That's, I think, the most, like, so for those who don't know, like, what shared governance is, it essentially means, like, everybody gets to have a say in, like, most of the decisions at the school, which means that there's a million committees. And, oh.
00:30:03
Speaker
College professors love, love to hear themselves talk. Even if they just agree with the next person, they need to hear it in their mouth as well. And so the committees take forever. Everything moves at a glacial speed. And I'm like, there's been several times where I'm like, Hey, can we just vote on this? Because we all agree. and because they were going to push it off again until the next month. and i was like, let's just vote. What are we doing?
00:30:25
Speaker
Right. Like what, for, for what, why are we kicking this can down the road? We all have stuff to do. Come on, just let's vote. it's Right. Let's move on to the next thing. It's, The most annoying thing with working in higher ed is the committees and the just ah the bureaucracy of, well, maybe let's talk about this and we'll have a working group.
Writing a Book: Real Teaching Experiences
00:30:42
Speaker
And I'm like, this is unnecessary. Let's just vote.
00:30:45
Speaker
Right. i I've seen a distinct difference in the personalities and the attitude of those in higher education, those who have a K-12 background and those who do not.
00:30:56
Speaker
yup And you're absolutely right. The K-12 background are like, let's get this. We don't need a subgroup to the subcommittee to do this, to the that. Let's get it done and move on to the next thing. And those who perhaps don't have a K-12 background like to marinate in it yeah for and and a ridiculous amount of time.
00:31:15
Speaker
Yeah, talk it to death. It's a nightmare. No fan at all. Well, I think it's important to let people know you certainly didn't reach out to me. I reached out to you because I read your book. and They never taught us that. And like many educators out there, um I've read many books about teaching.
00:31:33
Speaker
I didn't know if I could face another one, but i A, I loved your content. B, I want to support small business essentially. And three, I thought, I bet this is different. And man alive, it's good. So I reached out to you because I think every new teacher, every mentor teacher, this should just be a staple that people have. Thank The footnotes, I find my right, and you already know, you I find myself giggling. i read it I've read it once and then I took it, I was in Kansas a few days ago and took it on the plane just to reread it. And I find myself kind of giggling in my seat at the footnotes because it's it's just real. It's real and it's relatable. And I love the way that you blend the super serious points that you talk about, IEPs, burnout, and other things with the hilarious real stories. And if that doesn't sum teaching up, I yeah don't i don't know what does.
00:32:29
Speaker
Why did you write it? What was the first thought in your head when you thought, you know, I'm going to actually write a book? And I'm sure you looked at the why and I was curious as to what that was. Yeah. So I, all the books that I was, that I got when I was in school for becoming a teacher and all the books that I have available to me, um they kind of seemed like there was either pure theory where it's like, you know, there's this wonderful theory that we could do X, Y, and Z, but it was so clear. Those people had never actually been in a classroom, dealt with real issues, real kids, all of that.
00:33:04
Speaker
or it was like here is how to create this activity for this class and there was nowhere in there that talked about how do you get a teaching job like what objectively should you do before you go to an interview what how in the world do you write an email to an angry parent or respond to an email to an angry parent Those things that like you just sit there and you're like, they they never taught us that. They never taught us how to handle when you accidentally swear in class. Like, what do you do when you when you drop the F-bomb and you're like, oh, I am in trouble. Right. Like all of those things, because in in theory and all of that, none of those things happen. But then you get into the classroom and oh, my gosh, stuff like that happens all the time. Like and and I wanted number one with the stories at the beginning of each chapter.
00:33:53
Speaker
I wanted to help people feel less alone. That was one of my first goals was like, hey, if you screwed up, let me share with you how I also have screwed up. And then let's talk about some real ways to fix it and some ways that I found to be incredibly beneficial to address these issues. Um, because I'm, I'm a really big fan of accountability. Um, and I'm a really big fan at not taking yourself too seriously. And I think that within teaching, that's really the best way to approach the profession is like, have a sense of humor over the ways that we mess up and and, but take accountability and be like, yep, that didn't work. That was not the way to do it. That
00:34:33
Speaker
did not work at all. um And I wanted a book that people could, if they wanted to sit there, read it cover to cover, or they are like, oh crap, I i just realized I have no idea like how to interact with like the school secretary. I need some guidance on that. And so like the book is set up so that people could either just pop in and use it as a reference guide and they could skip. I think in the intro, I said that you don't have to read the first section. It's like when you look for a recipe and they talk about like the recipe that was brought in on like the war torn bodice of my grandmother. Like you can skip that if you want and just go to the advice.
00:35:14
Speaker
Or you can spend some time and get the story behind the advice. um And it's been it's been really exciting because I've had a few people reach out. And I'm going to start um mid-July after this conference that i'm I'm helping throw, really kind of just pushing out more as people are preparing to go into the classroom, many for the first time. um information on what the book is and because i think that there has my challenge has been communicating what's in it in a way that is like hey guys so like it's a reference book for teachers and it has the funny stories and it seems like some people have are like i they never taught what does that mean they never taught us that like is it just a memoir and I'm like not really no like
00:35:56
Speaker
So like it's in there. There's some memoir stuff in there, but it's, you know, it's a survival guide, hopefully for teachers who are really trying to, to do their best in the classroom for the first year or for the 10th year.
00:36:08
Speaker
I love it. And one of the most relatable parts of this story, ah sorry, if your book was the story about um the interviews. I sat on an interview committee. This has got to have been 10 plus years ago. And we had a candidate come in.
00:36:22
Speaker
Very impressive. You know, the color coded binder, this, that, that. Talked about her organizational skills that were evident. Yeah. ah Unfortunately for her, we interviewed in the library, which is a floor to ceiling glass wall out to the parking lot. She went out to her car, opened the car door and garbage poured out the car.
00:36:42
Speaker
Oh. yeah Yeah. I mean, having come in and just been incredible, she picked some of it up and this was at the driver's door. I mean, this wasn't at the back, left some and drove off.
00:36:55
Speaker
And I will never forget the look on the principal's face, the rest of the committee's face going, man, she was, she was this close. So close. She was so close. Cause you know, her, you know, her classroom's going to look like that car in about a week. Exactly. And I was like, you know, credit it to her. She pulled it off all the way until that last moment. And literally, we were just watching her going, yeah, that was really impressive. She was really good.
00:37:21
Speaker
And the door opened and man, I will never forget. And so when I read about your advice about, you know, first time interviews, it just took me back to that moment. I certainly don't want to talk your talk our way through your book, but if you had to give one piece of advice to somebody going for their first interview this summer, what would it? be Yeah.
00:37:41
Speaker
So it's interesting because it's partially stuff that I put in my book, but partially something I gleaned from speaking with a lot of administrators. And the thing I keep hearing is that they, you know, it's great if you know your subject matter, you should know your subject matter, but that's not the most important thing to them. What they want to see is that you are enthusiastic and that you are teachable. Yeah.
00:38:05
Speaker
that would That honestly covers a multitude of other sins of like, are you going to be somebody who when they say, hey, guys, we've got to go to professional development, you are going to give ah like have a huge tantrum about it and going to have a fit and not want to learn and fight everything and make it difficult? are you just going to be like, OK, great. Like, let's learn.
00:38:27
Speaker
Because that matters so much. Are you going to be somebody who's going to be a team player and not in a way that can, because that phrase a lot of times has been misused to mean, can we take advantage of you? um But are you somebody who actually wants to contribute to the school community? um Are you going to be teachable? Are you going to have, are you enthusiastic? Do you love, like, are you excited? Because that's why all of us got into it was because of that excitement And so it's really, i think, frustrating for administrators when they're interviewing someone who's a first year teacher and they're like, i don't know, I'm, you know, and i really like math. And it's like,
00:39:04
Speaker
a Uh, okay. Well, good. Like be enthusiastic is, is my number one advice, be enthusiastic and have a teachable spirit and be honest about the things you're really good at. Um, and be honest about areas that you're like, you know, I'm, I'm willing to learn and I want to develop this piece. Um, because schools are, you know, they,
00:39:29
Speaker
They are very excited to have people that are willing to learn um because unfortunately, a lot of people aren't. um And so i think that that's probably the biggest thing. And the other just practical piece is do some research about the school before you show up.
Handling Mistakes and Imposter Syndrome
00:39:45
Speaker
um Absolutely.
00:39:46
Speaker
Look at the demographics, look at the um percent for free and reduced lunch, do a little research about the principal if you can find out like if they have their PhD, what's their dissertation on um looking at all of those pieces, you know, know what their mission statement is as a school if they have one, all of those things show that you're not just looking for a job, you're looking for that job. um So that's just another like practical piece of like do some research, know the school, know know all of that. And then I'm very old school, like send a thank you card. Yeah, it makes a huge difference. It makes a huge difference. I sent thank you cards for when I was trying to get the job at the university, when I went everywhere else, like I would write down the names of everyone who interviewed with me and I sent a thank you card and to the secretary.
00:40:34
Speaker
whoever the secretary was at the front office, because oftentimes the secretary is the unofficial first person that you're going to have to impress. And like the secretary is the person who also, by the way, makes the principal's life easy or hard. And so if the secretary doesn't like you, it's unlikely you're going to get hired.
00:40:54
Speaker
A hundred percent. um I love that you brought up being enthusiastic and teachable. It reminds me, at this page 38 in your book, you talk about a student who was asleep. And one of the defining moments of my career, I was four or five years in, and I had student that slept every morning. And I had my suspicions as to why, but I was like, i need to walk and not run, build the trust with this student. He had a reputation. and He's actually the subject of, I did a TEDx talk earlier this year and spoke about this and he would sleep every day for a couple of hours. And an old administrator of mine came in she old school and basically slammed the desk, you are here to learn, you are not here to sleep.
00:41:37
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I, at that point was taking my career into my own hands and I thought this might go go downhill quickly. And I went spoke to the other administrator and said that that simply will never happen in my classroom again. Yeah, that ah that can't happen.
00:41:56
Speaker
And it was an enthusiasm for teaching correctly. Yeah. You know that was, that was not best practices on the first administrator's part. But again, I said, I'm willing to learn, you know, teach me a better way of handling this because that's not something I'm going to emulate because yeah that's not best practices for this child. And this podcast is not about that story just now, but it ended up okay. But I remember walking to the principal's office thinking, I might get fired here and it's going to be my own doing because I'm the one marching in there, guns a-blazing. But I thought, yeah, I need to maintain my enthusiasm for what's right and advocate for this child, but also be teachable and just say, that's not correct. I'm not saying that I'm correct, but how should we handle this yeah in in the future? Yeah. um
00:42:43
Speaker
Something else you talk about a little bit is imposter syndrome. ah But again, something I find very relatable is I feel 100% comfortable in the classroom. Took a couple of years, but I now know if I had to suddenly go and teach a fourth grade English lesson this afternoon, not a problem. I know that's where I belong. I'm comfortable in my skill set.
00:43:03
Speaker
I know I can connect with them. But I've transitioned now, as you did, into a slightly new career, and even on this podcast. And ah sometimes I have the existential crisis that I think many of us go through, but we don't often talk about. How do you work through that?
00:43:18
Speaker
Yeah. So I i think in in the book, i I talked about how teaching felt like the most natural piece of things for me. You know, when I got there, i was like, oh, yeah. All right. Like this is this is very much where I i belong. But then now, i like you said, being in higher education, I mean, that when I got there, people were like, talking about their research and the grants and all of this stuff. And everyone who was being hired was talking about their previous universities and research. And then I introduced myself and I'm like, I worked at a high school. Right.
00:43:52
Speaker
Yeah. and and that And that is what I did. um And I, you know, I think the biggest thing is it's hard to have imposter syndrome when you're staying grounded and humble. But had my husband, he he always cracks up at me because he accuses me of someone who had a very good childhood, which is entirely true. um in that i grew up with parents that were like, if you work hard enough at whatever it is, you can do whatever it is that you know you you want to pursue within reason. like Work really hard, do your best, um and and you know give it your all. and so Anytime I don't feel like I am necessarily deserving of the role I'm in, i don't see it as a permanent status. I see it as...
00:44:42
Speaker
marching orders of like, okay, all these people have publications. All of these people have important things, you know, for, for people who are future educators, um, you know, the teacher down the hall seems to know everything that, that could possibly be known about teaching. I don't take that as, okay, I'm failing at this. I take it as, okay, I know that person down the hall is a great resource that I should be asking and begging and saying, please, please, please teach me. Um, and it it means that I've got some work to do and I'm, I'm kind of, I'm a working dog. Like I need to have goals. The, the least happy I ever am is when I've ah like accomplished a goal. And three days later, I get so sad. I turned to this book in that I was so proud of and I loved and they gave it to me. And my husband was like in tears, so proud of me, so excited. And he's like, here it is. And I was like, huh, it's, it's so it's done.
00:45:36
Speaker
Well, what's my goal now? Like, which is probably a little bit neurotic, but I just, I'm somebody who loves a goal. So it's almost one of those things that having a little bit of imposter syndrome for me is really healthy because it it identifies what I'm moving towards.
00:45:52
Speaker
I think that's a really important way of looking at it. Yeah, it's not just, it's not a bad thing in moderation. Yeah, yeah, exactly. I'm going to think about that. One last thing I want to touch on in your book is you wrote a section about messing up.
00:46:08
Speaker
And immediately I thought about, it was again, my second or third year teaching, I had one of the biggest behaviors in the school and he could do no wrong in his parents' eyes. His parents were very involved.
00:46:22
Speaker
almost to a fault and there was many meetings with the administration and the parents and they they knew what they were talking about and could get very pushy and who had to send an email about an incident involving this child that he had instigated and sent it to every parent in the class And my heart sunk. Again, it was like, this is my, the moment that I tell everyone I got fired. This is it. And I went down to my administrator because I didn't know who to talk to. What do I do? Can I unsend it? Can I, I don't know So went found my principal who was incredible. And she said, take a deep breath.
00:47:04
Speaker
i've done worse it's going to be okay so and i've got to give credit to the parents i immediately emailed the parents and said look you may not even realize this but i accidentally clicked the wrong button sent it to all the parents in my class i apologize it's completely on me no excuses and to their credit they replied back and said it happens to all of us we all make a mistake clearly nothing malicious or deliberate and they weren't my biggest friends um because i was holding their child to a standard that perhaps they weren't right and but um it just immediately took me back to that moment of this is how it all ends everything i've worked for i'm gonna who knows what i'm gonna do next week but it won't be teaching right right thought um What advice, one piece of advice you could give to somebody who perhaps gets that knot in their stomach feeling that they have messed up their first year of teaching?
00:48:01
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, so, and it depends on to what scale, because I think that what, what you mentioned about going to your administrator, especially when you have one, that's so great. I was so fortunate to have, um, Eugene Williams, who I've had on, on my podcast before, and he was the assistant principal. And every time I got written up that first year, he was the guy who, who had to be like, Andrea, Andrea, Andrea. And I would be like, I'm a terrible teacher. And he's like, I'm so sorry. Yeah. Like, I'm so sorry. I screwed up. And he's like, it you know, things happen. then It's all right. It's not the end of the world. ah But I think, you know, knowing that you have administrators who you can contact and,
00:48:41
Speaker
Being willing and humble enough to talk to your administrators and say, i screwed up. Here's what happened. I want you to be able to get ahead of it. Because if that parent had not been, you know, as an understanding, that could have been a very big issue. And you never want the administrator to be surprised. you know Even if it's an administrator that maybe isn't the most understanding or kind or supportive, you still don't want them to be surprised. like You want them as to give them as much time as they can to get around the scenario and and figure it out. um I think the other piece is taking accountability with the kid, with the parents, whoever it is, being very honest. because
00:49:20
Speaker
In the times that I've really irritated parents or I've really irritated a student or or damaged the relationship with my student some way, what they want at the end of it is to feel heard that what I did wasn't okay and that it hurt them. so The simple acknowledgement of like, I hurt you, what I did was wrong, I'm really sorry and I want to repair this relationship, is it solves like a vast majority of of the problems. Um, and guys, if you've, if you get the book, you'll know I managed some real screw ups throughout, throughout my years. But the reality is, is like they, the kids and the parents knew my heart. They knew that I loved them. My mouth still got ahead of me sometimes. And I said some stuff, um, that I shouldn't have, but the parents, because I also would manage a relationship with the parents. And I talk about that in the book, some different ways to do that because this was not the first time they'd heard from me. they had a little bit more context for who I was, what my heart was. um
00:50:23
Speaker
But I think that's the biggest thing is is being humble enough to be like, i screwed up. I'm sorry. It's not going to happen again. you know i'd really like to repair this, um which it sounds very simple, but also i know a lot of people that I don't think have done that with any relationship in their lives ever. And so- That is something that, you know, it it's what I recommend. I know it's a bigger ask for some people than others because of the um really good childhood that my husband accuses me of having. I saw that shown to me with my parents. They showed me how to apologize, to take accountability and how to repair relationships when screw ups happen. um So for me, it's never been. I'm always like, well, yeah, of course I would apologize. I screwed up like it's there in black and white.
00:51:07
Speaker
um and And I've known other people that are like, no, I didn't. It's fine. I did it because I needed to do it. And they really made me angry and all that. And it's like, well, all right, but they're kids. so like Yeah, it's amazing what being solution focused can do for situations. Yes, exactly. I i think that's another piece that I need to add a little add add on on the end is just the so the the impact of being solution focused in it in an education space, especially. Um, because I get, I get invited now, uh, once a year to talk to a group of superintendents, um, in the state of Indiana, there's like 25 of them. And it's my favorite thing. Cause no one's ever mean to them. And I get to be a little mean, um, because everyone's terrified of superintendents and I don't, they, they can't do anything to me. And so I get to go and bully them a little bit and they're great sports.
00:51:57
Speaker
but i you know within talking to them one of the issues they have is people will complain but there's never solutions offered and there's so many problems in any district in any given moment that it's so hard for them often to to be able to come up with all the solutions themselves and so if we can as a community you know group project whatever the problem is and come with solutions it's so much more likely to be solved. Then if we're just like, Hey, I don't like the textbooks that we have right now. Like they suck. Or I don't like that kids have phones.
00:52:30
Speaker
Okay. Well, no, none of us do, but what can we do about this? Um, I think having that mindset of like, let's figure it out. Like, let's be a team. I'd like, it's not me against you. It's us against the problem. Let's, let's be adults and let's figure out what we can do best for, for these kids.
Maintaining Hope in Education
00:52:45
Speaker
I think that's crucial. um My dad was in education, he's retired now, his in various roles his entire career. to And something that he, the most important lesson or the one that stuck with me, that he's taught me the most is um he was on various you know district boards and committees and had to balance budgets and all of that. And over the decades, He was very proud of the fact they never had to close a school. They never had to lay a teacher off. The budget got balanced somehow every year.
00:53:15
Speaker
The one thing that they could not achieve was stop educators moaning, which I found very interesting. He said that is something that is is kind of cancerous in teaching.
00:53:26
Speaker
Yeah. and And it's just something that you're going to have to kind of get sort of get used to, but also make that perhaps a goal or something to work through. It's difficult. It's so hard, too, because it it is this balance that we were this dance that we do where we. don't want yeah toxic positivity, which is something I saw a lot online, right? yeah Like this toxic positivity where everyone's like, the problems aren't bad. If you do some breathing exercises, it'll fix it all. And it's like, well, that's not solutions. That's like support and saying good job are not the same thing.
00:54:04
Speaker
Right. like manipulation and support not the same thing um and so it's it's really hard when you're talking to somebody who's drowning and you're like swim swim swim like that you're not actually helping and so i think that that's one of the balances we're always trying to strike within the education space is like ok Like, let's not ignore the thing that is difficult. Let's not do that. But let's also not just sit there and say like, well, this is terrible and it can never be fixed. Let's look at solutions, how we can at least in small ways, try and improve it. um
00:54:38
Speaker
And I think that for the most part, when you have a leader or a, an administrator who is focused on supporting their teachers in that way, that impacts the school culture profoundly. Now,
00:54:52
Speaker
I am very convinced because I have never seen it. I have never worked in a school where there isn't at least a few teachers that cannot be pleased. right right they are They should have retired. They should have stepped out. They should have gone and found a different job, but they're too deep in now. um And they make sure that they want to take everyone down with them. But the goal is always that there's enough people that are turning the tide of supportive culture, problem solution focused type of people that it it's not the overwhelming majority of people. Because I've worked in schools where i had like there was a group, right, that was just kind of always about everything. They'd been there too long. They'd had too much going on. um But I've worked in more schools where people loved each other and supported each other. And you could vent without it turning into this toxic environment that that's all we did. um and that's because it was solution focused and support focused. And I think that's really the way that we move forward. Because you know i i often talk about education and teaching as being one of the most profoundly hopeful things we can do.
00:56:01
Speaker
Because if we just give up because there's so many bad things that like, we're just going to quit. we're just just gonna and We're just going to say like, oh, this sucks. And it's hard being a teacher. So we're going to quit.
00:56:12
Speaker
Like, that's dumb. No, we're not doing that. We're going be hopeful and we're going to put in some work and we're going to try and make it better for our kids and for their kids and for all of that. Um, And I think that's one of those things that's just so important for teachers, both new and old, is just to to fight the good fight and be profoundly hopeful. We're not ignoring the hard. We're trying to address the hard, but we're going to stay hopeful and we're going to put the work in.
Relatable Teaching Anecdotes and Impactful Books
00:56:35
Speaker
A hundred percent. I couldn't agree more. The last thing I want to mention about your book is if somebody picks it up and just wants to flick through it, I want to encourage everyone. Go to page 51. There's nothing more relatable in this book than your description of the magic school bus. And I just wanted to throw that out there. I've got to look at it. don't remember what I said. It's it's just fantastic. it's Nothing made me feel more seen and hard than teaching, you know, because that was ah that was a staple in my third grade classroom. um
00:57:07
Speaker
She let her wafting winds of the soul decide the lesson of the day and apparently did not need to be concerned about the superintendent appearing in her classroom. to evaluate the adherence of curriculum the district spent money on. And you talk about Ms. Perez in the colon of the one of the students. It's just superb. And I just wanted to highlight that little section because it took me back to recess being rained out and stuck inside. And what magic school bus have we or have we not seen? Right. And all of that. So, yeah, that I just that brought me a lot of joy. As we kind of round the corner to the end of this this podcast, I wanted to ask you about the word success. What does that mean to you? And has that changed over the years?
00:57:58
Speaker
Oh, man. Yeah. I mean, it's interesting because when I sat down to do that five-year plan, success was achieving all the things on that list. So getting a book published and getting a job at a university. um And those were like my personal goals for success. And now that I have achieved those, um like I said, I'm a working dog. So it wasn't like I achieved them and I was like, nailed it, crushed. I'm successful. Done. And I don't need to do anything. No, I think success to me is about impact. And so it's about the the way that I can influence and support future educators. And success to me means that there's a teacher who's having a really hard day and they can watch one of my videos or they can open my book and they can feel a little less alone and they can feel like, okay, I i can come back tomorrow. I don't like, i I'm not okay right now, but I will be okay. I'm not alone. i can i can still do this. um
00:59:02
Speaker
And on on top of that, I think I should also note that at the end of the book, um I do have a chapter that talks about walking away from teaching. Yes. And I also think for some people that is the right move. And so I also have a note in there that really kind of gives permission to people to do that. um And I think for for those people who, you know, teaching either is is not right for them right now or...
00:59:29
Speaker
um isn't right for them at all. I think success in that case is for them to find what is right for them. um And so I think it it's it's really about impact and about the way that, um you know, my work has been able to support others. I weirdly, despite the fact that my face is, ah I have to stare at my own face all the time and i for my stupid videos, and I have like my name on a book and all of that. I really don't care about that piece. I care about people being able to take what they got from it and, and use it in very real ways. Like to me, that success that, that maybe, and probably will never get traced back to me. Like I'm okay with that. As long as somebody sits in their classroom and is able to laugh at the end of a day, because somebody, some kid did something completely off the wall. And then they read my, what are those kids doing? And they see that some other, somebody else's kid also did that same thing today. And what a small world it is. I'm not alone.
01:00:30
Speaker
I love that. Yeah, throughout this whole conversation, I've got the impression that you would trade many of the viral videos for just one or two teachers who I'm sure do come up to you and say, this book made a difference.
01:00:42
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And I love that. um I always ask my guests this next question, and I'm going to change the rules slightly for you because you're not allowed to choose your own book. But I was going to ask you if there's been a book that has been particularly impactful in your life. It's not necessarily the best book.
01:01:00
Speaker
It could be, but something that has has resonated with you and stuck with you could be any genre, any any subject field. I'm really, really going to out myself as a nerd here. um Lord of the Rings yes is easily one of the books that changed my life. um i My brother worked in a movie theater when the first movie came out. And so i was one of the rare people who like got to see it the night it came out, but had not actually read the book yet. um And so I went and saw the movie and then became obsessed, read all the books, um fell in love with with just the adventure. And the i feel like in so many books and movies, the big fight of like good against evil, a lot of times, isn't there's not that many epics like that, I feel like, that are really... like
01:01:55
Speaker
in in like the the movie theaters or any of that. Like it's it's always like really nuanced where you have like these morally gray characters and all of that. And there's some of that in Lord of the Rings, but there is just such a very clear good versus evil.
01:02:09
Speaker
the The good are fighting and working so hard and there's a cost to it and the good people are not perfect and they are you know struggling and suffering, but there's doing things doing things that are right, even when it's hard, um I think really resonated with me and has continued to resonate with me of like those stories that people are doing really, really hard things because it's the right thing. um I feel like that's so uncommon these days to hear stories like that, where it's like, hey, there there was like profound personal cost to doing this thing. Um, and it also is a little bit convicting to me of like, okay, doing the right thing, you know, am I, am I not doing some things that I maybe should because there's a personal cost associated with it? Um, so I just, I, I love that book and I'm often reminded about like those
01:03:05
Speaker
that The things that are truly worth doing sometimes have cost and are really, really, really hard. And that's something I try and instill in my students and and into my my own kids and my home is that like, yeah, it's hard. That doesn't mean we don't do it Discomfort is not the enemy. Sometimes it's just the cost associated with doing the right thing.
01:03:24
Speaker
I love that. I've listened and to the audiobook of the first one, but no more. And now I feel inspired to yeah so look at the parallels between Education and Lord of the Rings. Oh my gosh. I will say, don't listen to the audiobook of The Hobbit. There's so much singing in The Hobbit, which is like the prequel kind of. The Hobbit's great, but I can't with the singing. I don't know why. I'm not whimsical enough. And I like being able to skip all the songs in The Hobbit. So there's a little singing in the audiobook of Lord of the Rings because I've i've gone back and listened to the audiobook and it's it's it's lengthy. But ah yeah, highly recommend. if
01:04:01
Speaker
And the the original movies are obviously very good um as well. But... Yeah, highly recommend. Lord of the Rings. I love it. Well, my final question for you is if anyone, at all the people out there who are following your Instagram, they're going to know that you are physically and emotionally invested in your garden.
01:04:19
Speaker
And I was curious if you could spend one day with somebody playing in the weeds, planting seeds and learning from them about life. Who would it be, and I will say this could be somebody you know, ah somebody you don't know, famous, not famous, dead, alive, anyone who's ever existed in history. Who would you choose to putter about in your garden with and just learn about life?
01:04:44
Speaker
And I am putting you on the spot and I'm not even going to apologize for Yeah, that's such a good question. so
01:04:56
Speaker
this is This is kind of in the same vein um as Lord of the Rings because he was best friends ah with Tolkien. But C.S. Lewis, um I think, is one of the most profoundly interesting people. I've read a lot of his books. and He has a way of exploring the world and faith and all of that in a way that I think is just it it's so clear while also dealing with a lot of questions that feel very unanswerable.
01:05:27
Speaker
Um, so I would love that. Also, you know, he worked at Oxford, so he was in the university system. i got to go to the pub that he and Tolkien used to drink at together. And so I also just want to talk about what it was like when they both were writing their, their perspective novels. Can you imagine the sitting at that table?
01:05:47
Speaker
Gosh, it would have been so fun. And then also he seems like he'd be into gardening. It just seems like he'd be there with like a little cup of tea and we'd be, you know, working on the garden and and all of that together. So yeah, definitely us Lewis. I love that. I mean, I watched the line, the witch and the wardrobe as a child. Yeah. It was years before somebody said, you know, that's basically the Bible. You know, it's a big allegory. Yeah. i was like, no, it's not. And then I got thinking about it and I thought, hold on a minute. Yeah. Right. So it is. He's got a lot of other books, too, that are just so fascinating. One on grief after his wife passed. And um he started out as like an atheist as well. And so he talks a lot about his atheism. And it's just, yeah, he's his his work is just so fascinating to me as well. Like and I've watched a couple of videos about his life and stuff. I just think it would be really fun. And then I i want I want all the gossip about Tolkien, too. So yeah, there's absolutely. Absolutely.
Where to Follow Andrea and Buy Her Book
01:06:47
Speaker
Well, if people want to follow you, they want to buy your book, they want to reach out to you, what's the best way people can do that?
01:06:53
Speaker
Yeah. So I'm Educator Andrea on TikTok and Instagram. If you just type in Educator, it usually pops up as as Educator Andrea. um I do have a YouTube. Go follow me there because no one follows me there yet. So I don't know why. i i i have ah a sneaky suspicion that because most of my followers Um, tend to be aged like 30 to 50 and they're not the YouTube generation as much, but if you are a YouTube person, find me there. um and then you can get my book. Uh, they have it online on Barnes and Noble and Amazon porch light, which is like an indie bookstore thing. Um, any of those places you can find the links on educator, Andrea.com, which is my web website. Um, and I also have like silly teacher merch shirts and stuff like that on my website, um, that are like very niche teacher humor. a lot of times, like I have some that are like Lord of the flies and animal farm and and all of that. So all, all the places that that you can find me, i'm I'm easy to, to come across online.
01:07:52
Speaker
I love it. Well, educator Andrea, wife, mother, educator, comedian, author, and recently outed super nerd. I cannot thank you enough. I mean, this, I could talk to you for hours. This has been a tremendous conversation.
01:08:06
Speaker
Yeah, this was super fun. Thank you so much for having me on. Thank you.
01:08:12
Speaker
Thank you again to this week's guest and I hope today's episode was as enjoyable for you as it was for me and perhaps even inspired your next adventure. If you did enjoy the show, please be sure to subscribe, leave a review or follow us wherever you get your podcasts. You can find more information at theoutdoorsyeducator.com or follow us on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook. Until next time, thank you so much for listening to The Outdoorsy Educator Podcast.