In this episode of Can I Get a Retake?, English professor Chantelle MacPhee traces an unlikely path — from leaving high school without a diploma to teaching Shakespeare and Romantic poetry across four countries. MacPhee shares how immersing herself in Spanish while teaching in Puerto Rico reshaped her approach to diverse learners, why reading aloud builds student confidence, and what draws her to the surprising connections between Shakespeare and the Romantics. She also offers a candid take on AI in the writing classroom: a useful tool for navigating information overload, but no substitute for the authentic, flawed, human voice that makes writing worth reading. A conversation about empathy, authenticity, and why teaching remains, above all, an art form.

Learn more about MacPhee's publication, Effective Communication: Bursting t ...