Stumbling Through Work

Jerek Hough
  • 5.0 (7)
  • HOW TO
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Working in education is to stumble through your everyday! We love what we do, but staff, families, policies, regulations and sometimes even the children make us quit everyday then come back the next day. Just remember, you are not in this alone.

  1. 3D AGO

    Your Child Is Not DoorDash, And Pre-K Isn’t Amazon Prime

    Send us a text Preschool isn’t “just pre‑K.” We dig into the data on chronic absence and make the case that showing up is the intervention: consistent attendance wires language, early math, and self‑regulation, and those early gains echo into second grade and beyond. When half of a public pre‑K cohort is chronically absent, the consequences aren’t abstract—they surface as reading gaps, behavior challenges, and classrooms stuck reteaching routines instead of building new skills. Follow me : Website: https://www.abbreviatedlearning.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbreviatedlearning Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbreviatedlearning

    43 min

  2. JAN 29

    Circle Time w/ Airis Potts

    Send us a text We dig into the human side of early childhood leadership with Aris “Mama Vegas” Potts, from calling out harmful nap practices to surviving licensing scares and rebuilding trust. We push for boundaries, better funding, and a brighter path for children and the people who teach them. Follow me : Website: https://www.abbreviatedlearning.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbreviatedlearning Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbreviatedlearning

    38 min

  3. JAN 27

    Preschool Wins, Childcare Loses

    Send us a text Want to know how a well-meaning universal preschool plan ended up shrinking childcare access across Los Angeles? We pull back the curtain on the economics policymakers ignored: four-year-olds don’t just fill classrooms, they subsidize infant and toddler care. When those children moved to free public programs, more than 150 community centers closed and 12,000 seats disappeared. We walk through the margin math, the licensing realities that make “just pivot to infants” a fantasy, and why the equity win landed hardest in wealthy neighborhoods while working families lost options. Follow me : Website: https://www.abbreviatedlearning.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbreviatedlearning Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbreviatedlearning

    44 min

  4. JAN 20

    Milk Mustaches and Mixed Messages

    Send us a text Headlines say whole milk is back for kids, but that’s not the whole story. We dig into what the new Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act really changes, what it doesn’t, and why most early childhood programs are still bound by CACFP, state licensing, and QRIS. If you’ve already fielded a parent email that starts with “If schools can do it, why can’t you?” this conversation will arm you with simple language, clear reasoning, and a plan to steady expectations without extra drama. Follow me : Website: https://www.abbreviatedlearning.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbreviatedlearning Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbreviatedlearning

    33 min

  5. JAN 15

    Circle Time w/ GiGi Wynn

    Send us a text With veteran coach and trainer Gigi Wynn, we explore ECE in different positions with what real support looks like when safety, behavior, and policy collide. Follow me : Website: https://www.abbreviatedlearning.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbreviatedlearning Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbreviatedlearning

    42 min

  6. JAN 13

    America Loves Kids Like I Love My Gym Membership

    Send us a text A country that can regulate crib slats but can’t protect classrooms has its priorities backwards. We start by tearing into the ritual that follows school shootings—thoughts, prayers, half-staff flags—and ask what it would look like to put children over comfort with policies that actually reduce harm. No platitudes, no performative concern, just a hard look at how safety becomes theater while kids carry the weight. Follow me : Website: https://www.abbreviatedlearning.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbreviatedlearning Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbreviatedlearning

    38 min

  7. 12/16/2025

    Child Care Math Is Rude

    Send us a text We call out the broken childcare math, the lazy myths about greedy centers, and the way policy failure pushes women and caretakers out of the workforce. Then we go inside preschool life under immigration fear, answer tough listener questions, and lay out practical policies that keep programs sane. • Why childcare costs more than rent yet underpays educators • The harm of treating a public good like a luxury • Real fixes: public investment, wages, and employer flexibility • How ICE fear disrupts drop-off, enrollment, and trust • Trauma signs in preschoolers and staff emotional labor • Licensing, documentation, and impossible compliance choices • Concrete supports: trauma training, data privacy, community partners • Listener Q&A: probation anxiety, diarrhea policies, hide-and-seek • Hiring insight: answering conflict questions with emotional intelligence • Policy segment: why two-week written notice exists Follow me : Website: https://www.abbreviatedlearning.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbreviatedlearning Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbreviatedlearning

    40 min

  8. 12/09/2025

    Inside A Preschool Scandal: Abuse, Oversight Failures, And The Fight For Safer Childcare

    Send us a text We confront a big-brand preschool scandal, then widen the lens to expose how staffing, oversight, and culture create the conditions for harm—and how to fix them with real accountability, funding, and courage. Along the way we answer listener questions, call out hiring red flags, and argue for licensing that measures safety culture, not just binders. • abuse allegations at a brand-name preschool and bleach-water incident • systemic causes: staffing crisis, weak oversight, corporate optics • fear and silence that block whistleblowing • parents’ tools: unannounced visits, incident logs, clear questions • educator survival: routines, pacing, co-regulation, mentorship • leadership actions: audit training, ratios, supervision, remove unfit staff • policy fixes: funding aligned to expectations, QRIS, continuous accountability • licensing reform: consistency, context, partnership over punishment • listener Q&A on overwhelm and handling a parent’s sexist, racist behavior • hiring red flags and interview answers that reveal fit • practical policies: why wage garnishment lives in the handbook If today made you laugh, think, or just say, Wow, that's my life, go ahead and subscribe and leave a review. Or share this with another educator who's one licensing violation away from quitting. Follow me : Website: https://www.abbreviatedlearning.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbreviatedlearning Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbreviatedlearning

    41 min
See All (74)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Working in education is to stumble through your everyday! We love what we do, but staff, families, policies, regulations and sometimes even the children make us quit everyday then come back the next day. Just remember, you are not in this alone.

Information

  • Creator
    Jerek Hough
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Stumbling Through Work
  • Show Website
    Stumbling Through Work