In this week's episode, the students truly have become the teachers.

TOD Live episodes at the Saved By the Beach Bored Teachers Comedy Fest 2025: https://www.savedbythebeachfest.com

Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://bit.ly/TODBTCT

Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod

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On this week’s episode of Teachers Off Duty, we're diving into an exciting (and hilarious) thought experiment: What if teachers ran a school? From more recess and PTO to ditching outdated dress codes and creating better prep time, we're dreaming up a school built by teachers for teachers—and students too, of course! Plus, we hear your thoughts, featuring calls from our amazing listeners.

They kick things off by sharing their top priorities:

-More Recess and Playtime: Jonathan champions the idea of more recess, not just for the kids but for teachers too. They explore how additional playtime can improve student behavior and enhance learning by providing necessary breaks throughout the day.

-Flexible PTO and Better Work-Life Balance: Leslie brings up the need for a realistic PTO system that acknowledges teachers' needs for personal days without the bureaucratic hassle. They discuss how this change could positively impact teachers' mental health and overall job satisfaction.

-Control Over Classroom Environment: Jess emphasizes the struggle of teaching in classrooms without proper air conditioning or heating. They all agree that something as simple as controlling the thermostat could make a significant difference in both teaching and learning experiences.

The conversation then shifts to dress codes, where they tackle the often sexist and outdated policies that disproportionately affect female students. Sharing personal anecdotes, they highlight the need for dress codes that are fair, inclusive, and reflective of real-world standards.

Standardized testing comes under scrutiny as well. The hosts discuss how these tests fail to accommodate different learning styles and don't accurately measure student growth or teacher effectiveness. They brainstorm alternative methods of assessment that could be more beneficial for students' long-term success.

Listeners also contribute their ideas through call-ins, suggesting:

-Rearranging classrooms so teachers can be next to their best friends.

-Revamping the school schedule to include more play and socializing after lunch.

-Eliminating biased dress codes to create a more comfortable environment for all students.

This episode is packed with laughter, insightful discussions, and a shared vision of a better educational system designed with teachers' insights at the forefront.

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Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://www.boredteachers.com/comedy-tour

🇬🇧 UK Comedy Tour: We're bringing the laughs to the UK in February, hitting:

-London: February 7th

-Glasgow: February 9th

-Birmingham: February 11th

-Manchester: February 12th

Get ready for a hilarious time!

Australia, We Need You: We're eager to bring the comedy tour Down Under! If you're in Australia, help us out by letting us know where you'd like to see us.

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Follow us on all platforms @TeachersOffDutyPodcast, and grab your Saved by the Beach tickets at SavedByTheBeachFest.com.

Get Teachers Off Duty Premium to access EXCLUSIVE content at: https://teachersoffduty.supercast.com/

Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com/collections/teachers-off-duty

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod

Teachers get your perks!! This episode is brought to you by:

Betterhelp | Go to https://betterhelp.com/TOD to get 10% off your first month.

Manscaped | Get 20% off, plus free shipping with the code "OFFDUTY"

at https://manscaped.com

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Teachers Off Duty - a Bored Teachers podcast

In this week's episode, the students truly have become the teachers.

TOD Live episodes at the Saved By the Beach Bored Teachers Comedy Fest 2025: https://www.savedbythebeachfest.com

Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://bit.ly/TODBTCT

Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod

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Sometimes, we get so caught up in lesson plans and teaching, we forget that we can actually sometimes our students can be the best teachers. This week our hosts Anna Kowal, Gabe Dannenbring, and Tyler Jackowski share their favorite lessons that they have learned from their students.

Whether it's from feedback, smart remarks during lectures, or just a different point of view, our students can really shed an interesting light on how we teach. Tune in as we share the most out of pocket ways our students have taught us tough lessons.

A great example of a lesson our students have taught us is that you never really know what someone else is going through. Kids may be facing challenges and struggles that we are not aware of, and it's important for teachers to be empathetic and understanding. This leads into a discussion about the impact of yelling at students and how it's not worth it in the long run.

So be prepared because we're going to be changing your perspective on this week's episode of Teachers Off Duty!

Teachers get your perks!! This episode is brought to you by:

MasterClass | MasterClass always has great offers during the holidays, sometimes up to as much as 50% off. Head over to https://masterclass.com/teachers for the current offer.

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Teachers Off Duty - a Bored Teachers podcast

It's about time to break out that advent calendar…

Grab your tickets for the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour here: https://bit.ly/TODBTCT

Get Teachers Off Duty Premium to access EXCLUSIVE content at: https://teachersoffduty.supercast.com/

Check out our MERCH! https://shop.boredteachers.com

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beacons.ai/teachersoffdutypod

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Happy holidays everyone, and welcome to Teachers Off Duty! This week our hosts Gabe Dannenbring, Anna Kowal, and Tyler Jackowski are going to be sharing how they are getting ready for this upcoming holiday season.

Now with the holidays coming up, gift giving is such a hard tradition to navigate, and it's even worse in the classroom. Do we get gifts from students? How much should we spend? What about the teacher down the hall, should we get them something? Would getting everyone a gift card be enough or is it just lazy? Don’t worry, we're going to be sharing our tips and tricks to navigate this tricky situation.

Now of course it's not all about gift-giving anxiety, we're also currently getting ready for our holiday parties. Of course we don't want to leave anyone out, so see how we set up the perfect holiday party that is inclusive to all of our students’ and fellow teachers' cultures.

So make yourself some hot cocoa and put on your ugly holiday sweater, because we're starting the holiday season this week on Teachers Off Duty!

Teachers get your perks!! This episode is brought to you by:

Dinnerly | For up to 27 free meals, head to https://dinnerly.com/offer/tod and use code “TOD”.

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Teachers Off Duty - a Bored Teachers podcast