Teaching through Emotions – Details, episodes & analysis

In this co-hosted episode, Joe and I unpack a teacher's struggle with feeling "too judgmental" after her classroom space was taken over. We explore how what seems like a simple annoyance can reveal critical needs. We describe how a teacher moved beyond self-blame to embrace her emotions as signals that allowed for more intentional, connected teaching.

We discuss

* The importance of personal boundaries in a busy classroom

* Why we mislabel our annoyance as "being judgmental"

* How conflicts are not “failures”

* The power of asking for what you need rather than internalizing blame

You don’t have to be a teacher to enjoy this episode! Too many of us turn our legitimate annoyance against ourselves. Hearing how someone (who happens to be a teacher) reframed her negative experience into open-hearted understanding is good for everyone!

Got a story to share about a moment you felt you might have misunderstood your feelings? Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158. Joe and I can unpack it in one of our episodes and maybe, maybe offer a different and helpful perspective!

If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us.

Credits:

Founder and Host: Betsy Burris

Co-Host: Joe Johnson

Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision

Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision

Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout

It is so fun to talk with kindred spirits! That’s what the inaugural episode of TTE’s Season 3 is: an interview with Jim and Story Leonard, founders of Coaching@Altitude and two extraordinary coaches who share a lot of wisdom and insight into the lives and worlds of school administrators (and, therefore, of teachers, students, and schools)

We talk about

* working with senior administrators in independent schools (relevant for public school leaders, too)

* working with school trustees!! (God, boards can be so difficult)

* the energy model

* combating toxic school cultures

* managing interpersonal conflict

Even non-teachers will enjoy this discussion. Because managing relationships, being our best selves especially under conditions of stress, and getting life-changing support are relevant for everyone! I hope you like it — and…

welcome to a new school year and TTE’s Season 3!!

External Links

Coachability: The Leadership Superpower: thecoachableleader.com

Saboteurs assessment: www.positiveintellience.com/saboteurs/

Marita Fridjhon, relationship systems intelligence: crrglobal.com

Shirzad Chamine, positive intelligence: positiveintellience.com

Coaching@Altitude: coachingaltitude.com

Credits

Founder and Host: Betsy Burris

Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision

Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision

Music: Thom Burris/Jabbering Trout

This is another episode in our inadvertent series on teachers who handle badly behaving classes in novel ways! This time Pamela brings her wrath at a class of all boys to a Teacher Support Group and, after exhibiting her own resistance to different interpretations, decides to try something she would never have tried if left to her own devices.

Listen to hear about

* different types of neglectful parenting and the surprising ways they can manifest in a classroom

* the joys — and limitations — of “revenge fantasies”

* the perils of fusing one’s reputation as a teacher to the behavior of one’s students

* how to turn wrath into calm, effective action

* the type of support that can help teachers “drain the swamp” and bring their better selves back to the classroom

I’d love to hear your story of a class’s abominable behavior towards a sub or anyone else! Just click on Share a Story on my Substack home page and write to your heart’s content. It’s totally confidential! And maybe we can work together to come to a completely unexpected understanding of your situation.

Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Credits:

Founder and Host: Betsy Burris

Producer: Jullian Androkae

Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout

Thinking about self-care — and, importantly, figuring out how to be cared for — is always good for every teacher any time. In this episode, I talk with Deb Calderara, a teacher who knows what it feels like to be completely overwhelmed. After facing burnout, a serious health crisis, and the confusing and exhausting pandemic, Deb had to figure out how to find strength and keep going, both for herself and her students.

This conversation is about navigating those impossible moments and discovering unexpected ways to care for ourselves when it feels like there's no room.

We talk about

* the crisis moment that made Deb rethink everything and recommit to teaching

* how focusing inward anchored her during a life-threatening event

* why 'health' for teachers means looking way beyond diet and exercise

* what student behavior is really telling us when we shift our perspective.

Taking care of yourself isn't selfish; it's truly the foundation of resilient teaching. Better yet, being cared for by trusted colleagues and others can make all the difference in the world. And students' most challenging behaviors? They're often vital data points about their world, waiting for us to create the space to see them.

Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I know many of you have your own wellness practices. Please share them!

And, please, if you enjoyed this episode, leave a review on your podcast app. Your endorsement can help spread the word! Which might make a big difference for a struggling teacher somewhere!

Credits:

Founder and Host: Betsy Burris

Producer: Jullian Androkae

Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout

In this episode, Joe and I unpack a classroom story from Siobhan, a special ed teacher working with high schoolers who grapple with big emotions — by acting out in big ways. What happened when her students broke a deal they made? How did Siobhan handle it? (It wasn’t pretty, at first! But then it got, well, amazing.)

Joe and I discuss

* why students might get “insufferable” in the first place and what they might be communicating

* how to prevent obsessive self-blame that can lead to insomnia

* what makes for a healthy “holding environment” in a classroom

* how actions teachers regret might actually be signs of strength

* how to talk frankly with students about classroom dynamics

I love this story, and I hope you do, too. If you’ve had a similar (or different!) experience, click Teaching through Emotions at the top of this page and then click Share a Story. You’ll get to me directly and confidentially.

Got a thought you’d like to share? Please leave a comment!

Know a teacher who could benefit from this teacher’s success story? You know what to do: share this episode and please leave a review!

And, finally, subscribe to the show in your podcast app and on Substack: https://teachingthroughemotions.substack.com

In this episode, I interview an old and dear friend, Sarah Becker, who has been teaching and teaching teachers and directing at the early childhood level for years. We discuss a topic that has always fascinated me (ever since I met Sarah and saw her in action): What do early childhood educators know that the rest of us teachers, from elementary through graduate school, can afford to learn?

We talk about

* basic tenets of early childhood education

* how those tenets apply at other educational levels

* emergent and project-based curriculum

* the concept of “professional love” (great concept!)

* what you can do tomorrow that will make you more present and effective whatever and wherever you teach

External Links:

Prospect Center

Prospect Center’s descriptive process

emergent curriculum

Vivian Paley You Can’t Say You Can’t Play

Tuvan throat singing

mentalization

being alone in the presence of mother (another)

Carol Garboden Murray Illuminating Care

Jools Page professional love

Paolo Freire and the banking metaphor of education

restorative practice

Got thoughts? Share ‘em!

And if you like this episode, leave a review on your podcast app. Let others know what you like about Teaching through Emotions. Thank you in advance — you’re a great help!

Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Credits:

Founder and Host: Betsy Burris

Producer: Jullian Androkae

Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout

In this first episode of the second season of Teaching through Emotions, my co-host Joe and I tell a story about a cheater in a class taught by someone who can’t stand cheating. Our psychodynamic take on the story might surprise you.

* We retell the outrageous lengths our cheater went to.

* We share the teacher’s visceral responses to the cheater.

* We wonder where the cheater’s True Self is.

* We clarify what the teacher’s contributions are and how she can change them.

* We tell how the story ended after the teacher did some emotion work on the problem.

* We suggest axioms teachers can take away from this example.

Have you had a similar experience? Or maybe a different experience you’d love to share? Please leave a comment. Maybe I’ll contact you to do a podcast episode about YOU!

Subscribe to my podcast and newsletter at teachingthroughemotions.substack.com, where you’ll find more stories and insights like this.

Credits:

Founder and Host: Betsy Burris

Producer: Jullian Androkae

Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout