Mr. Clarke After Dark

Andrea Caspari Spears (@caspariland) is a Teacher and Stand-Up Comedian who has been in the profession for more than twenty years and is a regular on the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour. On the episode, Andrea and I discuss the horrors of corporate gigs and doing comedy for people eating cookies and drinking orange juice, getting involved with Bored Teachers, believing you can be funny, crushing on Rob...

Jason Hamilton is currently in his first year in the profession and he is currently teaching Jr. High Social Studies and is one of the main coaches for the hockey program at his school. On this episode, Jason and I discuss reading our dad’s energy which contributed to our chill personas, not wanting to do labor jobs, his experience working as a labourer and thinking hell no, the trade of passion f...

Cathryn van Kassel is an Associate Professor of Curriculum Studies at Texas Christian University. Her research focuses on how different conceptualizations of evil function in the context of education within and beyond the classroom, with a keen interest in youth conceptualizations as well as a variety of understandings from philosophy, psychology, and social theory. She is particularly enthusiasti...

Mindy Francis is the definition of Jane of all trades and is currently working in her 23rd job as an Educational Assistant. More importantly, she is the mother of five wonderful children of whom I have had the pleasure of teaching a few. On this episode, we discuss her starting her own podcast Site Wife, cultivating a close family, student mental health and how being in Education helps her underst...

Dr. Elizabeth Washington is a Professor of Social Studies Education at the University of Florida College of Education. On this episode, Elizabeth and I discuss what it means to live in a democratic society and how to teach it our students, the main issues teachers face in attempting to facilitate difficult conversations, handling when students ‘go off the rails’ while discussing a heavy topic, the...

On this episode, Ben and I discuss the Keyano Huskies recent National Championship with the ACAC and my equivalent run in the fifth grade with the Sister Mary Phillips Saints, overcoming the Kryptonite of SAIT this year, the jump for athletes from the ACAC to the CIS, me helping one his teammates with their essays, his experience playing with York University, opportunities for basketball overseas,...

On Part one of our episode, both Ben and I discuss our experience losing our parents to cancer at a young age. Ben lost his mom to cancer and I lost my father to cancer in our early 20s. Ben and I discuss processing the initial diagnosis, how his mom had it for more than fifteen years, getting used to the cancer process, results weekends, how things worsened toward the end and how we are both very...

Cabrina (@cabrinascreativeclassroom) is a teacher in Virginia and is currently in her sixth year in the profession. On this episode, Sabrina and I discuss the specialization process of Special Education, Multi-Sensory Reading Instruction, gamifying her classroom, teaching in the ‘armpit’ of her school, academic regressions from her students after Covid, teaching parents to teach during Covid, tact...

Tany Yao is currently the MLA of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo and  also holds the role of Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health. On this episode, Tany and I discuss his move into provincial politics and his hilarious harassment of Brian Jean in 2015, his time as an Emergency Responder, the issues Fort McMurray has had with expanding its housing over the past ten years, the pitch of getting people...

Faith McPeek (@mcpeekteaches) is an elementary teacher based out of Illinois. On this episode, Faith and I discuss how adults are actually the most difficult part of teaching, how the teacher legacy continues after parents, kids vaping, the importance of student-centred learning, weirdness of standardization in elementary schools, how kids do not know how to athletically engage their body, the tri...

Sam (@samsleeves) is a Substitute Teacher by day and Stand-up Comedian by night and is based out of Los Angeles, California. He is also a Co-Host of the CallBacksPod. On this episode, Sam and I discuss how teaching through Covid inspired him to go into stand-up, the surprising things students say to him, his experience coaching college basketball, how it is weird being in charge of people’s childr...

Megan DuVarney Forbes (@toocoolformiddleschool) is a Social Studies teacher and has been in the profession for more than a decade. On this episode, Megan and I discuss the range of differences in the age range through junior high, the meaning of Social Studies and how we relay its message to our students, the importance of the ‘hook,’ tricking your junior high students into learning by accident, t...

Jennifer Keigher (@eastnash.teacher) is currently teaching in Nashville, TN, and has been in the profession for more than a decade. On this episode, Jenn and I discuss a natural path to teaching, the unexpected reality of teaching, being naturally sarcastic people, how teaching has become too much and how post-covid education is almost like the wild west, how we have many concerns about the future...

Gaspare (@standuprandazzo) is a Teacher and Stand-up Comedian based out of New York, NY. He is also a Co-Host on The Social Studies Podcast with Joe Dombrowski. On this episode, we discuss his appearance on the Netflix reality gameshow The Trust, the intense process required to land a spot on the show, how they did not know anything about the show until they were on the cliff at the beginning, how...

Jay Yoder (@jayyodercomedy) is Teacher, Comedian, and Podcast Host. He is currently a Co-Host on the Teacher Off Duty Podcast, and is one of the headliners on the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour. On this episode, Jay and I discuss his transition into comedy, being scared to start teaching and the pit stains that came with it, how he would bring an extra shirt to work each day, the importance of having...

Shannon Dube is currently the President of the ATA Local 48 and is also the Elementary Numeracy Coordinator for the Fort McMurray Public School Division. On part two of our conversation, Shannon and I discuss building relationships and being less awkward, the ‘excited to see you’ tool, setting boundaries, how things “grate on you” over time, what the most stressful part of teaching is, how parents...

Staci Bailey is a Secondary Humanities & CTS teacher and has been in the profession for just over a decade. On part two of the conversation, Staci and I discuss playing devil’s advocate for teaching time, the current teaching climate, how the teacher shortage is actually shedding the teacher comparison lanes in a positive way, how we both feel like we don’t know what were doing most of the tim...

Shannon Dube is currently the President of the ATA Local 48 and is also the Elementary Numeracy Coordinator for the Fort McMurray Public School Division. On part one of our conversation, Shannon and I discuss the weirdness of incentivizing teachers out of the classroom, how people who leave the classroom are viewed with lesser value for no longer being in it and the identity crisis that comes with...

Staci Bailey is a Secondary Humanities & CTS teacher and has been in the profession for just over a decade. On part one of the conversation, Staci and I discuss promoting ‘nugs, not drugs,’ ‘abstinence is awesome’ clothing, teaching expectations versus reality, figuring out which type of teacher she wanted to be, our agreeable nature, implementing structure(ish), managing student expectations,...

Connie Jakab is a speaker, author, and the CEO of Jakab Co. Connie has written multiple books, including Culture Rebel and Bring Them Closer both in a parent and teachers edition. Her work mainly revolves around coaching others to engage with their true path, as well as managing trauma within ourselves and in the classroom. On part two of our conversation, Connie and I discuss the teacher saviour...

Connie Jakab is a speaker, author, and the CEO of Jakab Co. Connie has written multiple books, including Culture Rebel and Bring Them Closer  both in a parent and teachers edition. Her work mainly revolves around coaching others to engage with their true path, as well as managing trauma within ourselves and in the classroom. On part one of our conversation, Connie and I discuss breakdance circles,...

Tim Coates is a Sessional Instructor with the University of Alberta and was a Diploma Exam Manager for Social Studies in Alberta for more than a decade. He has also been in the teaching profession for more than forty years. On part two of our conversation, Tim and I discuss the case for keeping standardized testing, the ‘friends of standardized testing club’ that does not exist, developing meaning...

D’Vaughn Powell is a Computer Science & Humanities Teacher who is currently in his first year in the profession. On part two of the conversation, D’Vaughn and I discuss authenticity in teaching about historical contexts outside of your background, developing self-esteem, handling past insecurities in the present and seeing students go through similar issues as you, the ‘negative self-story’ an...

Tim Coates is a Sessional Instructor with the University of Alberta and was a Diploma Exam Manager for Social Studies in Alberta for more than a decade. He has also been in the teaching profession for more than forty years. On part one of our conversation, Tim and I discuss the purpose of Social Studies and how to relay its importance to our students, how he was scared of being a communist when he...

D’Vaughn Powell is a Computer Science & Humanities Teacher who is currently in his first year in the profession. On part one of our conversation, D’Vaughn and I discuss how teaching is really four jobs in one, the unrealistic introduction your practicum gives you, the major differences between the systemic expectations for learning in Nova Scotia vs. Alberta, becoming a DJ in university, the a...