If Teachers Ruled the World

Nine teacher voices on technology in the classroom (and not one said get rid of it). Leah Cleary hands the mic to nine educators across subjects and grade levels. A special education teacher, an ESOL teacher, a media specialist, science teachers, history teachers, and more. She asks what they actually think about the current anti-tech movement in schools. What emerges is striking: every concern is...

A student once accused Leah of writing with AI. The evidence was her em dash. One tiny but incredibly versatile piece of punctuation. In this episode, she makes the case for why AI detection in the classroom's a losing game, why the adversarial stance it creates with students isn't sustainable, and what reimagining instruction around process over product actually looks like in practice. Fr...

In this episode of If Teachers Ruled the World, Leah Cleary talks about her own complicated relationship with rest and screen time. From a walk that turned into an unexpected lesson on creativity to a confession about the laptop that follows her everywhere, she explores what teacher wellness requires when summer self-care usually just means a different to-do list. With research linking teacher soc...

In this episode of If Teachers Ruled the World, Leah Cleary cuts through the noise on classroom technology decisions with a five-question framework built for real teachers in real classrooms. From note-taking to a Theory of Knowledge project that became a film collaboration, Leah shares the stories and thinking behind intentional technology use so educators can stop defaulting to devices and start...

Schools are banning AI. But 86% of students are already using it (with or without teacher guidance). In this Teacher Reality Check, Leah makes the case that ignoring artificial intelligence in schools doesn't protect students. It just means they figure it out on their own, the same way they figured out social media. She examines the research on AI literacy and teacher training, tackles the des...

The anti-technology movement in schools is moving fast -- 26 states have passed laws limiting or banning classroom devices, and 22 of those happened in 2025 alone. But is the backlash actually solving the right problem? In this Teacher Reality Check, Leah Cleary traces the full history of technology in education -- from the one-to-one device boom of the early 2010s, to what the pandemic did to cla...

What's the best teacher summer advice? I asked nine of my colleagues on the last day of school. And what they said will stick with you all summer. From permission to fully unplug, to a two-part summer strategy for veterans, to one line of pure wisdom from our English department chair, this episode is teachers talking to teachers about rest, recharge, and letting go. Because teacher burnout rec...

Are you actively choosing your teaching career, or just never choosing to leave? In this episode, Leah Cleary talks about her own teaching career change after 25 years in the classroom. What led her to resign, why she is trading AP history and department chair for seventh grade ELA, and what teacher work life balance actually looks like when you finally choose your whole life over your resume. If...

You've made it to the final two weeks. But if you teach AP, IB, or any high-stakes course, your students are already done with the real work. So what do you actually do with them now? In this episode, Leah Cleary introduces the concept of the "liminal zone" -- that in-between space where the course is finished but school isn't -- and considers what meaningful end-of-year activiti...

Ever had a student ask "when will we ever use this?" and known immediately it wasn't really about curiosity? In this episode, high school teacher and 25-year classroom veteran Leah Cleary shares a real story about handling student pushback in real time, without losing instructional momentum or getting pulled into a debate you didn't plan for. If you're looking for honest, pra...

It's the end of the year, and your students need to review. But re-reading notes isn't going to cut it. In this short episode, Leah shares a simple, low-prep sorting strategy that helps students stop memorizing random facts and start seeing the patterns that actually show up on exams. Whether you're prepping for AP exams, end-of-course tests, or your own final, this one's worth ten...

If you're a social studies teacher trying to figure out what you're allowed to say in the classroom, this episode is for you. Leah Cleary breaks down Georgia House Bill 1084, the Protect Students First Act, a divisive concepts law that prohibits teachers from teaching or advocating nine specific concepts related to race. But here's the contradiction: the same legislators who passed thi...

Teacher workload management is one of the biggest challenges educators face — and most productivity advice completely misses the mark on what teaching actually looks like. In this episode, Leah Cleary breaks down the real-world triage framework she's used for 25 years to manage teacher burnout and overwhelm without sacrificing what matters most in the classroom. If you're looking for hones...

In this episode of If Teachers Ruled the World , Leah Cleary sits down with literacy expert Patty McGee to rethink how grammar is taught in today’s classrooms. If grammar instruction has ever felt disconnected, ineffective, or like a waste of time, this conversation offers a practical and refreshing shift. Together, they explore how to teach grammar effectively by moving beyond rules and worksheet...

You've tried the self-care advice. You've set the boundaries. You've done everything right. And you're still exhausted. Here's what nobody is telling you: that's not a you problem. That's a system problem. In this episode of If Teachers Ruled the World , Leah Cleary talks about teacher burnout, why the wellness conversation we keep having with educators is fundamentally...

You've built the relationships. You've established the procedures. And yet every single day, the same student walks in with headphones blasting, sits wherever they want, and acts like your classroom expectations are optional. And when you say something? They comply. Pleasantly. And then do it again tomorrow. Pleasant defiance is still defiance. And in this episode, we are talking about exa...

It's AP season, and I'm hitting pause on new episodes for two weeks to record ahead, build content, and finally finish a writing program I started ten years ago. But before I go, I'm leaving you with something worth sitting with: sustainable teachers are better teachers, and giving yourself permission to step back is not a weakness. It's a strategy. If you're heading into sprin...

It's time for your mid-year Teacher Reality Check. Back in the summer and fall, I broke down three major education policy trends: cell phone bans, teacher evaluations, and the executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. Since then? A lot has happened. Cell phone bans jumped from 26 to 35 states. States like Illinois and Virginia are pulling back from tying teacher evaluations to test...

Traditional vocabulary instruction strategies don't work. And research proves it. When students define words and use them in sentences, they're doing "pedagogically useless" busy work that won't help them retain academic vocabulary. But there's a better way to teach vocabulary effectively. In this episode, I'm sharing research-backed vocabulary instruction strategies...

Struggling with Sunday teacher anxiety? In this episode, Leah gets vulnerable about waking up Sunday morning with that familiar dread, even after doing everything the wellness experts recommend. She shares what happened when she chose to read a book all day Sunday instead of grading, the guilt that followed, and why "adequate" teaching isn't the same as phoning it in. If you're m...

Not every student is college-bound—and that's okay. In this episode of "If Teachers Ruled the World," veteran high school teacher Leah Cleary shares a powerful story about a brilliant AP student whose senior picture wasn't displayed because she chose military service over college. Discover why celebrating alternative paths after high school matters and explore viable career optio...

AI policy in schools has teachers navigating federal chaos with zero training. In this episode, veteran AP teacher Leah Cleary breaks down the Biden vs Trump AI education executive orders, reveals why only 2 states require district AI policies, and translates what state guidance actually means for classroom teachers. She shares how she uses AI tools like her custom GPT for grading ( https://leahcl...

In this episode of If Teachers Ruled the World , host Leah Cleary tackles every teacher's nightmare: waking up sick and having to create substitute teacher plans at 5 AM. She shares a practical system for how to prepare for a substitute teacher that works for both random sick days and extended emergencies. Leah breaks down two approaches—quick last minute sub plans using templates, and a compl...

What happens when life gets hard outside of school, but you still have to show up for 150+ students with zero time to breathe? In this episode, I'm getting real about the unique demands of teaching - the performative nature of our job, the myth of the "free period," and what it costs to be "on" all day with no breaks when you're also dealing with personal struggles. If...

We're heading back to school on a Friday after New Year's Day - and if you're feeling the pressure to have everything perfectly planned for spring semester, this episode is for you. Host Leah Cleary shares her honest mid-year reflection: what sustainable teaching strategies she's keeping (student annotation, AI grading assistants), what she's adjusting after learning some hard...