In this deeply personal and emotionally charged episode, Vanessa Jackson steps away from her usual format to examine the civil trial of Abby Zwerner, the first-grade teacher shot by a six-year-old student. This is not a story about politics—it’s a case study in ignored warnings, failed leadership, testing culture, and the trauma teachers are expected to survive in silence. If you’re an educator, this episode will feel painfully familiar. It’s a mirror held up to a broken system—and a call to stop accepting the unacceptable.
🧭 Timestamps for Navigation
Use these timestamps in the episode description or show notes so listeners can jump to the parts that resonate most:
- 0:00 – Introduction & Framing
- 4:07 – The Pattern of Ignored Warnings
- 10:05 – The Defense’s Strategy: Deflect, Distract, and Weaponize
- 17:29 – The Test-Score Obsession
- 22:51 – Authority, Safety, and the Functionally Absurd Gap
- 28:47 – Leadership Accountability
- 35:00 – The Human Cost
- 40:50 – Broader Systemic Implications
- 47:47 – In Closing: What Are We Willing to Accept?
Please share this with anyone you feel needs to hear it. And if you want to talk, - contact me. I’m here.
👋 Connect with Vanessa:
- 📩 Email: Vanessa@TeachersinTransition.com
- 📞 Voicemail/Text: 512-640-9099
- 🧭 Discovery Call: Book a session
- 🌐 Website: TeachersInTransition.com
- 🔵 Facebook: Follow here
- 📸 Instagram + Threads: @teachers.in.transition
- 🐦 Twitter (X): @EduExitStrategy
- 💬 Bluesky: @beyondteaching.bsky.social
The transcript to this podcast is found on the episode’s homepage at Buzzsprout
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