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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 15: Why We Left Teaching (and Where We Hid While We Stayed)
In this episode of Playing Teacher, Robert, Matthew, and Brugge dive deep into the bittersweet—and sometimes hilarious—world of teachers leaving their jobs and the hidden realities behind the classroom door.
They talk about:
- The emotional chaos of packing up years of teaching memories into giant bags
- The secret hideouts teachers swear by to survive the school day (side lab supremacy, anyone?)
- Epic hide-and-seek strategies for teachers and kids alike
- Professional development’s most uncomfortable moments—including yoga sessions gone very wrong
- Recession Santa horrors and gifts no one wanted
It’s raw, funny, and painfully real—because sometimes the hardest lesson is knowing when to walk away. And sometimes… you just need to hide under a desk.
🎧 Tune in for stories only teachers could tell—and some you definitely shouldn’t tell at staff meetings.
