The American Public Education System is in Crisis
Hear the whole story from CURRENT veteran teachers!
Sign this petition to save K-12 public education from the apathy, greed, and corruption of its leaders, and protect our nation’s future ability to effectively self-govern
Tell Congress to hold our schools accountable, and let teachers lead the work of fixing this mess.
Our Special Edition 2024 Election Reaction Episode
recorded on 11/10/2024
About Our Podcast
About Our Podcast
We are CURRENT veteran teachers who noticed that the national teacher shortage crisis was not being covered accurately by the media, so we decided to cover it ourselves.
We have tackled eight themes which intersect with this complex and nuanced problem. We begin with an overview of the quantitative data, then delve deeply into each theme with multiple episodes in each, and end with an explanation of the solution—which is also explained in our petition. It will take an act of congress to fix this mess, but we believe its worth fighting for.
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An Introduction to the Mess
Part I: We End at the Beginning—Who We Are and Why We Decided to Start This Podcast
Part II: How Big Is the Mess? The Incredible Truth About the Lack of Data about the ShortagePart III: The Man Who Studied the Size of the Mess-An Interview with Dr. Paul Bruno
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The Teacher Pay Mess
Part I: Teacher Pay Is Bizarre!-The Oppressive and Misunderstood History of Teacher Pay
Part II: Take This Mess and Shove It!–A Discussion with a New Teacher Who Chose to Leave the Profession
Part III: More Angles on the Topic-A Conversation About Teacher Pay with Dr. Paul Bruno
Part IV: Real Talk—An Interview with Another Teacher Who Chose to Leave the Profession
Episode Coming Soon!
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The Teacher Preparation Mess
Part I: 8 years, 50 grand, & Your Soul-The High Cost of Becoming a Teacher
Part II: Take This Mess and Shove It!–”Induction” is a Dirty WordPart III: Real Talk–Candid Conversations about The Teacher Pay and Preparation Mess
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The Canned Curriculum Mess
Part I: Stuffing the Mess Into a Can–Outsourcing Teacher Expertise to Canned Curriculum
Part II: The High Cost of Fighting Back–The Brave Story of an ESL Teacher Who Fought Hard Against Harmful Canned Content
Part III: Real Talk–Candid Conversations About the Canned Curriculum Mess
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The Reading Instruction Mess
Part I: Reading Instruction in the US is a MESS!—A Frank Talk with Jess and Trina
Part II: Amanda's Story
Part III: Heart Wrenching First Hand Accounts–The Reality Struggling Readers Face in the U.S. Public Education System
Part IV: We Love This Rebel Warrior–An Interview with Janet Nasir
Part V: “The Right to Read”—a Reaction Episode with Amanda, Janet, Jess, and Trina
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The Climate & Culture Mess
Part I: It's SO Much Worse Than You Think–The Jaw Dropping Truth about How Unsafe and Chaotic K-12 Schools Have Become
Part II: Teaching in Turbulent Times–Our Reaction to the SNL Skit “Y’all Won"
More Episodes Coming Soon!
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The Educational Equity Mess
Part I: Exclusive Inclusivity? Bad Ideas Abound in K-12 Educational DEI Frameworks
Part II: Title IX? What’s That? The Unbelievable Truth Behind the Sexual Violence Problems on K-12 Campuses
Part III: Real Talk–Candid Conversations about Gender Equity in K-12 Education
Episodes Coming Soon! -
The Special Education Mess
Part I: The Belly of the Beast–The Special Mess of Special Education
Part II: Real Talk–A Discussion with a Former Special Education Teacher: Why She Left the Field After 20 Years
Part III: The BIG Missing Piece—Why We All Lose Out When Neurodivergent Students Are Missed
Episodes Coming Soon!
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The Assessment Mess
Part I: Big Money, High Stakes—Why Standardized Testing Benefits Corporations but Not Students
Part II: Piling on the Pressure—How Assessments Contribute to Mental Health Issues
Episodes Coming Soon!
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This Mess Is Killing Us
Part I: Real Talk-Candid Talk About Prep Time and the Myth that Teachers Have a lot of Time Off
Part II: Screaming Into the Abyss-Trying to Rally the Troops Around Students of Concern
Part III: Dying Early Deaths-The Physical and Psychologial Toll of the Mess on Teacher Health
Episodes Coming Soon! -
The Insidious War on Teacher Autonomy
Part I: Death by a Thousand Cuts-What Teaching May Look Like in the Coming Decades
Part II: Sycophants and the Cult of Personality-How K-12 Leadership Cuts Teachers out of the Real Work
Episodes Coming Soon! -
A New Way Forward
Part I. Why Must We Leave it to Lead It? The Novel Idea of Creating Space for Teacher Leadership Over Our Own Profession
Part II. You Made this Mess Now Clean it Up--Forcing Congress to Fix K-12 Schooling
Part III. The Angels are In the Details-Candid Conversations with Teachers About The Solution Framework
Episodes Coming Soon!