Molly Dugan: "I felt that one in my nuggets."

Molly Dugan, a teacher in Kansas, shares her experience of becoming a social media sensation through her TikTok videos about her middle school students. She discusses how her videos blew up overnight and the surprising audience she attracts.

Molly reflects on her own childhood and the challenges she faced growing up, including her parents' divorce. She also talks about her journey into teaching and how she strives to create a supportive and inclusive classroom environment.

Molly emphasizes the importance of humor and authenticity in connecting with her students and helping them navigate the challenges of adolescence. Molly Dugan shares her experience as a teacher and the impact she strives to make on her students. She recalls a teacher from high school who inspired her to pursue teaching and create a classroom environment focused on conversation and discussion.

Molly emphasizes the importance of making students feel respected and included in the learning process. She also discusses the challenges of teaching and the need to find humor and be present in the classroom. Molly reflects on her role as a teacher and the goal of leaving a lasting positive impact on her students.

Keywords:

Molly Dugan, teacher, social media, TikTok, middle school, childhood, parents' divorce, teaching, classroom environment, humor, authenticity, adolescence, teaching, classroom environment, conversation, discussion, respect, inclusion, challenges, humor, presence, positive impact

mccoshfilms.com

Molly Dugan on Instagram

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Hello everyone, I want to 1st apologize for the late episode
this week. Life has gotten in the way as it
sometimes does, but we seem to be back on track and moving
forward. This week we have a wonderful
conversation with teacher Molly Dugan.
Molly strives to share a relationship with her students
that is built on respect for oneanother.
Molly has also found a great following on social media, with
one of her humorous posts achieving over 17,000,000 views.

(00:23):
Wow, this is a great episode, one that every teacher should
definitely see. Before we get started, I just
wanted to remind everyone to please like and share the show.
It really helps us out in the long run.
OK, let's get started. Auto sequence start in five
four. 3/2. 1 And now on with theshow.

(00:58):
Hi, I'm Molly Dugan and happiness is growing where you
are planted. All right, Molly Dugan, thank
you so much for being on TODAY, affectionately known also as
Miss Dugan on social media. Thanks for having me, I'm
excited to be here. Yeah, absolutely.
So you are teaching now in Kansas, is that right?
Your. Teacher, I'm in Kansas.

(01:19):
That's, yes, the Kansas City area.
Kansas City are you Are you highschool now?
Are you still middle school? Oh yeah, high school.
I know. I it's pretty.
It's pretty funny that all this has kind of happened based on my
middle school stories, and it all happened right after I had
accepted this high school position, so I'm going to get to
compare notes with middle to high school.

(01:40):
That's all. Yeah, that's going to be
interesting to see how the kids are different for sure.
Did you? So all that just kind of started
in middle school. The whole social media blow up
is that. So it started in May, so it was
like maybe two weeks before the school year was over.
I had never posted on like TikTok before and on Instagram.

(02:02):
I had had like a teacher Instagram, but I think it I
don't even think I had logged into it for like a year.
I just, I'm actually never been good at social media and I kind
of seen the trend going around and I was like, Oh my God.
You know, I'm sure every teacherhas thought I have a lot of
things I could say of what kids have said to me.
So I just thought, you know, oh,I have two weeks left in middle

(02:22):
school. Let's let's make one for all the
middle school quotes that I've gotten.
And it blew up it just overnight.
And so yeah, I just thought I'll, as long as people watch, I
guess I'll keep posting. Yeah.
I mean, have you noticed that a lot of do you get a mix of
different audience size like teachers, is it everybody,
parents, teachers, kids? It I, I, I don't really know.

(02:45):
I don't really know who my audience is like I do and I
don't, you know, it's kind of hard to tell because I don't
think a lot of kids see it. I think my my students last year
saw it because they were so excited.
They were like, Oh, I said that and they were all tuning in.
I don't know that I'm necessarily on like student tik
toks. I don't think that their
algorithm, they want to see their teachers on their

(03:06):
algorithm. It's a lot of like people my age
and then people older than me that are really watching a lot.
And I think it's just people that have been through.
I think it's like people in their 20s and up because we've
been in middle school. And so we find that funny, You
know, we're like, Oh yeah, I remember whenever I was that
age, so. Absolutely, yeah.

(03:27):
It has definitely struck a chord, that's for sure.
Kind of going backwards. Did you grow up in Kansas?
Did you? I did.
I'm a Kansas girl through and through.
I grew up in Wichita, so pretty.Central Kansas, South Central
and I, No, it's not South Central.
Actually, don't ask me. You didn't ask.
But I can't go into geography because I'm going to end up

(03:48):
sounding real dumb here real fast.
Oh, no, we won't go. Yeah.
That's. I'm, I grew, I did, I grew up in
Wichita and I went to school at Pitt State, not in Pennsylvania.
It's in like southeast Kansas and it's a division two school.
And so from there it was like, oh, where do you go after this?
And in Kansas, you know, Kansas City is kind of that big city.

(04:09):
So I was like, well, I got to goto the big city and I just love
it. I love Kansas City.
Nice, I I would love to visit. I've not been there but I've
heard really good things about it.
It's just a great city. Where are you?
At Tennessee, so Knoxville, so about 3 hours from Nashville.
So we're kind of in the same Midwest S we're kind of in the

(04:29):
same there kind of belt. So what was school like for you
as a kid? Did you enjoy middle school,
high school? What was that like?
It was, it was interesting for me.
I think to me, OK, I think that most people, when they look
back, of course, we all feel like our own lives.

(04:49):
We went through profound transitions, but really we kind
of all just went through the same thing in a lot of ways.
You know what I mean? Oh, we could all say that about
ourselves. But looking back, I feel like
every level, like elementary to middle to high school, I really
saw big changes happening in me.I was always like a little bit,

(05:11):
I was kind of behind my peers growing up.
I'm an August birthday, so I wasreally young for my grades and
like my maturity was always a little bit behind.
You know, I didn't really start like caring about romantic
relationships until after all myfriends already were like little
things like that. And I like I was kind of weird.
I was like, I didn't find my embarrassment gene until a

(05:34):
little later in life. And so I think that I had a
really enjoyable, like elementary school.
I was involved in a lot of sports.
I lived a very like, I had a great life.
I mean, I had a lot of really great friends.
But yeah, I was kind of weird. I was kind of a weird kid.
And then whenever I was in 8th grade, my parents split up and

(05:56):
that was a really hard age for that.
Every age is hard, but that was a really hard age because I was,
I think, old enough to know about life a little bit, but
young enough to not really understand why this was
happening. And I didn't have the maturity
to understand how to handle those emotions coming with it.
And so I would say like the start of high school for me, I

(06:18):
don't remember all that much looking back, because I do think
I was kind of dealing with a lotof the trauma that came from
from that separation in 8th grade.
And I went through a lot of maturity because like I said, I
was kind of behind. And then it was like I was fast
forwarded into maturity because of the natural responsibilities
that come from now having parents that are separated.

(06:39):
So it was kind of a weird, weirdswitchover for me.
But overall, I had a really great childhood.
I mean, I had great friends involved in sports, just good
memories. That's good.
I'm similar backgrounds. My parents split up around the
same time too. And I, I remember that time
where you have to just ramp up your maturity level and you have

(06:59):
to almost become an adult fasterthan you want to.
You, you kind of miss out on some childhood events because
you really have to just you're learning about problems that
really you shouldn't have to worry about in that age.
So. I think even if, like, my
parents, let's say, had done, which, of course, I mean, this
was their first divorce, they didn't know what they were

(07:20):
doing. And, you know, I'm at that age
now where it's like, oh, yeah, my parents are just humans, too.
But I think, like, even if they would have handled it perfectly.
Yeah, You're like you, I think you said perfect kids are just
exposed to problems that they'renot ready to process yet.
And I even remember my parents saying, like, I can't explain to

(07:41):
you why this is happening because you're not, you'll
understand when you're older. And that'd make me so mad.
And now it's like, no, I really wouldn't have understood it.
And there's just no, there's, there's going to be hurt that
comes from it, no matter how well parents handle it or
whatever, because it's just, it's a, it's a drastic change in
your life, you know, But it, I think that it, I think that kids

(08:04):
naturally grow up through divorce because it's like a
coping mechanism as well during it.
You know, again, even if your parents are like, no, that's not
your responsibility. I think there's like something
that kicks into gear of like, yeah, but I need to problem
solve some of this that's going on of splitting my time.
And you know, your emotions are feeling separated and split in

(08:24):
half and it's just going to cause some weird stuff to go on.
Oh, yeah, yeah. And you just looking back on it
and your childhood, you think, oh, you know, I didn't really
have, I guess take the time to enjoy time with my friends
sometimes or because I was worried about, you know, you
kind of get into some behind thecurtain of like, oh, we're
struggling with money or, you know, my dad is is moved on and

(08:48):
I'm staying living with mom and,you know, we're not doing so
well financially. So you're kind of exposed to
some adult problems that really can cause anxiety, you know, in
an early age. Well.
Kind of feels like, I think as akid that you're going through
the breakup with your parents. I mean, you are, but it was
really weird to watch my parentsbe heartbroken and not be able

(09:15):
to like help them and like take that pain away.
And I'm I don't know. So I'm a middle child.
So like I'm like AII don't know if this is because I'm a middle
child or if it's because do you are you do you are you like into
the enneagram types at all? Kinda, I mean I've I've been
talked to about some of that butI've not really gotten into and

(09:37):
like exploring it. But tell me about it though,
sorry. I've been totally bought it and
like I think it's just so interesting.
I don't think it's like your endall be all personality, but I
have found it really interestingto like learn more about myself
and like about my peers and my family through it.
Anyway, I'm an Enneagram 9, which is the peacemaker.

(10:00):
So like, I'm like debilitatinglyindecisive, but I also am really
good at mediating and like talking through things and like,
you know, conflict resolution ina lot of ways.
And so I, I think it that reallyamplified that side of my
personality at that age as well.Kind of gets you in tune with
trying to figure out those problems and helping.

(10:21):
Because when you have your parents split up, you are trying
to figure out, well, who do I talk to?
Who do I help? Because parents naturally are
not at odds. But if it's a messy divorce,
they're kind of going back and forth.
And sometimes, which happened inour case, the kids are kind of
used, I guess, to some sort of form of manipulation.

(10:42):
But I don't think it's done maliciously.
But you just kind of fall into that like, you know, when you're
with one parent over the other. So it's difficult to maneuver
for sure. Absolutely.
Did you Speaking of of that, it's a very, it's, it's heavy to
go through that, but did you have you have such a great sense
of humor? Were you funny as a kid and did
that help you get through some of that?

(11:06):
Oh God, it depends on who you ask.
My family likes to give me a really hard time for like just.
I just like my personality. As a kid, I was like, people
describe me as a kid as being goofy, like not I didn't have a
mature sense of humor. It was like a very immature

(11:26):
sense of humor. But did I like to make people
laugh? Did I try to be funny?
Yes. I liked, I think I I naturally
was kind of awkward and quirky and I wasn't very shy.
And so I would kind of do these like, he was probably kind of
cringe to watch. Like, my mom's probably like,

(11:47):
oh, God, Molly, like, what are you doing?
But did it like, kind of make people laugh or like, did it
give people a reason to not be embarrassed themselves?
Probably, you know, so it it wasit wasn't the same kind of humor
that you probably see on my social medias.
But yeah, definitely. I think from a young age, I
wasn't afraid. This makes me sound really

(12:07):
egotistical, but I wasn't shy. If if, if attention was on me, I
wasn't shy. I like to do performances for my
family and I liked to take the goofy picture and you know,
whatever it might be. So yeah, I guess it did kind of
stem from from childhood a little bit.

(12:29):
Now do you? You said you're a middle child.
Do you have two sisters? Two brother and sister?
What do you? Two sisters.
Do you have an older sister and then have a younger sister?
She's like about six years younger.
She was a surprise, the best surprise.
And so she's she has a bit of anage gap from me and my older
sister. OK.
Yeah, it's interesting. It's yeah.

(12:49):
We're pretty close though. Yeah, I've got 2, two brothers
and we're about seven years apart.
So we're just opposites, but like, yeah, two sides of the
same. Two same coin exactly.
Are you the youngest? I'm the oldest actually.
So the oldest, yeah. So that's.
Well, I would have pissed you off.
Right. That's getting attention.

(13:11):
I've been upset. Do you think, is there
competition there, do you think between siblings?
I know with brothers there's always like, you could be good
or bad. You're trying to make each other
laugh, but you're also like, youknow, kind of getting in there
with one another. But did you find that too?
That's interesting. I don't think that there was my

(13:34):
older sister. We're not.
We're not similar, which is kindof why we work and we were never
not. It's not that we fought that
much. We fought definitely.
And it was like petty sister stuff.
We more just were so different that we didn't spend like our
early years together that much. Like I was literally she, she

(13:56):
probably thought I was so annoying because I was, I was a
goofball and she was so practical and logical minded.
She's in the she's very successful in the medical field,
very type A in a lot of ways. And like, again, we're pretty
opposite and I'm very type B andchaotic.
And so I think she would look atme and be like, you done

(14:17):
performing for everyone now, like, you know, like, can we get
back to what we were doing? And it's really great.
And then my little sister, she'sjust, I think far enough behind
that there was never competitionthere.
I mean, there was always enough of an age gap that it was just
kind of like, oh, my little sister, you know.
And so I don't know that there was competition.

(14:37):
Also my older sister, she was sosuccessful, I mean, dominating
in every sport, straight A's, all the things.
And my motivations were like, what's going to be my after
school snack? You know, like what, who's going
to ask me to the prom? And like, I was very, I think

(14:59):
superficial minded at that age, which also could have been a
coping mechanism for like the divorce and stuff that I don't
think I ever like looked at her and was like, oh, she's always
better than me. I think it was just something
known of like Megan is better atme in sports, like she just is
and that's great. Like I don't know, I'm not going
to go play college volleyball someday, but like I'm going to

(15:20):
do my best right now. I like, I just kind of was
pretty self aware about that, you know?
Yeah, didn't bother you. It's just kind of you had your
own stuff going on so it wasn't a big deal.
And we do even now, it's kind ofnice, you know, she's really
successful in her field and you know, I'm, I'm doing OK and, and
what I do. And so we get to each kind of
have our own pride. And my little sister's still in
college, so she's still figuringout her identity and and all

(15:42):
those good things, so. Wow.
Well, how did you get on a teaching path?
Did you know from the very beginning that that's what you
wanted to do, or do you kind of fall into that?
I, I kind of fell into it. I knew that I wasn't going to be
the type to become a doctor or like an accountant or whatever
it may be. I knew I wouldn't be in medical

(16:03):
science math, not for me. This is really funny.
This is going to be literally the most uninspiring story that
you've ever heard. I went to college, like I said,
I was really indecisive and I was undeclared and so I was
taking Gen. Ed's.
Finally my advisor sat me down and was like, hey, you're out of
Gen. Ed's, you got to choose a major.

(16:24):
And I was like, no. So I like called my dad in tears
and I was like, I have no passions in life.
I don't know what I want to do. Like what?
Because I, I was never that kid.That was like fantasizing.
I think if you go back into my preschool book, it said what do
you want to be whenever you growup?
And I said a Krispy Kreme workerbecause I wanted free doughnuts.
Like I, you know, goals got to. Have goals?

(16:47):
Literally, thank you. And they had cool hats.
They wore those like pointy hats.
And so, you know, finally, I just kind of had thought about
it. I was like, OK, at the time I
was working as a teacher assistant in an elementary
school because I'd worked at a daycare in high school.
It was just a good part time job.
And I was like, you know, I do feel really comfortable just

(17:08):
being in a school. Like when I walked down those
halls, I don't feel like intimidating.
I feel, mind you, it's an elementary school, but like I
felt comfortable in the setting.And so I thought I could see
myself doing that. We're just going to go with it.
And so they were like, OK, do you want to do older or younger
kids? And I was like, let's go with
older kids just kind of flippinga coin here.

(17:29):
And they were like, all right, what subject?
And I was like, well, I was the least bad at English.
And so I chose that. And probably within two weeks, I
fell in love with it. I was loving the literature side
of things, like the actual English side of it.
I knew I felt comfortable as a teacher and speaking in front of
people and that sort of thing. And so it just kind of just

(17:53):
trusting my intuition just kind of worked out for the best for
me. And I definitely believe like
this is what I was meant to do. So that's.
So that's so awesome. Do you feel like we have those
moments in life where, you know,when you're doing something
you're meant to, it's there something that clicks, I think.
Or, you know, it's like a littlemessage inside that.
Yeah, I think that that that wasone of the first times I can

(18:16):
remember because I think before everything I did was kind of
already just decided for me, youknow, where I go to school.
Even like the sports I played wasn't I was a sports kid.
That was my activities, my hobbies.
And even that like it just was kind of a known thing in our
family. I'm sure that if I went to my

(18:38):
parents and I said I want to learn to play the piano, they
would have supported me. But that never even crossed my
mind because I think my older sister played sports.
I started playing out of since I, you know, I have memories.
And so I think it just, you know, where I went to school was
decided. So I think where I chose to go
to college and what my major was, was the first time I had to

(18:58):
make real decisions in my life and trust that it was going to
be OK and work out. And that was really hard for me.
And I think looking back, that'sthe first time that I was like,
got to feel that really cool sense of peace of wow, I'm happy
doing this. Wow, I'm happy with where I'm
at. Like I'm this this is working

(19:19):
out. And I made this decision and I.
So yeah, and I can trust myself.I think that you every time that
happens, you learn to trust yourself more in your decision
making. When you started out to do the
social media stuff, did you wereyou surprised at how quickly it
blew up and how popular it became?

(19:40):
Oh my gosh, yes, I had I'm not kidding you.
I had never posted on TikTok. I didn't even have a TikTok
account. Well, I did, but it was one of
those like auto generated usernames where it's like user
2593 like and so I'd literally one night I just I made an
account. I think I was at my part time
job. I made an account, I posted it,

(20:02):
no hashtags or anything. And I'd like went to bed.
I was like, wow, there's like quite a few views on this.
It's kind of crazy. And I woke up and it was like.
600,000 views by the next morning and I was like what in
the world is going on? It was really crazy.
So yes, to say I was surprised is an understatement.
I was shocked. Was that one of your comments
from kids posts that blew up like that?

(20:24):
The 600,000. Yeah, my first ever.
Well, it's at it's at quite a few now.
My first ever one is the, it's like things that my 8th graders
have said to me and I'm like in a good green sweater.
And it's like the one where the kid says I felt that in my
Nuggets. I don't know if you've seen that
one. Yeah.

(20:45):
That was the one that blew up. Yeah.
That started it all. Pretty crazy.
Have you, have you got comments from other teachers?
Like do you feel a connection like that?
You know, they find humor in that because they've been
through it. Is there a connection there with
some other teachers? I definitely think so.
You know, I think most teachers that like I knew they were, they

(21:08):
had already heard a lot of thosequotes because, you know, you
and you say, guess what this kidsaid to me today, Like, you
know, they kind of had already heard them.
But what most teachers say is like, Oh my God, that is like
the perfect representation of what what we hear every day,
like the the stuff that is to us.
And it I think it's yeah, like kind of a universal thing for

(21:29):
teachers. And then I had posted one about
how pretty much me saying like, I have so much respect for
elementary teachers, like I couldn't do your job.
And I was kind of explaining why.
And so many of them were like, wow, I feel so seen right now.
And I think that's The thing is we all just want to feel like
seen, you know, and we want others to understand our

(21:50):
experience. And I think teaching is so
niche, which it's actually like the first job you think of when
you think of basic careers, but the actual act of teaching and
what goes into being a teacher, truly only teachers will
understand. Like I don't think anyone will
know until they do it. And so I think whenever teachers
are like, Oh my gosh, yes, like that, yes, that's it.

(22:10):
That's what it's like. I think it it just feels really
validating. Yeah, it's like someone in the
field is is you're just sharing that experience with some,
you're in the foxholes with someone else.
So they kind of, they get it andthey can pick up on, you know,
they probably think, oh, that's I've, I've been there.
You know, I've had that same kind of stuff said to me or
about me or whatever else. You have to have a thick skin as

(22:31):
a teacher, I think, right? Especially nowadays.
Yes, middle school for sure. My favorite John Mulaney quote.
Do you know who John Mulaney is?Like, do you the comedian?
No, I think I probably would if I saw him, but.
Yeah, you'd probably recognize him.
He has a quote from one of his bits where he's talking about

(22:52):
he's like, the most terrifying thing in this world is a 13 year
old, he said. Because like, they'll, they will
make fun of you, but like in an accurate way because they're old
enough to be like, yeah, you don't look so good.
And they'll, they, but they still have the audacity to say

(23:14):
it. They still have the
impulsiveness to say it. So they're just like this crazy
mix. So yeah, I've had to, I've had
to develop some pretty thick skin over the years and like
I've had to become pretty securewithin myself really fast.
Does it surprise you at how smart these kids as comedy
writers are? Because some of these comments

(23:34):
are like, Oh my gosh, that's like something out of a stand up
routine. It's like, hilarious.
They're so funny. It's little.
That's why I, I, whenever peoplecomment, they're like, all
right, you're making it up at this point.
Like I'd be famous if I was, if I was that funny.
I can't come up with that. I don't think I wasn't that.
I wasn't even that funny as thatlike at that age, like it just

(23:57):
they're so funny and I don't I don't know where it comes from.
I don't know if like I think inspiration kind of comes from
social media. Probably they have more exposure
to like different comic. I don't remember as a kid
watching anything comedy, maybe a movie here and there, but it
was like Disney Channel jokes, which like no one's really

(24:18):
laughing at those, you know. So I think I don't know if they
have that and like that kind of it helps their creative minds
go. But like these kids have me deep
belly laughing. They either have me sitting
there like doing self talk of like Nope, like you are smart,
you are kind like you're OK people like you or they have me
like genuinely deep belly laughing so hard.

(24:41):
Like that's yeah, that's why it's a little crazy everyday.
You never know which side you'regoing to get.
It's hilarious. Do you think that my high
schoolers are going to be, I don't know, what do you think
about like if my high schoolers are going to be, if they're
going to have like crazier comments or more mild reactions?

(25:02):
I think maybe the kids in middleschool, there's still that sense
of purity, I guess, where they're making comments, but
it's not as like, dagger in the back kind of comment.
High schoolers may be a little meaner, I guess.
I don't know. But yeah, you'll have to tell me
what. Yeah.
Yeah, like I'm a little afraid that they're going to be mean.

(25:24):
And I'll be like, I can't repeatthat online.
Like, I'm not going to say that to a camera.
You're going to have to bleep stuff out.
There's a lot. There's a lot that I've wanted
to post, but I'm like, I can't say that.
Like there's some really funny stories.
It's just like, I don't want to say that on the Internet, you
know, so. That might be for your your paid
subscribers. Maybe they could pay for Yeah,

(25:44):
there you. Go there you.
Go well, I read recently a Newsweek article where they
interviewed you and one of the quotes, let me see if I I really
loved you said my kids might poke fun at me and have some
brutal 1 liners, but they are all incredible humans whom I'm
proud to have taught. And it's so kind.
I think it's such a great way tolook at that.

(26:05):
And you really try to strive to let kids know it's OK to make
fun of yourself and it's OK to laugh at yourself.
And it just it seems like your kids.
There's that bond there. Did you set out that that's what
you wanted to create in your class?
That you wanted to have that honesty and kind of be yourself
in class. Yeah, I would say that's become

(26:31):
my top priority, especially for the age group that I teach.
I think obviously at any age, it's important to learn that you
you can be yourself, especially kids from a young age who are in
their formative years. But I think in middle and high
school, when I think back to howI was mostly in high school, I

(26:56):
was so worried about what everybody thought of me.
I remember walking down the hallin high school thinking to
myself, don't smile. You'll look like don't draw
attention to yourself. Like, I went through a few
really weird, insecure years of like, I just thought, you think
everyone's thinking about you, but really they're thinking
about themselves. And I think that if I can give

(27:21):
kids a break from that in my room, that's one of the best
things that I can do for them. If I can give them the chance to
take their mask off in my room and just kind of hang loose,
then I then we've created something really special in the
classroom. Because I think that's what I
wish I could do a lot. And I think the older I get, the

(27:43):
more and the more secure you become with yourself as you
become an adult in your frontal lobe finishes developing.
And all the things we people do start to feel more comfortable
to do that. But they're still at that age
where, you know, their mindsets are shifting so fast and they're
growing up so fast and taking ininformation that especially with

(28:05):
online and the comparison game and whatever it may be.
And I don't think I knew that I that was going to end up being
one of my main goals in the classroom until it already
happened. Like my first year of teaching,
you know, you just kind of go inand say, all right, let's try
our best. Like, I don't even really know.
And then as the year went on, I think I saw that happening.

(28:25):
I think I saw a classroom community developing and I felt
like, what felt to me, it felt like magic walking in a room and
being like, wow, like this is just a really cool group of
people and like it. There's something really magical
about watching two kids that maybe would have never crossed
paths. Maybe one's popular and one's

(28:46):
not popular and suddenly they'rejust having a random
conversation in class and you'relike, I don't know how this
happened, but this is like really special to watch, even
though you're never going to saythat out loud to them.
And it just I think that's become my main goal and it it
happens. It's happened for me mostly

(29:06):
because I end up embarrassing myself 1st And I think I
mentioned that in that Newsweek article.
Hold on one second. Do you mind?
That's OK. I'm so sorry I didn't lock my
door. Oh, you're phone.
Anyway, I think that I I embarrass myself really easily

(29:27):
and it kind of allows those kidsto be like, oh, we can, we can
poke fun at her instead of that everyone else poke in front of
me. And if that's how it goes, I'm
fine with that. Like, you know, I'm not going to
like orchestrate these embarrassing moments just for it
to happen, but it tends to naturally happen for me a lot.
So. Wow, have you seen a decline in
some anxiety among kids and withtheir peers?

(29:49):
Like they being able to do that and playing off you with some
comments and just being themselves.
I've got to think that some of that peer pressure may have kind
of gone away or melted away someof the anxiety.
I mean, I I would hope so. I don't think it's a foolproof
method method. Like, for example, last year I

(30:14):
had a student who there was there was a student in one of my
classes that I felt like we had a pretty good rapport in the
room. And it was pretty, yeah, pretty,
pretty good community. And I, I was going to have
students do even just a short snippet of speaking out loud in
class because most kids don't like that.

(30:34):
Most people don't like that. And I had one student who I
think was probably pretty insecure within themselves.
And by doing so, I think made kind of like to make other
people feel insecure to cope with their own feelings, which

(30:57):
is normal for kids that age to do.
Anyway, a student, different student had come up to me and
said, and this was like towards the end of the year.
And another student had come up to me and was like, I really
don't want to do this. And I was like, you have to
speak for 20 seconds Max. Like, I promise it's a good way
to challenge yourself. And so then I kind of was
asking, like, you know, why are you so adamant about not?

(31:18):
Are you nervous just being in front of me the whole class,
whatever. And they kind of looked at that
student and was like, kind of. And I was like, is it, is it
them that makes you uncomfortable?
They're like, yeah, they make fun of everyone.
I was like, ma'am, like that really stinks to hear because
here I am thinking we have this great classroom community and
here you are so feeling a littleanxious, you know, So I think
that for a lot of kids, it can start to melt it away.

(31:41):
But it's not, you know, it's still a heart age and they're
only in my room for a little bitof time and they still got to go
out into the halls and go to lunch and be on social media.
And so like I said, you know, you hope that you can help them
and help them get through that and feel secure within
themselves and feel OK with being embarrassed sometimes or

(32:01):
being themselves. But at the end of the day, I
have to remind myself some of itjust takes time and it takes
growing up too, you know, and learning, hey, that one person
let's having to talk through. Let's not let them determine how
we feel about ourselves, you know, that sort of thing.
Like they have their own, they have their own problems that
they need to solve. I promise you, you know so.

(32:22):
Oh yeah, and social media has made it so difficult to for kids
today and stuff that we didn't maybe have to go through coming
out through school, but social media is a whole nother layer.
Right. Oh, I, and because I, I had
some, you know, I Instagram was like starting off, but even at
that time, like I remember actually in high school,

(32:43):
probably one of those most profound things I did for
myself, which is kind of funny because I was in high school.
Like what did I know at that age?
I didn't just like delete my Instagram app.
I remember I for probably 2 years, I deleted my account.
Like I just didn't have an Instagram and my parents didn't
enforce that. I don't know why I did it it and
I did it for two years. I just had Facebook and which at

(33:05):
that time was kind of lame, you know, for everyone had
Instagram. But I think for some reason,
whatever reason, I did it. It was probably the best thing I
had ever done for myself becauseI think I had recognized I was
really comparing myself really bad.
And probably at that age it was really great for me.
And so I just like, I'm desperate for kids to have a

(33:31):
break from social media because I know how great it can be for
you, you know? Oh yeah, mental health.
Which is ironic because now I post on it.
Well, yeah, but it's kind of theanti post in a way.
It's kind of like you're trying to fight the good fight, you
know? But mental health is so
important for kids too today because there's so much going
on. There's like big world problems

(33:51):
and you know, it affects kids because they see stuff on social
media and it's just, I can't imagine what not only the
bullying, but other things that go on.
It's just it's got to be tough for them.
Absolutely. I think so too.
Did you the style that you have as a teacher?
Did you did you have a teacher growing up that you kind of

(34:12):
remember today still? And it kind of, I don't know,
not to say you model your style completely after them, but do
you still have a teacher that sticks with you and that's you
kind of are trying to make proudin a way or like and how you
teach? Yeah, actually, I'm glad that
you mentioned that because I haven't thought about this in a
long time. But back whenever you had asked

(34:33):
me what made me want to be a teacher, I guess I didn't answer
it totally fairly because there was a teacher.
Now that you say this, I think that back in high school, I
never had a plan for what I was going to be, where I was going
to go to school. But I remember sitting in junior
year language arts class, Mr. Manns, he was a real young

(34:58):
teacher. I'd only taught a few years, was
real energetic. And I remember just thinking, if
I could do what he does, I thinkI'd be, I think I'd have a happy
life. Like I think I, I think I could
do that. And that was probably one of the
first times that I was like, I could see myself doing this.
Did that stick with me? No, because oh, I know what

(35:20):
happened. I, my senior year I went
through, they had like one of those teaching programs in high
school where like it replaces some of your classes and you
would go shadow teachers and do those things.
And I hated it. I hated it.
I was in a middle school and I was like, I hate this.
I'm not going to be a teacher. So then the one thing that I

(35:42):
could see myself doing, I was like, it's not for me.
That's why I had the identity crisis in college.
I was like, I have no passions, whatever.
And so then I think I just was like, let's just try it.
And I fell in love with it. But Mr. Manns, I think he just,
he taught a little different because he had conversations

(36:04):
with us more than other teachershad.
It wasn't so much. I remember going into his class
and actually feeling like I my brain wasn't so focused on the
superficial stuff of high schoolduring that class.
I was like actually thinking about the novel we were reading
because he was just talking to us about it.

(36:25):
And I was like, yeah, this is kind of interesting, you know?
And it wasn't just like, oh, read these pages.
I'm probably just going to sparknote them and I'm going to
answer these questions on this worksheet and take a test and
then go read more pages on my own.
It was like, oh, we're actually,I don't know.
He just made me want to talk about it and dive deeper into
it. And it just didn't seem so like
formal. It didn't seem so cookie cutter.

(36:49):
Whatever of I think how education was a lot whenever for
in, in older generations, which is just kind of how it was.
That's how you learn to teach. And so I think I saw that and
was like, I like this. This could be really fun.
And I think I was, I, I liked the thought of that age group
because you could have those conversations and it could be
more of a, a open concept a little bit more.

(37:14):
So I think that that kind of, I don't know that I, I don't think
I remember class enough to copy my style based off of him.
But I definitely prioritize conversation and discussion in
my class and sharing of like interpretations and ideas and
thoughts. So kids can learn how to hear
other perspectives and share their perspectives and it's OK

(37:36):
for perspective changes etc. I think what you're saying about
about Mr. Manns, it's kind of like what you're doing with your
you, you respect them and they obviously respected you and the
other kids. So you have those conversations.
And I think when kids feel like they're respected and you, you
draw them into that conversation.
Kids love that, you know they, they love to be able to be
included. So absolutely kinda gives them a

(37:58):
little sense of ownership. Yeah, it's not just we gotta go
to the next class, but it's so great to know that kids would
look forward to that class and wanna be involved like.
I don't know. I don't have some of my
students. Last year I had a lot of
students that say to me and theysay I like you, but I hate your
class. I'm like, OK, why is it?

(38:20):
And they're like, I I just hate ELA.
And to that I say, fair enough. Like I don't have to be your
favorite subject, but if you sayI don't like you, then it's
like, oh, let's that's a bigger conversation.
So, you know, it just kind of depends.
It's OK if school is school, like at the end of the day, I'm
like, it's going to be work. You're not going to love writing

(38:40):
an essay. You're not going to love, not
everyone's going to love Shakespeare the way that I love
Shakespeare. But if I can like get them
because I just know that feelingof like, I could be giving the
lesson of a lifetime. But if their brain is focused on
the fight that they just had with their boyfriend or
girlfriend, they're not hearing a word that I'm saying.

(39:01):
And so if like I can give them that natural brain break of
like, hey, take a minute and just like you don't have to
think about your life during this, then like I succeeded that
day. And I might not do it every day,
but that's kind of the goal, youknow?
Yeah, yeah, if you can break. Because reading should be
entertainment. Yeah.
It should be enjoyable, like watching TV.
So, like, let's talk about it, you know?

(39:23):
And that's something that you hope they're going to carry with
them the rest of their lives. You know, Love for reading?
Wow. Oh yeah, that's a big thing
we've been talking about with these Back to School days as how
to try to get kids a little bit more passionate about reading.
I mean, there's so many distractions, right?
I am not as much as I would liketo be.
I I usually what I enjoy is audiobooks.
I really love that because I canput it in and like do other

(39:46):
things. Yeah, that's.
Just oh, I had been on the audiobook train for years now
because I tell people that I'm like, you can put in a book, get
your laundry done. Yeah, do the dishes.
Sometimes it when I'm listening to a really good book.
I add chores to my To Do List soI can keep listening.
I'm so productive. Oh, yeah, When you get out of

(40:06):
the car, you amazing. Oh, yeah.
And when you get out of the car,you hate it because you got to,
you got to miss some of that andyou can't wait to get back in
and and put it back in. I know.
Some of the Is it true that one of the the comments 8th graders
say got like 11,000,000 views. Is that right?
Or am I? Did I see that right?

(40:27):
One like one of my videos. Yeah, one of the posts got like
11,000,000. My the one that I told you
about, the very first one, the like original one is at
17,000,000 right now. Gosh, that's the very first one
that you did. Wow.
Very first one. It's pinned to the top of my

(40:48):
TikTok page right now. If you wow, you'd find it.
Do you do you have a favorite comment that I can?
Oh God, I know there's so many that you could choose.
I can tell you a couple. Months.
I think that my favorite one just because I got to like live
it. It was so funny was that I felt
it. I felt that one in my Nuggets

(41:09):
because in that moment it was like it was the, it was so
funny, like I was in the middle of like doing my my lesson and
it was like whole class engagement strategies.
I'm in my flow, I'm facilitatingthis, all these things.
And this kid is already like class clown.
Like how's you laughing? Just from the little he, he'll

(41:33):
stand up out of his desk, do a little dance, move, sit back
down. You're like, what is going on in
your brain, man? Just a funny kid.
And the way he said it under hisbreath.
And so he said it, he like got the answer right.
And he was like, yeah, I felt that one of my Nuggets.
And I think I like was up at theboard and I just like turned
around and he goes, I don't, I, I did not mean to say that out

(41:57):
loud. I'm so sorry.
Like he was mortified. And it had me laughing for like
10 minutes straight. It was so funny.
So that one I think has to be myfavorite.
Now, do you show like, what's the best way to do it?
Do you show this, it's hilariousin front of the kids?
Or do you kind of hold it back and go, oh, that's really funny,
but I can't? Depends on the comment.
That one I laughed, yeah, the whole class laughed.

(42:17):
So sometimes it's good to like, have those little moments of
that was funny, that was funny. You know, it's original.
Some of the ones where the kids are, like mean it kind of.
It depends. Yeah.
Sometimes they'll say things where I'm like, that was
unwarranted. I'm not mean to you.

(42:38):
Why are you mean to me? You know, I'm just going to say
that, but I don't. The key is to not act like it
hurt your feelings. Sometimes.
There have been a few times where I do like let my emotions
show. Like I've had kids say really
mean things to me and half the time I don't even know if they
mean it. They might a little bit, but
like, I think they just want to see a reaction or they want to

(43:01):
show off for their friends. And so sometimes I really will
be like, hey, like that was completely unwarranted and like,
let's have a chat about that because you shouldn't say that
to other people. Like that just isn't.
But most of the time, most of the time I'll like either ignore

(43:22):
it. Like sometimes I'll just look at
a kid and be like, OK, or I'll like they'll say something and
then the friends will be like, oh, like, are you just going to
let him get away with that, MissDugan?
And it'll be like, my favorite is one of students.
Like is that am I like the worstkid that you've ever had?

(43:42):
Like they'll be proud of it. Oh yeah.
So my favorite response would belike, if you think this is the
worst, like you have no idea what I've heard that just.
And then they're like you, wish you.
Were just it pours water on thatimmediately, like no, you're
nowhere. It just depends.
It just depends on like the kid and the environment and like,
are they doing it for attention?Like what?

(44:04):
It totally depends on how you respond.
Some of them is so smart and so quick.
Like one of my favorites is trash bag pants and that's just.
That one was like, I see. I laughed at that one.
That one's funny. Grandpa's couch.
I laugh. Grandpa's couch.
Yeah. Or most of the time I'll be
like, that's fair. Yeah.
Yeah. You know.

(44:25):
When you look at it and OK, you know, and you and I think
they've got to get a kick out ofit though, to really think, oh,
yeah, it said something. It was funny.
You you could have some future stand up comics in class.
You just don't. You never.
Know, I know, and it's kind of fun too, because we have like
inside joke that kind of builds classroom community too.
Like it's a fine line of don't let kids disrespect you and like

(44:48):
let them get a like just do whatever they want and think
that it's OK, but it's OK if they poke fun and you let it
become an inside joke. You know, you just have to have
that kind of 6th sense of where the line is and and base it off
of that. I mean, you have such a great
way of, of it's, it's, it's perfect.
Like when you're, when you're doing the posts and you're going

(45:09):
over the, the checklist. Have you always you, you've
spoken a little bit about this, but have you always been able to
take that and like laugh at yourself and not take it so
seriously and let your guard down?
Or has that been? Has that been a journey as well?
I think that every first year teacher, it probably takes a
little time. Like I remember the first time a

(45:31):
kid called me some names and I went into my, my mentors room
and cried, you know, cuz you're just like, I can't believe the
kid said that to me. And then by the second time
you're like, OK, you're just emotionally escalated.
Let's calm down and talk later like that, you know, go sit
with, you know, you send them wherever they need to go.
And so it, it, it's a little bitof a journey in the beginning of

(45:54):
your career, I think. And it's like the beginning of
my career started out pretty mild, like a kid looking at you
saying like, are you sick today?And you're not sick And you're
like, oh, thanks so much. I just look like this, which I
think a lot of people have gotten just from people in
general. They've kind of progressed as
the years have gone on. I don't know why that is, but

(46:16):
the severity of the comments have kind of progressed.
And I don't know if that's because I become more confident
in what I do that like, like I, I don't know if like something
about the environment has changed that I create or what,
which almost sounds like a bad thing.
But I yeah, I definitely took a little time to be secure enough

(46:36):
to let it roll off your shoulders and find the humor in
it, you know, and I think also, you know, sharing it with your
laughing about it with your Co workers and saying, guess what
this kid said to me? And you're just like, what is
our job? Like, what are we doing?
You know, it, that's funnier. You go home and you know, you
you share a quote with your friends and they're like

(46:56):
laughing and you're like, that is pretty funny.
You know, over time it's like, OK, yeah, don't take it so
serious. It's not that deep.
Yeah, and I think that's why you're such an important role
model for the kids, because you do that, you show them that.
OK, yeah, we'll laugh at that, you know, whatever.
But I feel like that's a way forthe kids to kind of see that
you're, you're comfortable in your own skin and they're able

(47:18):
to kind of start to move into that a little bit and not be so
anxious or worry about we're allgoing to, people are going to
say things to us out in life. Life's hard.
But I think if they can learn, start to learn to adapt a little
bit and say, OK, let it roll offof them a little bit easier.
It's not, it's not always easy to do, but I think you're,
you're doing great things with being a role model and showing

(47:40):
that because I think it's, it's hard for kids as they, as they
go out into the world, I mean. Absolutely.
Big time. Well, thank you.
Yeah, I try my best. You do you do a great job.
Do you hope what? What is your hope for the kids?
Do you ever think about a kid one day in the future, looking
back, telling their kids about Miss Dugan or an event in their

(48:02):
life that they kind of say, oh, wow, I remember I learned this
in Miss Dugan's class. Do you ever kind of flash
forward with that? Yeah, right now, my biggest hope
is that my 8th graders remember to capitalize.
I because they don't do that. No, like, they literally don't.

(48:27):
I don't know what it is. I think teachers across America
will agree. I don't know what it is.
They stopped capitalizing I. And you're like, I know you
learned this. Really.
Like, what is going on here? It's like truly like an
epidemic. It's so bad.
No, my favorite quote is from Maya Angelou.
Or is it Maya Angelou? I think it's Angelou.

(48:48):
I think it's Angelou. I don't know, OK, And it I, I
might mess this up a little bit,but it's something like people
forget what you did and people were for like forget what you
said, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
I love that quote. Which is so true because the

(49:11):
people that made me feel bad, I probably don't remember what
they said. Maybe it's sometimes, but most
time I don't really remember what they said, but usually you
just remember I didn't like being around that person.
They never made me feel comfortable.
They never made me feel welcome.They never made me, you know,
whatever. And the people that I felt happy

(49:33):
around and safe around and at peace around, you might not know
exactly what it is that they did, but you remember feeling
that way. And so I think at the end of the
day, I really try to push that on to my kids as well of like,
hey, you can say something nice to a person, but if you are not
welcoming to them or whatever itmight be, you know, just I try

(49:56):
to really embody that quote as best I can and kind of teach
that quote to my kids through, you know, just kindness.
But I think it's realistic to remind myself and to have to be
OK with the fact that I might not have been perfect around

(50:19):
each kid. You know?
I think that it's always my goalfor students to look back and
say I enjoyed my time in that room.
Of course, I want them to remember everything they learned
in my class, but they're not going to.
I don't remember everything frommy sophomore year English class,
but Mr. Mann's made me feel comfortable and like my voice

(50:44):
mattered. And I remember on an essay that
I wrote, he said you have a beautiful way with words.
And that stuck with me. And it's those little things
that I guess I hope that they can look back on and feel.
So then maybe they can go on andmake other people feel that way
too. And you know, again, if I think

(51:06):
about it, I'm not taught over 500 kids, which is really crazy
and a little scary because you're like, I have now impacted
500 kids lives. It would probably be crazy to
say that I've been a perfect. Every single one of them is
going to look back and say, yes,I feel that way about misdoing.
That's probably not going to happen, especially because I'm
probably not going to be the mentor for each kid.

(51:29):
And that's OK. But of course, that's always my
goal, you know, And I think that's most people.
Yeah, Yeah. They always say if you if you
help even one kid, then it was worth it.
And so I think that has to be a reminder in a job that can be
really overstimulating, really tiring, really sacrificial is,

(51:53):
hey, you don't have to be the savior for every kid, but if you
even touched one, then it was worth it.
Because I think as teachers, we feel this pressure to be
everything for every kid. But I have to remind myself,
these kids are going to have seven other teachers looking out
for them. So do what you can, be as
present as you can in front of the kids in front of you.

(52:14):
And it'll be it'll be what it'llbe.
Just go to bed at night knowing that you did your best to be a
positive influence for them and and hope that everyone else was
and that, you know, we didn't let kids fall through the crack.
You know, it's a team effort. For sure.
And then the next day is a new day.
So you can, if you do have any kind of regret like, oh, I
should have done this, you can always start over the next day

(52:34):
and. Right.
Come back fresh. I mean, I had a student last
year that at some point they just were not vibing with me.
They thought, you know, I was, Iwas getting on to them more than
other kids, which I truly did not believe.
But, you know, they felt that way.
And my, my Co teacher is a really good friend of mine.
We talked and I was like, hey, I'm not going to be able to have
a breakthrough with this kid. I'm just not, they've already

(52:56):
decided. They they, they, they're not
vibing with me. And she was like, I, I, we get
along really well. I'll talk to them.
And, you know, whenever they would get frustrated with me,
I'd be like, you want to go takea break in that room?
And they're like, yeah. And that's great because they
did have a person. And it's OK that it wasn't
always me, you know, because sometimes that's just how the
how, how it goes, you know? Yeah, yeah, I guess you vibe

(53:19):
with different people. I guess you, you kind of connect
with one thing I do. I do know that you're doing,
you're kind of, you're helping to break down that awkward,
often unapproachable wall between teacher and student.
You're kind of removing that a little bit so that kids feel
more comfortable coming to you with even maybe a problem or
just knowing that you're a person too and you're not just

(53:41):
this teacher that's kind of unapproachable.
Yeah, well, I that's the goal. I mean, I don't that that's
definitely the goal, which is kind of why I, I just gave a
talk in Arizona and one of the things that I like to, to staff
of teachers and one of the things that I was reminding them

(54:01):
was like that I was joking aboutwith them was, you know, so many
people will think about the start of the school year and
say, like, Oh, you know, it's probably so fun and like you're
not really doing anything yet inclass.
It's probably pretty easy. But teachers know it's like the
most exhausting few weeks because you're working so hard

(54:22):
all day long to be present and to make kids feel comfortable
and to break down that barrier of of all the stuff that like
you're on so much because you don't want to be standoff issue
on be. And so it's, it's definitely, I
think a goal for most teachers during the start of the year.
What would you say to a teacher?Maybe it's their first year and

(54:43):
they're really anxious and and maybe worried about how things
are going to go. What What would you offer as
advice you've been through that first year?
The first piece of advice I'd offer is it's OK if your

(55:05):
instruction isn't perfect. Your kids are going to learn
something. And I think that when I look
back on my first year, I probably, when it comes to the
actual act of teaching and like content, I probably didn't do
that great. I probably didn't.
I've learned a lot, you know, and it's OK if it's not great or

(55:26):
you're like, I don't really knowwhat I'm doing.
I'm just kind of like doing stuff.
And I hope that they're learningit.
And I don't really know how to know if they're learning it,
they're going to learn something.
So take a little bit of pressureoff yourself, like just, it's
OK. I would also really encourage
them to not be afraid to say I'msorry, which sounds I, I, I'm

(55:50):
afraid that my advice sounds a little bit pessimistic, but I
think teachers need to hear moreoften.
It's OK. Let's normalize not being
perfect at our drops. Let's normalize.
So for example, like let's normalize having bad days.
I remember a few years ago my I was going to school and I was

(56:13):
like having a really bad week. I was like really overstimulated
and I call my mom crying on the way to school and I remember
she's not a teacher. And she was like, honey, just go
and have the best, craziest day be be so crazy fun and do
something really fun in your room.
She was like trying to cheer me up.
I started crying harder because what I realized I needed to hear

(56:34):
from someone was hey, just go bea boring teacher today.
Just go survive. Your job is to make sure those
kids are safe and cared for in learning not to be the most
overwhelmingly fun. Someday you're going to feel OK
enough to be fun again, but today might not be that day.
And so I, I want to give first your teachers the reminder of

(56:59):
it's OK if like there's a day where you're like, I forgot
about this e-mail that a parent sent me two weeks ago.
What do I do? Just say I'm sorry, Learn from
it and ask them, you know, answer their question.
Oh, you're behind on grading. Apologize to your kids.
Say, hey, I'm human too. I'm sorry, I'm going to work on
it. Let's talk about goal setting.

(57:21):
My goal is to get better at grading what's yours.
You forgot you accidentally singled a student out in class.
Because we're humans and we don't always react perfectly.
Of course, we never want to single a kid out, pull him to
the side after class and say, hey, I realized what I had done.
I'm really sorry. That probably felt really
terrible. And I won't do that again to

(57:42):
you. Like, I really am sorry that
wasn't fair to you. And guess what?
Now that kids going to respect you, they're going to say, wow,
they actually care about my feelings.
They weren't just out to get me.And I'm still going to trust my
teacher even though they just accidentally singled me out and
it didn't feel so good, you know?
So don't be afraid to say I'm sorry because you're not going
to be perfect at this because you're dealing with other humans
too. And I think just the final thing

(58:03):
is like, try to be present. Try to try to embrace those
comedic moments, you know, because that that's where you
remember why teaching is so fun on the really hard days.
The days that make you laugh arelike, wow, this is also a really
cool job. I get a laugh with these really

(58:24):
funny kids. Like I don't think my friend
over here at their cubicle in whatever office building is deep
belly laughing three times a day, you know, So it just just
try to be present as as my finalpiece of advice.
Wow. That's excellent.
Are you? Are you happy?

(58:44):
I am happy. I am happy.
You feel like you found your calling.
Can you see yourself teaching insome aspect forever?
I know that's a You don't know what the future holds, but.
Yes and no. Yeah.
It's interesting that you're asking me that.
Last year I thought I was going to quit teaching.
Actually, it was my fifth year and I just was feeling really

(59:06):
burnt out and I was like, whoa, I get why teachers and the year
before is interesting. I was like, this is the best
year of my life. I will teach for forever.
And then the next year I was like, I don't even know if I can
do this for another week. I'm I don't know how, how do
people do this for a full career?
And I did a lot of soul searching and I had a lot of

(59:27):
support behind me. And Hindsight's 2020, I was
going through a lot of really hard personal stuff, which
obviously affected my whole world view of my life.
And so I think that that was thefirst time that I came to terms
with the fact of this might not be my forever.

(59:47):
I think I could be an education for forever.
I think I could be a teacher forforever.
But I'm allowing myself to explore a bigger calling, I
think. And I think last year was
necessary to open me up to that.And my dad had a really good.
Explanation He said, Molly, teaching is not your calling,

(01:00:08):
it's your job. He said your calling is bigger.
You can do a lot of different jobs with your calling, so maybe
you need to start looking at what your calling is.
So I don't think that teaching is my calling.
I think that my calling is connecting with people.
I think that it's like relationship building.

(01:00:28):
I think instructing is a really good skill of mine, and I think
teaching's a really good way to use my calling.
So I think that I could see my job changing.
It might be being a school counselor.
I thought about going back to school for that.
It might be doing something different in education.
It might be being a classroom teacher.

(01:00:50):
It might be a librarian. But right now I'm really happy
and I'm really excited for the school year.
I I'm relieved to say that I made it through that that hard
time with teaching and I'm rightnow, I'm still really passionate
about this. Well, good.
That's good. And your dad was very wise to
say that. That's a that's a great thing.

(01:01:11):
That's just true. It's so true.
Well, I know one thing. Every kid should be so lucky to
have a Miss Dugan as a teacher. You're you're you're great.
So thank you. Yeah, of course.
Thank you for taking the time. It was a great conversation.
I really enjoyed talking to you.And I will keep watching out for
more comments from the high schoolers now instead of 8th

(01:01:34):
graders. Hopefully it's not.
As yeah, we'll see how that. Goes We'll see how that goes.
Happiness, Sold separately, is created and hosted by Jason
Hensley and is produced by Makash Films.
Music by Soundstripe, narration by Lauren Gobis If you or
someone you know is in crisis and needs immediate help, call

(01:01:57):
the National Mental Health Hotline at 866-903-3787.
We would be honored if you wouldrate, share and subscribe from
the entire Happiness Sold Separately team.
Thank you for listening.