Bad Teacher Tales: Real talk stories and advice for teachers and those who love them.
Welcome to Bad Teacher Tales, where each week we share the good, the bad, and the “what the hell?!” of daily teacher life. We’ll expose workplace woes that range from unrealistic to impossibly asinine. We’ll postulate on parental problems and admin antics. We might even learn a helpful tip or trick, and while we may be “Bad” teachers, we will always leave remembering our Why…those beautiful, bright, baffling, students!
Episodes
What happens when a student you once taught reaches out… and the conversation doesn’t feel like it used to?
At first, it seems harmless. A message. A question. Maybe they thank you for believing in them. Maybe they tell you how much your class meant. And as educators, those moments mean everything. They remind you why you chose this profession in the first place.
But then, something shifts.
The tone changes. The words feel different. ...
What happens when a parent believes their child can do no wrong?
Not sometimes. Not most of the time. But ever.
Every missing assignment has an excuse. Every disruption has a justification. Every consequence becomes someone else’s fault. And somehow, the responsibility never lands where it should.
Then the emails start coming.
The tone shifts. The questions feel less like curiosity and more like accusation. Your professionalism is chal...
What happens when you do everything right—request the day off, attend a professional conference to grow in your subject area, and invest your own time (and money) to become a better teacher—only to find out later that your pay has been docked?
You didn’t take the day off to relax. You didn’t call in sick. You went to learn. To improve. To bring back strategies, ideas, and opportunities that would directly benefit your students and y...
✨ Welcome to Bad Teacher Tales
The storytelling podcast where teachers finally get to say the things they can’t (but want to) say at PD, staff meetings, or parent conferences.
Every week, we share real teacher stories that are funny, shocking, heartbreaking, relatable, and sometimes downright unbelievable. If you’re a current teacher, former teacher, student teacher, or someone who just loves a good “you won’t belie...
What do you do when a student proudly hands you a baggie full of coins for the class party… but there’s something else inside you never expected to find?
At first, it seems like a simple bag of coins. Loose change collected from pockets, couch cushions, maybe even weeks of saving—just so they could have some pizza.
But then you open it.
Something mixed in with the coins that doesn’t belong. Something that has a distinct... odor. Some...
✨ Welcome to Bad Teacher Tales
The storytelling podcast where teachers finally get to say the things they can’t (but want to) say at PD, staff meetings, or parent conferences.
Every week, we share real teacher stories that are funny, shocking, heartbreaking, relatable, and sometimes downright unbelievable. If you’re a current teacher, former teacher, student teacher, or someone who just loves a good “you won’t belie...
✨ Welcome to Bad Teacher Tales
The storytelling podcast where teachers finally get to say the things they can’t (but want to) say at PD, staff meetings, or parent conferences.
Every week, we share real teacher stories that are funny, shocking, heartbreaking, relatable, and sometimes downright unbelievable. If you’re a current teacher, former teacher, student teacher, or someone who just loves a good “you won’t belie...
What do you do when the district cuts social-emotional learning programs… just as your students need them most?
Not during a time of calm. Not when everything is going well. But in the middle of heartbreak. In the middle of loss. In the middle of a crisis that no educator, no student, and no community should ever have to face.
Because this isn’t theoretical.
This is happening while students are struggling. While warning signs are appe...
✨ Welcome to Bad Teacher Tales
The storytelling podcast where teachers finally get to say the things they can’t (but want to) say at PD, staff meetings, or parent conferences.
Every week, we share real teacher stories that are funny, shocking, heartbreaking, relatable, and sometimes downright unbelievable. If you’re a current teacher, former teacher, student teacher, or someone who just loves a good “you won’t belie...
✨ Welcome to Bad Teacher Tales
The storytelling podcast where teachers finally get to say the things they can’t (but want to) say at PD, staff meetings, or parent conferences.
Every week, we share real teacher stories that are funny, shocking, heartbreaking, relatable, and sometimes downright unbelievable. If you’re a current teacher, former teacher, student teacher, or someone who just loves a good “you won’t belie...
What do you do when you’re told to stay on campus… while a student welding a knife is looking for you?
You freeze.
Your mind races through a thousand possibilities. Is it a misunderstanding? Is it a rumor? Or is the threat real? The hallway outside suddenly feels different. Every sound feels louder. Every second feels longer.
As educators, you’re trained to protect your students. You’re trained to remain calm. To follow protocol. To k...
✨ Welcome to Bad Teacher Tales
The storytelling podcast where teachers finally get to say the things they can’t (but want to) say at PD, staff meetings, or parent conferences.
Every week, we share real teacher stories that are funny, shocking, heartbreaking, relatable, and sometimes downright unbelievable. If you’re a current teacher, former teacher, student teacher, or someone who just loves a good “you won’t belie...
✨ Welcome to Bad Teacher Tales
The storytelling podcast where teachers finally get to say the things they can’t (but want to) say at PD, staff meetings, or parent conferences.
Every week, we share real teacher stories that are funny, shocking, heartbreaking, relatable, and sometimes downright unbelievable. If you’re a current teacher, former teacher, student teacher, or someone who just loves a good “you won’t belie...
Welcome to the first episode of our special series: Parent Emails.
If you’re an educator, you already know that some of the most memorable moments of the school year don’t just happen in the classroom—they show up in your inbox. Parent emails can be thoughtful, confusing, hilarious, and sometimes so surprising you have to read them twice just to make sure you understood correctly.
In this series, we’re diving into the messages teache...
What would you do if you were asked to prepare a full performance for the school board… with only four days’ notice? No long planning period. No weeks to rehearse. Just four days to organize, practice, and somehow create something meaningful enough to represent your students, your program, and your school.
In this full-length "re-teach" of Episode 3 "Can He Hold a Banner," one teacher does just that.
The pressure...
✨ Welcome to Bad Teacher Tales
The storytelling podcast where teachers finally get to say the things they can’t (but want to) say at PD, staff meetings, or parent conferences.
Every week, we share real teacher stories that are funny, shocking, heartbreaking, relatable, and sometimes downright unbelievable. If you’re a current teacher, former teacher, student teacher, or someone who just loves a good “you won’t belie...
Have you ever had a student who stayed with you long after they left your classroom?
In this episode, we’re talking about something powerful — the impact students make on us. As teachers, we spend so much time thinking about the impressions we leave on our students… but we don’t always stop to consider the reverse. Some students change the way we teach. Some challenge us. Some inspire us. And some leave stories we carry for years.
To...
Have you ever had a student who stayed with you long after they left your classroom?
In this episode, we’re talking about something powerful — the impact students make on us. As teachers, we spend so much time thinking about the impressions we leave on our students… but we don’t always stop to consider the reverse. Some students change the way we teach. Some challenge us. Some inspire us. And some leave stories we carry for years.
To...
Every teacher has that moment, the one that reminds you why we do this. Sometimes it doesn’t come during a lesson you spent hours planning. Sometimes… it comes from something as unexpected as Pokémon.
In this episode, we share a “Why We Do This” story about a student, a simple connection over Pokémon, and the reminder that relationships are what change lives.
Then, in our “Things That Work” segment, we’re giving you practical, real-w...
What do you do when a student wishes harm for you and your unborn child?
In this full-length "re-teach" of Episode 2 one teacher shares her what last day in education looked like.
When educators imagine their final day in the classroom, they picture heartfelt goodbyes, warm hugs, and words of appreciation from the students whose lives they’ve touched. It’s supposed to be a moment of reflection—a celebration of the countles...
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