Non-Professional Development

💥 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast , we’re back from a short spring break… and somehow already overwhelmed. The episode starts exactly where you’d expect: with Dave defending the bidet lifestyle, arguing about Amazon reviews, and trying to figure out how someone buys six bidets and still can’t prove one made it to Ted’s house. From there, we jump straight into peak teacher se...

💥 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast , we somehow start with colorblind camouflage design… and end with an existential crisis about human existence. So honestly, a pretty normal episode for us. After returning from our off-set birthday special, we’re back in the studio and immediately spiraling into arguments about what “low key” actually means, whether Dave could successfully...

💥 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast , we’re officially off-set and on location for a very special episode — filmed at Dave’s parents’ house just before his annual “Birthday Thanksgiving” celebration. Yes… Thanksgiving. In April. We kick things off with a full birthday surprise moment, complete with some very questionable space-themed gifts (including one that might actually he...

💥 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we start with a debate that somehow turns serious: how often should you wash your jeans? Dave and Ted quickly realize they are not on the same page… and now we need answers. From there, we spiral into one of the most relatable teacher thoughts ever — what if school announcements happened in real workplaces? Imagine a Fortune 500 meeting get...

💥 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we kick things off with one of the strangest preshow conversations yet — Dave insists he has an invisible rash, and Ted immediately jumps to the only logical conclusion: scabies… somehow caused by clementine's. From there, things take a much more wholesome turn as we celebrate one of Ted’s students becoming EMT certified — and reflect o...

💥🍀 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day the only way we know how — with absolute chaos. It starts with Dave discovering that he might be a little more… eccentric than he thought, which immediately spirals into Ted and Mark (Goose) roasting him into oblivion. From there, we jump into a debate about whether phones can actually replace computers...

💥 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we’re celebrating one full year of NPD — and reflecting on just how ridiculous this journey has been. From some of our favorite stories and moments over the past year to one of the strangest snow day situations Dave has ever experienced, this episode turns into a mix of nostalgia, chaos, and a reminder of why teaching (and podcasting about...

💥 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, Ted and Dave realize something terrifying: We’re old... Like rotary phone, dial-up internet, AIM away message, and MySpace-Top-8 old. What starts as a nostalgic conversation about growing up before smartphones quickly turns into one of the most chaotic teacher episodes yet. Dave runs a classroom experiment to answer a question every teacher...

💥❤️ This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, love is in the air… and so is academic dishonesty. Dave surprises Ted with Valentine’s Day chocolates (bold move considering Ted hates chocolate), we swap hilarious student Valentine’s Day stories, and then drop the truth teachers have been sitting on for decades: We always knew you cheated. Also in this episode: more Mandela Effect spira...

💥 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we start with attempted culinary manslaughter and end in unexpected sophistication. Ted introduces Dave to wings so hot they nearly cancel the rest of Dave’s evening, we unpack the chaos of a former student wiping out on live news during a ski segment, and somehow transition into a heartfelt reminder of why teaching is still the best job in...

💥 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we’re joined by our longtime friend, fellow teacher, and science class survivor: Mike. Together, we dive into the weird and wonderful reasons Mike became a science teacher, decode the secret language educators use to plan happy hour without tipping off the students, and taste-test some science "snacks" that should absolutely not b...

💥This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, things get deeply unhinged… again. We’re unpacking the strange duality of students who are somehow mean and kind at the same time, taking a Ted’s Time Machine trip back to cafeteria days, and watching in real-time horror as Dave unveils his newest party favor invention: full meals in homemade push pop form. That’s right — Crab Rangoon. In. A...

💥 Teachers are dramatic. Admin emails are unhinged. And yes — Dave gave Ted Power of Attorney. Welcome to Episode 21 of the Non-Professional Development Podcast, where New Year energy meets unfiltered chaos. This week, the whole crew is back and somehow still recovering from Spamalot. We argue over who’s more dramatic (teachers or students), reflect on heartwarming classroom moments that reignite...

💥🎉 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we’re kicking off the new year the only way we know how — with weird dreams, questionable food choices, and a deep dive into the Oxford Dictionary. From New Year’s resolutions we absolutely won’t keep, to Ted’s unhinged dream universe, to the only word that ends in “mt” (dreamt), this episode spirals fast. Things only get worse when Dave...

💥🎉 Holiday Chaos Pt. 2: All Hosts, All Unhinged. This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, the gang’s finally all back together — Ted, Dave, and Producer Goose (Mark) — for a second helping of holiday mayhem, complete with popcorn trauma, New Year’s party outfits, and a surprising amount of math anxiety. From unwanted Christmas gifts and Crow Dave’s holiday persona, to snow day letd...

🎄 💥 Ted & Goose Take Over: Holiday Mayhem, Snow Day Roulette & No Dave in Sight?! This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, Ted and Goose (aka Producer Mark) are flying solo while Dave’s off vacationing — which means one thing: absolutely no rules. From chaotic holiday songs and questionable Christmas movie logic to the adrenaline-filled rush of snow day roulette, we’re divi...

💥 REWIND ALERT! This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we’re opening the vault to release one of our earliest, most chaotic unreleased episodes — and it’s got everything: DIY bathroom hacks, traumatic school bells, and a strong case for why Oregon Trail should count as social studies. Come relive the absolute madness of our early pod energy as we dive into the now-legendary “teach...

💥 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, Ted and Dave are unsupervised. No producer. No structure. Just pure, unfiltered teacher chaos. From reliving the emotional rollercoaster that was high school homecoming, to traumatizing flashbacks of the dreaded one-mile run, and even more Ted’s Time Machine nonsense — this episode is a caffeine-fueled mix of gym shorts, slow dances, and ba...

💥 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we’re going full chaos mode with some of the most unhinged Would You Rather scenarios in teacher history, a virtual reality screen cast gone terribly wrong, and a reminder that mitochondria is still the powerhouse of the cell… allegedly. Also: hospital visits, identity confusion, and educational bluffing at its finest. If you’ve ever had a...

💥 Sub Plans, Pet Hamsters, & the Exclamation Point Dilemma | NPD Podcast Ep. 14 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we’re spiraling through everything from substitute teacher disasters to the number of exclamation points that will (or won’t) get you fired in a staff email. Also on the docket: medieval hygiene facts (you’re not ready), Ted’s standing ovation moment, and a Te...

💥 Time Is Fake, Mickey Is Real, and Dave Packed WHAT?! | NPD Podcast Ep. 13 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we enter full existential meltdown mode — somewhere between Disney World, mystery weird lunches, and the theory of time itself. From meeting Mickey Mouse and reliving chaotic childhood assemblies to unpacking NASA’s thoughts on how your future affects your past, this...

💥 From First Kisses to Fire Drills: We’re Back & Slightly Unhinged | NPD Podcast Ep. 12 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we’re officially back… and it shows. We're talking awkward first kisses, ugly sweaters, classroom flashbacks, and stop, drop, & roll chaos — all while trying to predict the future of the pod with absolutely no real plan. It’s nostalgic, chaotic, sl...

💥 From Picture Day Smiles to Test Day Tears | NPD Podcast Ep. 11 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we’re rolling up the bus windows, straightening our collars for school picture day, and trying not to cry about test season. Again. From nostalgic rants about picture day to real talk about standardized test pressure and celebrating teacher wins, this episode brings all the emot...

💥 Freshmen Are Strange, Homecoming's Awkward & Dave Wrote to a Glue Company | NPD Podcast Ep. 10 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we’re diving into one of teaching’s most unpredictable species: the freshman. From weird things 9th graders say (and do), to the social tightrope of homecoming dances, this episode is filled with classroom flashbacks, questionable life dec...

💥 Back-to-School Survival: Restorative Circles & the Art of Bluffing as a Teacher | NPD Podcast Ep. 9 This week on the Non-Professional Development Podcast, we’re back in the building — faking confidence, holding circles, and desperately hoping no one asks about the syllabus. From bluffing your way through student questions, to trying your best to implement meaningful restorative practices, t...