🎉 Episode 100: Let’s Keep It Real with 15 Teacher Truths

Fifteen years. One hundred podcast episodes. Countless lessons learned.

To celebrate episode 100 of The Modern Math Teacher podcast, I’m sharing 15 real moments from my teaching career—the kind that stick with you, change you, or just make you laugh out loud in the hallway later.

Some are silly. Some are serious. But all of them helped shape my classroom into the student-centered, real-world, high-engagement space it is today.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here: Listen Here
📺 Or watch it on YouTube: Episode 100

🧠 Here are 15 Real Moments (and the lessons they taught me):

1. Lesson plans are overrated
   I used to write Marzano-aligned, minute-by-minute plans. Now? I plan with Post-its and purpose, not perfection.

2. A good teacher beats a good curriculum
   The best resource in your classroom is you. The rest is just paper.

3. Some battles just aren’t worth it
   Focus on connection. Let go of the gum and hoodie drama.

4. But some things must be black and white
   Especially phones. Trust me—“sometimes” rules create all-the-time chaos.

5. Tech won’t replace you
   Use it to free up time, not to replace your role.

6. Hands-on math beats screen time every time
   I once let students launch tennis balls across a field at cardboard towers. I also stood as the target during a projectile motion unit. (Don’t recommend.)

7. What’s old will be new again
   From the 5 Practices to remixing the Ice Bucket Challenge—don’t sleep on the classics.

8. Big kids need fun too
   Kite-flying, chalk geometry, glow germs… they’re still kids, and they still need play.

9. Laugh with them
   From “circumcise” slips to problems that end in 69, it’s okay to lean into the moment and laugh.

10. You don’t have to teach it all
    You just have to teach what matters really well.

11. You’re not their savior—and that’s okay
    Boundaries keep you sustainable. You are enough, as you are.

12. Mastery doesn’t follow a calendar
    Self-pacing and retakes aren’t crutches—they’re bridges.

13. Teach humans, not just math
    When students feel seen, they learn better. Always.

14. Done > perfect
    My best projects started messy. Yours can too.

15. Keep it real
    No matter what. Kids know when you’re being authentic.

🗣 What About You?

What’s one real moment you’ll never forget from your own teaching journey? Come share it in our Facebook group or tag me on IG @moorethanjustx.

Let’s keep celebrating, keep teaching, and most importantly…
Keep it real.