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Teaching, Sanity, and the Fine Line Between Passion and Burnout

In this episode of Playing Teacher, we ask the question that lingers behind every empty coffee cup, every hallway meltdown, and every wildly creative bulletin board at 2AM: Are we okay?

Spoiler alert: probably not.

We take a lighthearted but honest look at the emotional rollercoaster that is life in the classroom. We talk about the toll teaching can take on your mental health—not in a clinical, diagnostic way, but in the way teachers actually talk about it: the “I think I laughed and cried at the same time today” kind of way.

We also get real about the culture of self-sacrifice in education, how humor becomes a survival skill, and the fine line between being dedicated and being depleted. Along the way, we unpack whether teaching draws in people who are a little offbeat to begin with—or whether the system itself slowly erodes your sanity.

It’s funny, it’s therapeutic, and it’s a reminder that taking care of yourself is not a luxury—it’s a requirement if we’re going to keep showing up for kids and for each other.

This one’s for the teachers who’ve ever looked in the mirror during their prep and whispered, “Am I okay?”—and for anyone who’s ever answered, “Not really… but I’m still here.”

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