ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Dr. Jessica Hawk spent 32 years in public education before retiring from the classroom and becoming a full-time content creator. Known online as @MyTeacherFace, she now uses humor, experience, and a growing social-media platform to speak candidly about the challenges facing teachers and public schools.
Jessica joins Marc to explain why she misses her students but not the stress, unpaid labor, and expanding responsibilities that came with the job. She describes the “time poverty” teachers experience as new obligations are continually added without additional time or compensation, and she explains why good administrators can determine whether a teacher builds a long career or leaves after only a few years.
The conversation also examines the transformation Jessica witnessed after smartphones and social media entered the classroom. Students became more isolated, less willing to participate, and increasingly eager to retreat to their screens. Jessica and Marc discuss phone-free schools, parental resistance to device restrictions, the role of technology in emergencies, and the importance of giving children opportunities to interact with one another in person.
They also explore the growing political pressure on public education, the relationship between school funding and student outcomes, the limitations of standardized testing, and the danger of expecting teachers to solve problems rooted in poverty, housing instability, hunger, and family circumstances.
Finally, Jessica explains why children need a foundation of knowledge and critical-thinking skills before turning to artificial intelligence. She shares her concerns about excessive classroom technology, her support for universal pre-K and equitable school funding, and the freedom she has found as an “unfettered teacher” who can now say publicly what many working educators cannot.
Timestamps
00:00 - Why teachers have become society’s soft target
00:31 - Introducing Dr. Jessica Hawk of My Teacher Face
01:25 - The strange intimacy between creators and their audiences
02:18 - Retiring after 32 years in public education
02:40 - What Jessica misses about the classroom
03:54 - The story behind the My Teacher Face persona
06:02 - What coaching fourth graders taught Marc about teaching
06:56 - Managing 150 students with different needs and abilities
08:03 - Teacher “time poverty” and the job that grew tentacles
08:40 - How much Jessica’s doctorate added to her paycheck
09:09 - Teacher shortages, micromanagement, and scripted curricula
09:41 - Jessica’s cautious advice for aspiring teachers
10:39 - How she knew it was time to retire
12:43 - Losing an identity and beginning the farewell tour
13:05 - Why Jessica encourages some young teachers to leave
15:03 - Criticizing teachers while remembering the teachers who changed us
16:42 - How educators become targets of political accusations
17:59 - The change Jessica noticed when smartphones entered the classroom
19:06 - Why children seem more isolated and reluctant to participate
20:23 - Phone-free schools and parental resistance
21:08 - Why phones can become dangerous during school emergencies
23:51 - The importance of administrators who support their teachers
25:41 - What children can learn from having a teacher they do not like
28:02 - Is there a coordinated effort against public education?
30:00 - Why public education is essential to democracy
31:09 - The connection between wealth, school funding, and opportunity
32:46 - Why schools cannot solve poverty by themselves
34:30 - Teachers as the easiest people to blame
36:04 - Why education is a public good, even for people without children
38:32 - Universal pre-K and helping children before they fall behind
38:54 - Why Jessica has always voted for school funding
39:56 - The human cost of education and the temptation to replace teachers
41:30 - AI, critical thinking, and the need for foundational knowledge
43:13 - From classroom teacher to online education advocate
45:10 - Finding her political voice after retirement
46:04 - The one change Jessica would make to public education
46:59 - How universal pre-K could help level the playing field
Connect with Jessica Hawk
Follow My Teacher Face on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, or find all of Jessica’s current links on her official Linktree.
Resources mentioned
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- The Digital Delusion by Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath
- Bluebonnet Learning materials from the Texas Education Agency
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