Episode 2: Preps and Lunches (and Superpong)

04/09/25 • 36 min

In this episode of Playing Teacher, Matt, Rob, and Brugge crack open one of the most sacred and underrated parts of the school day: preps and lunches. More than just breaks, these windows of time were life-saving lifelines in the relentless hustle of NYC public school teaching. We reflect on how these moments offered space to breathe, plan, decompress—or just stare into the void with a slice of pizza in hand.

But it wasn’t all quiet recovery. Sometimes, it was survival through play. Enter Superpong—a game we invented during our lunch breaks that blended absurdity, competition, and much-needed laughter. Part coping mechanism, part creative rebellion, Superpong became our ritual, our reset, and occasionally... our battleground.

Tune in for stories from the teacher trenches, the weird things that keep you sane, and the essential truth that sometimes the best professional development happens with a paddle in your hand and a chicken patty on your tray.

Support the show

Send us a text

Support the show

Previous Episode

Episode 1: The "Expert" Teacher

Send us a text

“Ok, if it’s so easy you teach my class..please show me the way.” Ah, the fantasy of every teacher. Imagine a scenario where you’re told to change roles and write up your supervisor who wants to show you how it’s done...you know because they were once an “expert teacher.” But what if it bombs? Matt and Rob relive this once in a teacher’s lifetime experiment and discuss better alternatives to how teachers are evaluated. More importantly, who is qualified to make these evaluations?

Support the show

Next Episode

Episode 6: I Did It My Way: Authenticity in a System That Doesn’t Always Want It

Send us a text

In this episode of Playing Teacher, we talk about something every educator feels at some point—what it means to be yourself in a school system that often prefers you to color inside the lines. Whether it’s pushing against outdated norms, teaching in ways that aren’t “in the handbook,” or simply showing up as your full, weird, passionate self, going against the grain can make you stand out... and not always in the way people like.

We unpack the moments when being authentic can make you unpopular—with administrators, with coworkers, or with the “system.” And we reflect on the quiet courage it takes to keep showing up as yourself, even when the easier route would be to conform.

From hallway politics to unconventional lesson plans, from dress code subversions to the subtle art of staying out of faculty cliques, we explore how hard—and how vital—it is to do it your way. As Frank Sinatra said, regrets, I’ve had a few... but then again, too few to mention.

This one’s for the teachers who’d rather be real than be liked. Who show up, speak up, and shake things up. And who know that sometimes, doing it your way is the only way to stay sane, stay passionate, and stay in the game.

Support the show