There Will Be Smoke

05/19/25 • 36 min

Teachers, you know it's gonna be a weird week when you're prepping comedy for a room full of principals—including ones you still have to work with. Am I nervous? Yes. Am I planning to open with “remember your why”? Also yes. Let chaos reign.

This week, I’m sharing my behind-the-scenes prep for the wildest PD gig of my life... plus two fire-filled fan submissions, literally. One backpack goes up in smoke, and another student brings lint specifically to start a fire during class. And no, that’s not a euphemism.

Also, I’ve got two ELA-friendly resources that won’t make you scream into the void, thoughts on classroom routines that actually work, and a major update on my teacher survival guide book (coming soon to save your first year and your mental health).

Fires. Comedy. Forced inspiration. And a dress rehearsal for getting heckled by superintendents. Let’s go.

Takeaways:

I’m performing stand-up for a room full of local principals—and yes, I plan to give them “the gift of time.”
A student lit lint on fire inside a classroom drain. And that’s not even the worst part.
Another student's backpack combusted mid-class—so naturally, he just shrugged and said “You’ll smell smoke.”
A resource that turns writing prompts into a literal game—and somehow still helps students actually write.
I’m writing a book for new teachers that starts with everything I personally screwed up. (You’re welcome.)

—

Join our Book Club: www.patreon.com/thosewhocanread

Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.com

Watch on YouTube: @educatorandrea

A Human Content Production

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fires. Comedy. Forced inspiration. And a dress rehearsal for getting heckled by superintendents. Let’s go.

Takeaways:

I’m performing stand-up for a room full of local principals—and yes, I plan to give them “the gift of time.”
A student lit lint on fire inside a classroom drain. And that’s not even the worst part.
Another student's backpack combusted mid-class—so naturally, he just shrugged and said “You’ll smell smoke.”
A resource that turns writing prompts into a literal game—and somehow still helps students actually write.
I’m writing a book for new teachers that starts with everything I personally screwed up. (You’re welcome.)

—

Join our Book Club: www.patreon.com/thosewhocanread

Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.com

Watch on YouTube: @educatorandrea

A Human Content Production

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

Shrek Is Still Haunting Me

The tornado didn’t get us, but this week’s episode might.

After surviving Midwest storm warnings and Shrek-related trauma from a former student with a decade-long vendetta, I’m back with a full breakdown of things you can’t predict in teaching—like a kid gasping for air mid-presentation, or another casually announcing their itchy situation mid-kickball.

We’re talking magic tricks that turn into emotional damage, AI that actually helps (seriously), and the question that won’t leave me alone: should we be forcing students to present in front of the class... even if they stop breathing?

Plus: teacher confessions, wild voicemails, a PE teacher who deserves a raise, and my brain slowly unraveling over Kansas geography.

Takeaways:

A student literally stops breathing in the middle of a class presentation—and that’s not even the wildest part.
The return of the Shrek kid. Yes, he found me again. And yes, he’s still doing magic.
A third grader makes an unforgettable anatomy announcement in the middle of kickball.
I found an AI tool that might actually save you time and sanity in the classroom (and I tested it).
Should we still be making students present in front of their classmates, or is it time for a better way?

—

Join our Book Club: www.patreon.com/thosewhocanread

Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.com

Watch on YouTube: @educatorandrea

A Human Content Production

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next Episode

The Ballad of Bastards and Grammy Nominee, Five for Fighting

This week, I’m talking to literal Grammy-nominated musical legend John Ondrasik—aka Five for Fighting—about education, mentorship, Costco carts, and how he’s working to put real music teachers back in underfunded schools. (Also, I tried not to ugly cry while listening to “100 Years” on loop. Mostly succeeded.)

But before we get there... we’ve got a classroom snake situation, an inappropriate dictionary moment, and a cooking class where a student shows up with a knife restriction and a no-females policy. What could go wrong?

From ED plans that make zero sense to policies that make teachers legally required to just stand there while it happens, we’re breaking down the bureaucratic circus one story at a time.

Stay for the music. Stay for the IEP trauma. Stay because someone said “bastard” in the most educational way possible.

Takeaways:

A kid calls another a bastard—and the dictionary only confirms it.
A cooking class takes a wild turn when a student shows up with a restriction against females and knives.
I talk with Five for Fighting’s John Ondrasik about his plan to restore music teachers to underfunded schools—and how he ended up supplying Costco carts.
A snake shows up in the classroom, and somehow, that’s not the wildest part of the episode.
What happens when a student’s accommodation forces teachers to cross serious ethical boundaries?

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Want more Five for Fighting:

Website: http://www.fiveforfighting.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiveforfightingmusic/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fiveforfighting

Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnondrasik

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/fiveforfightingVEVO

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@fiveforfightingmusic

—

Join our Book Club: www.patreon.com/thosewhocanread

Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.com

Watch on YouTube: @educatorandrea