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Playing Teacher
🎙️ What is a teacher, really?
And what’s it actually like inside a New York City school?
Welcome to Playing Teacher, where veteran educators Matt and Rob—with over 40 years of combined experience teaching in NYC—pull back the curtain on the myths, realities, and moments that make education unforgettable (for better or worse). From the mysterious teacher’s lounge to the myth of “summer off,” they explore what really happens when the classroom door closes.
This isn’t a shiny brochure version of school. It’s the real deal:
🧠 Learning vs. schooling.
❤️ What kids actually carry with them.
🔥 How teachers and counselors survive systems built to burn them out.
And when we’re lucky enough to have her, we’re joined by Beanie—school counselor, educator, and recurring co-host—who brings powerful insight, grounded compassion, and the kind of perspective only someone who's worked both inside and around the classroom can offer.
👥 Guests range from teachers, students, and administrators to learning scientists, former kids (yes, really), and other unexpected voices from the world of education.
Whether you're in the classroom, supporting from the sidelines, or just trying to make sense of how we learn and why it matters—this is your hallway pass to the inside.
Playing Teacher
Episode 5: Are We Okay? (Spoiler: Probably Not)
Teaching, Sanity, and the Fine Line Between Passion and Burnout
In this episode of Playing Teacher, we ask the question that lingers behind every empty coffee cup, every hallway meltdown, and every wildly creative bulletin board at 2AM: Are we okay?
Spoiler alert: probably not.
We take a lighthearted but honest look at the emotional rollercoaster that is life in the classroom. We talk about the toll teaching can take on your mental health—not in a clinical, diagnostic way, but in the way teachers actually talk about it: the “I think I laughed and cried at the same time today” kind of way.
We also get real about the culture of self-sacrifice in education, how humor becomes a survival skill, and the fine line between being dedicated and being depleted. Along the way, we unpack whether teaching draws in people who are a little offbeat to begin with—or whether the system itself slowly erodes your sanity.
It’s funny, it’s therapeutic, and it’s a reminder that taking care of yourself is not a luxury—it’s a requirement if we’re going to keep showing up for kids and for each other.
This one’s for the teachers who’ve ever looked in the mirror during their prep and whispered, “Am I okay?”—and for anyone who’s ever answered, “Not really… but I’m still here.”
