In this episode, I sit down with Sean, a veteran high school English teacher and union leader with over 23 years of teaching experience in public education, to talk about the changing culture of schools, literature, DEI, parent pushback, gender dynamics in teaching, and what students really need from educators today.

We discuss everything from teaching Shakespeare and Elie Wiesel’s Night to the rise of YA literature, the challenges of balancing accessibility with rigor, and the political and cultural tensions teachers face in classrooms every year.

Sean also reflects on being a gay teacher, the commercialization of Pride, and the ways LGBTQ people are marketed to and politically positioned in modern culture.

One of the most thought-provoking parts of the conversation explores the different forms of discrimination and harm  ...