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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 18: Fortnight to Fortnite (Culture as Curriculum)
A glitchy start becomes a candid systems-level conversation about age dynamics and professional identity across schools and clinics. After wrangling audio issues, the team unpacks how age and experience shape credibility, communication, and decision-making—from first-year teachers to veteran administrators, from protocol-driven residents to diagnostically agile physicians. They trace the “hidden curriculum” that governs status signals, masking, and code-switching at work, then examine how cultural references (from Fortnite to K-dramas) succeed—or fail—as pedagogical bridges. Along the way, Robert reflects on mimicking admired mentors as a deliberate practice for skill acquisition, and everyone weighs the 5–10 year “sweet spot” in teaching effectiveness. The episode closes with practical next steps: health checks, tech fixes, and a teaser for Robert’s awake-surgery debrief.
Why listen: If you lead PD, coach teachers, or navigate intergenerational teams, this episode offers concrete lenses for diagnosing friction points (scripts vs. sensemaking, authority vs. authenticity) and redesigning culture for human connection.
Key themes: age/experience dynamics; masking & code-switching; instructional authenticity; clinical vs. classroom protocols; cultural capital in teaching analogies.
Action items:
- Jeannine: Schedule Doppler + echocardiogram (HTN/heart work-up).
- Matthew: Troubleshoot mic chain and eliminate echo.
Suggested chapter markers:
00:00 Cold open & tech troubles
06:30 Age dynamics in schools
18:45 Experience curve (5–10 year window)
27:10 Young leaders, manualized leadership vs. authentic talk
36:40 Clinics as mirrors: protocol vs. reasoning
47:20 Masking, code-switching, and credibility
57:05 Pop-culture references as pedagogy
1:04:30 Teaser—awake surgery debrief next episode
