Vice Principal UnOfficed
Join host Lisa Hill, a retired vice principal as she shares her funny, wild, and sometimes woeful public education school stories that will not only leave you feeling like you’re listening to a comedy special, but wondering how the American K12 educational system endures.
Hill is a former teacher, school counselor, college professor, and vice principal who never planned on having a career in education. But, thanks to her father, god rest his soul, she did!
So, listen in as Lisa Hill reveals the crazy and entertaining K12 school antics that she experienced during her lengthly career in public education And who knows? You might just pick up a little nugget of knowledge along the way.
Vice Principal UnOfficed
Installing School Change: Please Wait...Forever!
Host Lisa Hill cracks open her textbook—or, let’s be honest, her laptop—for a quick and funny history lesson on the ever-evolving (or not-so-evolving) K-12 American public education system. These so-called "historical changes" often feel like watching a bad comedy that just won’t end. Maybe that’s because the biggest decisions in education are usually made by people who have zero K-12 classroom experience. Tune in as Lisa packs the frustrations of educators navigating a system
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In this episode of Vice Principal Unauficed, host Lisa Hill cracks open her textbook or, let's be honest, her laptop for a quick and funny history lesson on the ever-evolving or not so evolving K-12 American public education system. These so-called historical changes often feel like watching a bad comedy that just won't end. Maybe that's because the biggest decisions in education are usually made by people who have zero K-12 educational experience. So listen in as we unpack the frustrations of educators navigating a system. Now let's get laughing and learning. Attention students, I mean listeners. The stories in this podcast are told from the host's personal and farcical point of view. All names and identifiers have been omitted or altered to protect identities. Now get to class 2 of Vice Principal Unauficed. I'm so glad you tuned in to hear more of my wacky, wild and sometimes woeful school stories from my nearly 40 years in K-12 public schools and a few universities. Yep, nearly 40 years, that's right. That's longer than some of you have been alive and definitely longer than I ever thought I'd survive in education. But here I am still standing, still making the occasional bad decision and still trying to figure out where I left my coffee. I think I'm becoming my dad and you gotta love my dad. I bet he saw some incredible changes throughout his life. I mean, he was born in 1930. That's the same year Twinkies were invented, isn't that crazy? He also saw the birth of the internet in the late 80s, and in true K-12 fashion. It took education about 10 more years to finally catch up to the rest of the world and start using the internet in schools. Anyway, let's take a lighthearted yet painfully honest look at the sluggish evolution of the American K-12 public education system. And when I say sluggish, I mean grab a pillow and set the alarm type of slow oh wait, don't doze off yet. I promise this episode will not be as dull as Ferris Bueller's econ teacher droning Bueller. Bueller, I mean, hasn't everyone been trapped in a high school class where someone conks out mid-lecture you know face first into their notebook? And if you haven't seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off, please put it on your watch list. Anyway, I'll also tackle the baffling reality that some of the biggest decisions in education are made by people who have zero experience in a K-12 classroom. Scary, right, I think so, and for those of us in the public school trenches it's downright maddening. So let's jump in Now.
Speaker 1:If you're anything like me, you like change. Actually, scratch that. I love change. I kind of thrive on it. There's something about taking on something that's stuck in the status quo and shaking it up for the better.
Speaker 1:Maybe it's my competitive nature I do like to win, and sometimes to win, you got to change things up. Of course, my husband constantly reminds me that not everything in life is a competition, but let's be honest, it kind of is Someone's going to sleep longer, someone's going to grow taller and someone's going to make better spaghetti sauce. You get the idea. I think it's my competitive streak that keeps me inspired and happy. Though, let's be real, I know I won't always win. I definitely lose in the sleep department. Seriously, I need to figure out how to win that battle. I'm vertically challenged, but hey, at least I'm taller than my sister. And as for homemade spaghetti sauce, never made it. My youngest son has, thanks to my 90-year-old mother, but me Not yet.
Speaker 1:Oh, lisa, I know, mom, I know I could and maybe I should, and maybe I could also learn a thing or two from you about my Italian heritage, like why your father, my grandpa, came to America at age 18 without speaking a word of English. He knew so little about this country, yet he embraced a major life change. You know, I think for my grandfather change was more of an adventure. He embraced the unknown yet stayed deeply rooted in his love for family. I see that in myself too. I'm grounded in my love for my family. And, I'll admit it, public education I mean. I stayed in it for 38 years. But my changes came with me taking a new educational job every four to five years. Not to mention I kept going back to school because I knew pushing my thinking would help me find ways to get out of the status quo and change things for the better, which makes me wonder why some people don't like change. If people didn't grow and change, we'd still be grunting at each other and fending for ourselves with clubs. Wait, I think today's society is still kind of like that. Come on, people, we know better, we can do better. Okay, moving on, if you didn't know, change has actually been studied.
Speaker 1:This guy named Gregory Bateson developed a theory around change and was considered to be a foundational thinker on the dynamics of change. He thought people regulated themselves through a system of change, meaning change is either a surface level or transformative change. Of course, bateson's theory spurred the curiosity of other researchers, who then took his theory to the next level. These researchers got together and developed a theory called first and second order change, which basically means that any change that doesn't challenge a person's way of being is likely. First order change, you know, like changing the date of a work meeting or replacing a light bulb at home Simple changes that don't disrupt the original system in which a person lives, whereas second order change disrupts a person's original system because second order change alters the framework of the original system. Like a business adopting a new policy that eliminates employees' ability to work from home and now requires them to return to the office in two weeks, or a homeowner having to rewire their entire house to stay up to city code. It's stuff that makes a person very uncomfortable, stressed or perhaps anxious. You get the idea.
Speaker 1:So why am I telling you all of this? Well, because change in K-12 schools can be met with an array of emotions. For some people, change in K-12 schools can be met with an array of emotions. For some people, a change in K-12 school feels like a first-order change. You know, no big deal. But for other people, change in K-12 school makes them lose their shit over a change that may or may not affect their lives.
Speaker 1:I think this is because adults sometimes freak out before they understand on why school change is needed, and I think this also happens because most adults think they know best based on their own K-12 experience. I hate to tell you, folks, but a K-12 school is absolutely nothing like it was when you were a kid. From the school traditions you held so near and dear to your heart, to school lunches, to peer interactions, I promise you your K-12 school experience has changed, or, if it hasn't, it likely needs to. So before you go berserk and scream obscenities over a change in your life, go up to the balcony view and observe all the moving parts so you can better understand why a change may or may not be needed. Trust me, taking the balcony view will save your sanity.
Speaker 1:So I think change in the American public education system often fails because, oddly, those in charge of making K-12 educational decisions tend to drag their feet on necessary reforms or they mandate convoluted ideas that are nearly impossible for educators in the trenches to implement effectively. But God bless those educators in the trenches because they will always give their best effort to carry out any new mandate, whether it feels like first or second order, change or not. Why? Because they know whatever bandwagon their school district has jumped on likely won't last and, given time, politics and funding will drive the need for another new system to educate our youth, which is likely similar to the last system, but the new version takes even longer to learn than the old version. Don't believe me? Go ask a teacher.
Speaker 1:A change in a school system means schools have to carve out time during the school year to train teachers, which often results in kids staying home so educators can learn the new mandate. Naturally, this frustrates parents who ask should my child be in school? Well, yes, but schools must follow mandates, even if it costs kids valuable learning time, which I think is funny, because K-12 education exists to prepare kids for adulthood, which preparing kids for adulthood means that America can continue to thrive and compete globally, which I think is why the US Department of Education thinks they exist. However, I think the constant need for change in the K-12 public system could be eliminated if school districts stayed off the sizzle-sazzle bandwagon. Could be eliminated if school districts stayed off the sizzle-sazzle bandwagon and simply focused on helping teachers become really, really good at delivering instruction. Why? Because good instruction is just that good instruction, but then again change, which is why I titled today's episode Installing School Change Please wait forever. Though I really wanted to call this episode Installing School Change Please wait forever, though I really wanted to call this episode.
Speaker 1:Change is like downloading the new required system at work. It's painfully slow and you can't help but wonder if it's even gonna work, because that's what change in a school freaking feels like, sometimes slow and dumb and other times needed but stuck in its own muck so it can't move forward For the love of green eggs and ham. K-12 educational change is freaking, exhausting. Now, like any good teacher, I'm going to set up today's lesson with some whole group instruction, meaning I'm going to give you a brief lesson on the slothful changes of the American public education system and a little information on how K-12 school changes may be driven by rich, well-connected people who know next to nothing about educating today's child. I promise you this discussion is not the official required 350-page textbook read. So here we go.
Speaker 1:According to the Teachers College of Columbia University, way back when our country was founded, so in like the frickin' 1700s, when George Washington was running around, the students being educated were only white boys from wealthy families. Oh, shocking, right? Um, no, of course we're not shocked. But hey, learn, no and then do better, right? Well, not so fast. It took around 100 years yep, 100 years from like when America declared its independence to when around Thomas Edison invented the light bulb for public education to be officially formed and allow more children to attend school Not all children, but a lot more, if you get what I mean.
Speaker 1:Luckily, americans started to understand how a good education could help kids find a better life. Now pay attention to this one. The American Teacher College said that back in the 1800s, training for teachers shifted away from rote learning. You know, drill and kill ABC. Or slap from me teacher rules and students drool, you get it. Abc, or slap from me teacher rules and students drool, you get it. So teacher training shifted to be more about teaching the whole learner through hands-on experiences. Well, there's a concept, like I said, pay attention to this topic.
Speaker 1:So back then, school was not simply about reading, writing and arithmetic. School was about educating kids in a holistic way, you know, with all types of life skills, so kids could obtain a better life. Yes, a better life. But was that really the reason why? Not so much, you see, from the latter phase of the Industrial Revolution to the end of World War I, the United States slowly transformed its public education system, and by the end of World War I American business owners finally realized their need for a trained workforce, because now the US competitive market extended beyond its shores, and so American employers turned to public schools for a trained workforce. And guess what happened? Public schools responded to the demands of American business owners by producing a competent workforce who not only possessed good industrial skills, but they could also read, write and do math stuff, and eventually the US rose to number one in the world due to its abilities to transform their manufacturing industries. All right, quiet down class. Hey, you in the back row, stay awake, I'm getting to the good part. Hey, you in the back row, stay awake, I'm getting to the good part.
Speaker 1:So along came two southern US politicians Hoke Smith, a former attorney and a newspaper owner, and Dudley Hughes, a former farmer and railroad executive. These two gents thought there ought to be a special federal fund that could only be used for vocational classes in public schools, or what you probably call an elective class. Of course, these are also the two good ol' boys who thought there should be separate taxes for white schools and black schools. Wow, just wow. So what did these two ding-dongs do? They wrote a law that provided special federal funding for vocational education. Sounds great, right? Eh, not so much. The law created a massive divide in public education. And then guess what? That divide still exists today. Sure, it's been through countless revisions and name changes, but that core concept still remains.
Speaker 1:I believe that if we keep peeling back the layers of education history, we will see that most changes in the American public education system were mandated because of economic greed. I mean, need no scratch that Greed. I know you're not surprised by this. We all want to believe that public education exists solely to give children a better life, and I'm sure those pioneer teachers, and even teachers today, wanted exactly that for their students. But when lawmakers got involved and began funding public education, the game changed and the competitive nature of America took over.
Speaker 1:Now let's jump ahead in time, say, around when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, that artificial satellite thing. Google it if you want more information. Anyway, the United States always wanted to be number one in everything they still do, always wanted to be number one in everything they still do. So the men in charge decided we had to beat the Soviet Union, which meant more changes for public education and according to Herbert Kleibard, I quote, american schools were seen as soft, whereas Soviet children were being steeped in the hard sciences and mathematics needed to win the technological race that had become the centerpiece of the Cold War. End quote. Oh, dear Herbert, you know I can't help but picture a hardcore Soviet teacher, like the fearless leader from Rocky and Bullwinkle, degrading a chubby, terrified little eight-year-old who had just bombed his Soviet math test in front of the whole class. I imagine the teacher lecture went something like this you nincompoop. You face the consequences of your incompetence. Threaten thousand teams Im-idiot. Like I said before, impersonations are really not my thing, but I did try. Anyway, the race to the moon was now on and according to what you believe, the good old USA landed on the moon first.
Speaker 1:But after the moon landing it seems as if the American public school system got stuck on a rinse and repeat cycle for the next 50 years. Maybe the people running K-12 public education during those years followed the Michael Scott philosophy. You know from the office. Quote too much change is not a good thing. Ask the climate, end quote. Much change is not a good thing. Ask the climate. End quote. Side note, if you have never watched the Office, do yourself a favor and start. It perfectly captures what work life is really like, and it does it with my favorite thing, humor.
Speaker 1:Now, I think if public education waits long enough, which it seems to be doing, it can implement a new change to a fresh batch of school leaders and teachers. Hold on a second. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. The change being implemented in a school is likely an old initiative that has been spruced up a bit and given a new name. So the fresh batch of school leaders and teachers have no idea that that initiative was likely tried in the past. But the glittery, shiny initiative package being sold by some business mogul excites all the newbie school leaders and teachers who jump on the bandwagon in hopes of making the new mandate initiative come to life. No, I can guarantee you'll find at least one veteran teacher who's been in education since the dawn of time grumbling under their breath about the new mandated initiative. We've done that crap before, but we called it something else. Didn't work then, ain't gonna work now.
Speaker 1:I wonder if public school teachers have always said something like that. I mean, picture it A bunch of pompous grown-ass headmasters in the 1800s, seated around a giant shiny mahogany table, adjusting their black frock coats or high-stiff collared white shirts as they listen to the superintendent announce a new change they are all required to implement at their assigned school when one old fart whispers to the youngest headmaster. We have previously undertaken such an endeavor, albeit under a different designation. It proved ineffectual at the time and it is unlikely to yield success now. Better yet, I bet that same conversation probably happened in the 1960s, when the counterculture movement saw hippies become teachers.
Speaker 1:Picture it it's the late 60s when a group of teachers are in the school library, seated at dull brown tables. The library is decorated with pukey orange, green and gold accent colors. The men are wearing tight polyester pants with their short-sleeved dress shirts tucked in and adorned with some ugly white-ass tie, while the women have on colorful short-hemmed polyester dresses, pantyhose and clunky high-heeled shoes. Why high heels and why clunky? Anyway? The principal, who is stuffed into his brown polyester leisure suit, vest included, and sports a bad mustache, stands before the teachers. Since it's the end of the school day, the principal loosens his ugly white-ass tie and begins to inform the teachers of the new government mandate they will be required to implement.
Speaker 1:To implement which causes a cool 40-something teacher to lean over to a 22-year-old deer-in-the-headlights newbie teacher and say whoa man, we tried that stuff before. The man called it sizzle-sazzle or something. It was a real bummer, bad vibes. You know what I mean, bro. Oh boy, history has a weird way of repeating itself. I wonder why humans don't always see the lesson history provides us. Which leads me to a good American history story about change.
Speaker 1:Did you ever hear the story about the rise and fall of the BlackBerry phone? I watched the movie BlackBerry on Hulu and I'd give it a thumbs up for its humor and drama rolled into one. So basically, the movie was about a couple of guys who created the world's first smartphone called a BlackBerry. Only these tech geniuses eventually lost the smartphone race to Apple's iPhone because these highly intelligent computer connoisseurs refused to change their cell phone product hoity-toity scientific know-how. Phone knowledge was just that hoity-toity scientific know-how knowledge and not what the BlackBerry company actually needed. It was too late. Blackberry could not catch up to Apple. Or, as Rasa Sakharan Pillai from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, science and Technology Journal wrote, quote BlackBerry was basking under the shade of past glory by overlooking the emerging aspirations of customers and seamless possibilities of the global competitive playing field. End quote. God, I wish I were that eloquent. Unfortunately, my work as a vice principal basically had me mumbling go to class 5,000 times a day. Two wonderful pubescent children lollygagging in the hallways. Anyway, the movie ends with the BlackBerry CEO demanding the company produce a new cell phone as quickly and cheaply as possible to stay in the race with Apple. The BlackBerry tech geeks, who are in charge of building the new phone, pushed back on the CEO and asked for more time to ensure BlackBerry produced a good product, but the CEO didn't listen because he thinks he knows best. The result is the BlackBerry phone sucks.
Speaker 1:As for the Apple company, well, they figured out how to be a customer-centric company, which they continue to do today. They created cell phone technology based on customer needs and continually provided phone updates that are fairly easy to learn. And Apple tries to provide technology that is relevant to the world and can make a person's personal and work life better, and there are other phone manufacturers that followed suit. Now think about this you literally have almost every aspect of the world in the palm of your hand Global economics, world travel, world war alerts, worldwide entertainment, world health and more. And all because Apple chose to observe the world around them to see what people needed, and then implemented change to make it happen. That Apple formula worked. And now Apple and Samsung are neck and neck as being number one in the world in cell phone manufacturing.
Speaker 1:As for BlackBerry, there has to be a lesson in their story. So get this In 2009, blackberry controlled 45% of the American cell phone manufacturing market and 20% of the global market, but by 2016, that's seven years later, blackberry controlled zero percent of the market. Zero percent in seven years. What the hell? And why did BlackBerry fail? Well, they were slow to change and then, when they decided to make the change, they took shortcuts to catch up, which caused them to crash fast.
Speaker 1:Now, to me, the US public education system is, more often than not, managed a lot like BlackBerry. They're hesitant to change or they implement change without having all their ducks in a row, which causes the implemented change to fall apart. And when you're hesitant to change or refuse to follow all the necessary steps needed to help your company change, I don't know like getting input from the people in the trenches. Guess what happens you likely fail and the rest of the world moves on without you, which is exactly what happened to BlackBerry. Think about this At one time, the American education system was number one in the world but, much like BlackBerry, the leaders in charge of public education were allowed to do so because they had, or have, a lot of money and power, even though they don't clearly understand K-12 education and its needs.
Speaker 1:Regardless, today's mandated changes in the public school system often feel like a sluggish, annoying chore that pops up at the most inconvenient times. That pops up at the most inconvenient times. It's like having to change the stupid fire alarm battery in your house at 2 am. You know you have to do it, but you lay there for a while. And then you know you're the only one who's going to get it done, but you're dead tired and just want to sleep. But you're a trooper and, for the sake of your family, you haul your ass downstairs to dig through some drawer in hopes of finding a new battery. By the time you get the fucking beeping to stop, everyone in the house is up and it's now 3am and you know you'll never get back to sleep and dread the fact that you have lunch duty in nine hours with a bunch of stinky hormonal kids. Yeah, mandated change from the feds to the state, to the school board, is kind of like that for educators in the trenches, exhausting.
Speaker 1:Unfortunately, the suits running our country still seem to be more attuned to the business aspects of K-12 educational outcomes. And I get it. K-12 education is a business. I mean, it's run with taxpayer dollars. But oddly enough, k-12 schools have now been tasked with getting back to teaching the whole child, you know, academics, social-emotional skills and career exploration. Just like back in the 1800s when a guy named Horace Mann advocated that schools be free, universal and focused on moral and civic education so that kids would have a better shot at living a successful life. Time out. I have to vent just for a moment.
Speaker 1:When I became a freaking vice principal, I was told I spent too much time counseling kids and needed to just discipline them. You know you get a detention, you get a suspension, and who cares why a kid misbehaved? Just punish them. Of course I never listened to that dumb advice. Maybe that's because I have a master's degree in K-12 counseling and was a school counselor. So getting to the why of a kid's behavior is kind of important to help them learn and grow so they don't repeat their mistake. You know change and I'm no pushover. Just ask my sons or former students. So I did continue to discipline my way and I had pretty good success in getting kids turned around. I didn't win them all, but kids knew that I cared and wasn't just there to police the hallways or stupid lunch duty. Now jump ahead 10 years and look who was right Me. All K-12 education can talk about is how to teach the whole child and understand the why behind their behavior. I'm no genius and I never made the honor roll in high school and I only made it in college thanks to my student teaching grade. But I was right, just like Horace Mann, you know.
Speaker 1:I think that too often federal, state and K-12 schools fail to see students and families as customers, even though parents' tax dollars fund public education, which technically makes parents the customer. But the people in charge of K-12 education believe they know what's best for children, despite the fact that many of them haven't stepped foot in a K-12 classroom since they were kids themselves. So what happens? Well, federal state and school mandates often try to force every child into the same rigid mold, frustrating teachers and parents alike. Why? Because there's a good chance. Some lobbyists pushed an agenda that K-12 schools don't actually need.
Speaker 1:Meanwhile, any real, necessary change takes years, sometimes decades, to happen, don't believe me? Here's an example how many high school classrooms of today still look just like a 1930s classroom? You know what I'm talking about Desk in neat rows all facing the front and a nice square box of a classroom. I bet that number is much higher than it should be. Sure, new schools are being built with a little pizzazz and air conditioning, but the classroom that school districts are building are still square boxes. And yet the modern workforce values employees who can collaborate and build strong relationships, skills that don't develop well in a traditional sit and listen classroom. Here's another example of how slow K-12 schools are to change. Most public schools still take summers off. That summer schedule was designed long ago, when kids were needed to help on the family farms. Let's be real. How many students today are getting pulled out of school to go harvest crops? You get it and yet change. This might sound a little weird to you, but I think you're understanding how my brain thinks.
Speaker 1:So I think change in a K-12 public school is a lot like the movie Toy Story. It's the shiny new Buzz Lightyear versus the old, reliable Woody, which results in a constant pendulum swing between flashy innovation and tried-and-true tradition. And just like in Toy Story, where Buzz, woody and all the toys get tossed from one chaotic situation to another. That's public education in a nutshell One year it's Common Core, then it's personalized learning, then suddenly everyone's panicking about AI in the classroom or banning cell phones. Then suddenly everyone's panicking about AI in the classroom or banning cell phones.
Speaker 1:And much like Buzz and Woody, the educational powers that be see themselves as brave heroes on a mission, guiding schools through one grand adventure after another. Meanwhile, teachers, who are like all the other toys, are the sidekicks who get dragged along for the ride and are expected to do all the work while adapting to every twist and turn along the way. These so-called visionaries promise revolutionary change, shouting like John Lester's Buzz Lightyear to infinity and beyond. And much like Buzz, many of these self-proclaimed heroes haven't exactly read the manual on K-12 education and sooner or later they realize they can't actually fly. So what do they do? They abandon their quest and chase after another shiny new must-have educational trend, leaving teachers to clean up the mess. Though, at its core, toy Story is really about friendship and belonging, proving that when toys grow and work together, real change can happen. For people in the school trenches it's the same way Chaotic, unpredictable and full of power struggles, but in the end it's all about making sure kids get what they need to thrive so they can make change happen in our world and hopefully, change for the better.
Speaker 1:Oh, k-12 public education. What a strange world. But what are you going to do? I guess we could take our cue from that famous David Bowie song about change. You know the one Cha-cha-cha-cha. Get up to change, and please soon. Well, kids, the dismissal bell is ringing, so until next time on. Vice Principal on Office, push in your chair, put your name on your paper, be kind to your classmates, put away your phone and use your indoor voice, or not. Thanks for listening.
Speaker 1:It is my hope that you were not only entertained by this episode of Vice Principal on Office, but that you walked away with a little nugget of knowledge that gave you some insight on why public education needs to hurry up and change for the right reasons. Like I've said before, life is short, so you got to do the best you can to leave the world in a better place than when you got here. And, of course, for the love of God, see the humor in life. It's a lot more fun and a little easier to get through the ick in life with a smile on your face. Trust me, with what I've experienced throughout my career, I'd be like a piercing, prickly female with a personality sharper than a pin needle if I hadn't decided to smile through the ick. Catch you next week on Vice Principal and Office. Next week on Vice Principal and Office.
Speaker 1:Join me, your host, lisa Hill, for a two-part episode on Vice Principal on Office. Join me, your host, lisa Hill, for a two-part episode as I dive into the unusual leadership skills some of my former bosses and colleagues used while attempting to manage the nuthouse. I mean the schoolhouse. It's a comedy you won't want to miss. Hey, students, I mean listeners. Thanks again for tuning in.
Speaker 1:If you've enjoyed today's show, please leave me a review. It really helps grow the show and listeners. If you've got a school story of your own that you'd like to share with Vice Principal on Office, I'd love to hear it. Just head over to my podcast website and fan mail or email me your story and, who knows, your story might even get a shout out on a future episode. Thanks so much for listening and for your support on a future episode. Thanks so much for listening and for your support.
Speaker 1:Vice Principal and Office is an independent podcast with everything you hear done by me, lisa Hill, and supported through Buzzsprout. Any information from today's show, along with any links and resources, are available in the show's notes. So if you want to do a little homework and dive deeper into anything I've mentioned, head over to my podcast website and check it out. And a big thank you to Matthew Chiam for the show's marvelous intro music. Dive deeper into anything I've mentioned, head over to my podcast website and check it out. And a big thank you to Matthew Chiam for the show's marvelous intro music. And, of course, a huge shout out to my mother.
Speaker 1:This podcast is for the purpose of entertainment only, like the recess of your day, and not a platform for debates about public education Though you never know, you could learn something. And just a reminder that the stories shared in this podcast represent one lens which is based on my personal experiences and interpretations and also reflect my unique perspective. Through humor. Names, dates and places have been changed or admitted to protect identities and should not be considered universally applicable. Until next time, keep laughing and learning.
