Teaching through Emotions: psychological strategies and resources for educators

Betsy Burris, PhD, MSW - Psychodynamic Coach & Education Expert
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Teaching through Emotions is a Women Who Podcast award-winning podcast that provides a rare form of relief for educators. Hosted by Betsy Burris PhD, teacher educator and psychotherapist, the podcast looks at bad feelings and bad behavior as meaningful and useful. Through a psychodynamic lens, she unpacks how emotions influence student behavior and teacher mental health. If you’re struggling with classroom management, feeling the weight of burnout, or dealing with the "bad feelings" that come with high-stakes teaching, TTE offers the psychological strategies, tools, and resources you need to stay grounded. You also get to hear beyond-surface-level tips and unique takes during interviews with remarkable experts. Join us twice a month as we explore psychodynamic teaching, effective classroom management, strategies for teacher support and mental health, and authentic conversations about the guilt, judgment, and joy of teaching. Co-hosted by Joe Johnson, long-time Spanish teacher. Get full access and become a paid subscriber to Teaching through Emotions at [www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe]. Listen to build up your psychodynamic muscles by hearing about other brave teachers’ wins when they thought nothing, NOTHING, would change. www.teachingthroughemotions.com

  1. The Frustrations of Having a Teaching Assistant: Managing the benefits and drawbacks

    MAR 19

    The Frustrations of Having a Teaching Assistant: Managing the benefits and drawbacks

    On the face of it, having a Teaching Assistant or any adult in the classroom is a boon, right? The more adults, the more expert help students can get, the better. In theory, yes. In practice, having a TA or an adult helper can feel like having too many chefs in the kitchen. Because it’s another person to manage — and that person is more likely to have ideas of their own about how to teach and manage students. Ideas that might not dovetail completely with the lead teacher’s. Which means more work for the lead teacher to either orient that adult every day or clean up after them. Or both. In this episode, Joe and I talk with Sarah, a university Spanish teacher whose school has gifted her with a TA every semester for the past 10 years — and she’s still figuring out how to make the best use of the resource. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. We discuss * Mentoring TAs: Figuring out how to teach a teacher while simultaneously teaching students * Sharing Expertise: Co-teaching as a unique source of information and wisdom * Bridging Cultural Gaps: Managing a TA’s discomfort with your teaching style or philosophy * Overcoming Student Anxiety: Planning ways to encourage students to make use of a TA effectively It’s a really fun conversation! With a surprising axiom at the end that everyone should heed. Credits Founder and Host: Betsy Burris Co-Host: Joe Johnson Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

    1h 1m
  2. Radical Love in the Classroom: Rethinking Professional Love

    MAR 5

    Radical Love in the Classroom: Rethinking Professional Love

    In this episode, I’m joined by Carol Garboden Murray, director of the Wimpfheimer Laboratory Nursery School at Vassar College. She is a lifelong lover of the youngest children, ages 0 - 5, and thinks a lot about what it means to teach and care for them. Early childhood education, care, and love are very dear to my heart. I know that teachers of young children have special skills and talents that teachers at all levels should consider and adopt. I hope this interview inspires you to think about and adopt them for yourself! Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss: - Caring for vs. caring about: Why “caring about” social justice or education is easy, but the actual, physical labor of fostering healthy development is where the real work happens. - The neuroscience of caring: How high-level empathy is a blend of neurological functioning and intuitive, creative practice. - Limits of caring: An honest look at what happens when caregiving stops being “beautiful” and starts being exhausting. - Professional Love: Defining a radical framework for love in the classroom that goes beyond “niceness.” External Links Carol’s Website Carol’s book, Illuminating Care: The Pedagogy and Practice of Care in Early Childhood Communities Mentioned in this episode TTE episode with Sarah Becker: Pre-school teachers have it right: Professional Love Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education by Nel Noddings The Real Wealth of Nations by Riane Eisler The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler A Different Voice by Carol Gilligan Awakening the Inner Eye: Intuition in Education by Nel Noddings with Paul J. Shore I and Thou by Martin Buber Carol mentions other thinkers without specifying publications. If you’re curious about any of them, get in touch and I’ll ask Carol for links. Connect & Share Got a story to share? Is "Professional Love" a term you've used in your school? Or does the idea of "Radical Love" feel a bit too intense for the classroom? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode! Support the Show: If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us. Get full access to the community: [www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe] Credits Founder and Host: Betsy Burris Co-Host: Joe Johnson Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

    1h 8m
  3. Ego in Teaching: What are the psychological benefits of having an ego?

    FEB 19

    Ego in Teaching: What are the psychological benefits of having an ego?

    I don’t think I have ever thought about the role of the ego in teaching. Until now! Thanks to an old student who wanted to talk with me about her ego, Joe and I dig into the tension between having self-regard (and being a little self-righteous) and maintaining amicable professional relationships. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Joe and I discuss * Redefining Ego: Why the ego’s “bad rap” might be holding you back * Managing Self-Righteousness: Practical tips for keeping professional relationships right — when you’re right, goddammit. * Validating Expertise: How to handle the frustration of colleagues’ not appreciating the value of what you know. * Teacher Objectification: Unpacking the emotional toll of being treated like a punching bag for all of society’s woes. Needless to say, everybody has an ego, so this episode is relevant to everybody. Teachers and non-teachers alike! Speaking of ego, I love this quote about TTE from Frank Racioppi of Ear Worthy: “I love that show. It’s one of the shows that does good in this world.” Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. External Link The Emperor’s Blades Credits Founder and Host: Betsy Burris Co-Host: Joe Johnson Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

    58 min
  4. Transforming fear into success. Who doesn't want to?

    FEB 5

    Transforming fear into success. Who doesn't want to?

    In a departure from the typical TTE conversation, I talk in this episode with Felicia Keller Boyle about her two podcasts, The Bad Therapist Show and What Your Therapist Thinks (if you’re already looking up the latter podcast, you are joining thousands of others who listen religiously). So we’re talking podcasting but, actually, we're talking about emotions. We’re therapists, after all. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. We talk about * navigating the guilt of making money and why women in particular can struggle with it * behind the scenes of how What Your Therapist Thinks reached the top of the podcast charts * managing the pressure of having a crazy successful podcast * strategies for overcoming fear and doing the things that scare you most * Felicia’s specific challenge to help you build your psychodynamic muscles this week Listen all the way to the end of this episode to hear Felicia’s challenge. She and I would love to hear your results! Leave a comment if you’re comfortable sharing. For my non-teachers out there: Check out What Your Therapist Thinks! Relevant to absolutely everybody! And PLEASE please please please: Fill out the TTE survey! I truly need to hear from you what you like, don’t like, want more of, want less of. Include your email address so you can be eligible for the drawing on Valentine’s Day that will get you a free TTE Tee or mug. It shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes of your time. Thank you so much in advance!!! External links The Bad Therapist Show What Your Therapist Thinks The Bad Therapist coaching page Jeremy Enns Guanyin Credits Founder and Host: Betsy Burris Co-Host: Joe Johnson Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

    56 min
  5. The Meowing Student: Understanding Weird Behavior in the Classroom

    JAN 22

    The Meowing Student: Understanding Weird Behavior in the Classroom

    In this episode, Joe and I unpack the story of a teacher who was so fed up with a student who was a huge “pain in the ass” that she wanted to quit. Right then and there. And I’ll be damned if she didn’t turn that relationship around in the most dramatic way. Joe and I talk about the difficult circumstances surrounding this teacher’s and this student’s situation and the hypotheses she and I came up with that helped her return to school and dig into their relationship. It’s kind of a miraculous story imho. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss: - Students and Negative Attention: Understanding the "cry for help" behind super irritating or provocative actions. - The "Nefarious Savior": How to support a struggling student without falling into a self-serving hero complex. - Classroom Aikido: How to use a student’s "negative" energy to redirect toward connection. - The Fine Line of Caring: Finding the sweet spot between emotional over-investment (burnout) and detachment. Connect & Share Got a story to share? What is the "meowing" in your life right now? Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158. Support the Show: If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us. Get full access to the community: [www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe] And there's more… I’m so eager to hear from you that my team and I have put together [a survey](https://forms.gle/i8LjC1DDJH4jypLC7!) to get a mid-season formative assessment from my listeners. I really want to hear what you like, don’t like, want to hear or read, etc. Please take a few minutes to give me your honest feedback! I’m a therapist, so I can take the truth. As incentive, anyone who responds will have their email address put in a nice hat from which I will pull a winner — of a TTE “Stay in Your Effin’ Garden” T-shirt! I myself have one (as you might imagine), and I love it. Soft, perfect fit, extremely useful message. Get to that survey as soon as is humanly possible — we’ll pull the winner on Valentine’s Day. Wow! What a love-ly gift!! Credits Founder and Host: Betsy Burris Co-Host: Joe Johnson Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

    54 min
  6. Are Robots Winning? Managing Teacher Anxiety Over AI in Schools

    JAN 8

    Are Robots Winning? Managing Teacher Anxiety Over AI in Schools

    "God, I hate AI." If that’s your first thought when you hear "ChatGPT” you are not alone. It’s like a drunk guy crashed a party, and no one knows how to get him to leave. In this episode, I sit down with Jesse Dukes, producer of the magnificent podcast on AI in schools called The Homework Machine. We discuss the findings his podcast team lays out about the complicated ins and outs of a “drunk guy” (as I put it) who has “crashed the party” (as Jesse and The Homework Machine puts it). Jesse (not the drunk guy) is so articulate and so sensitive to the information his team’s research gathered and reported that listening to him talk is just plain enjoyable! Whether you care about AI in schools or not! But you should care. This is a super important and complicated issue. Please listen. It’s food for thought we really need to digest. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss: The "drunk guy": Why AI feels so intrusive and chaotic right now. More than tech: Unpacking the "disruptions" hitting schools (it's not just the bots). The district response: The shocking reality of how school districts are (or aren't) handling the AI wave. The kids are alright: How students are actually using and responding to AI, and why their perspective might just give you hope. Feeling hopeless about the future? Jesse’s advice is simple: "If you want to feel hopeful, talk to a teenager." If you’re not an educator but if you’re a parent, a boss or just someone trying to keep up, this episode will give you a grounded perspective on navigating an increasingly artificial world. External links Rand report: “AI Use in Schools Is Quickly Increasing but Guidance Lags Behind” Stanford article: “Cheating: The AI Elephant in the Classroom” Teaching Systems Lab, MIT Teach Lab podcast The Homework Machine Connect & Share Got a story to share? What’s your experience with AI in the classroom? in your kids’ lives? in your own life? Add to the crucial conversation about the social and educational impacts of this insidious technology. Leave us a message about it. 413.239.4158. We’d love to play it on the air, confidentially if you prefer, so others can gain from your thoughts. Support the Show: If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us. Get full access to the community: [www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe] Credits Founder and Host: Betsy Burris Co-Host: Joe Johnson Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

    56 min
  7. Facing an angry parent? Here's how one teacher handled it

    12/18/2025

    Facing an angry parent? Here's how one teacher handled it

    It’s a good thing when parents are involved in their children’s educations. When parents establish routines for getting homework done. When parents attend Back-to-School nights, parent-teacher conferences, and student performances. When parents contact teachers with concerns or questions about their children’s experiences at school. But it’s a bad thing when teachers go all nuclear on their children’s teachers. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. In this episode, Joe and I chew on a teachers’ story of a parent who decided the right thing to do one night, right around dinner time, was to send an angry, accusatory email to their child’s teacher. Sound familiar? I fear it does to too many of you. In which case, this episode is for you! We discuss * what a ghost moose is * possible explanations for reprehensible Mama Bear behavior * why passionate (read “pissed-off”) parents are a gift * how to engage with people you want to hate This episode is helpful for parents, too, whether you have a child in school (and might be tempted to go ballistic on a teacher someday) or don’t (and might be tempted to go ballistic on someone else someday). Or if someone has gone ballistic on you! There’s good stuff for everyone in this episode. I would love to hear about a time when you had to deal with an irate person who was spewing on you. Leave a comment! Leave a voice memo on the TTE hotline! 413.239.4158. Be in touch! Thanks so much for listening. Happy holidays, everyone! Credits Founder and Host: Betsy Burris Co-Host: Joe Johnson Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

    52 min
  8. From Teacher of the Year to Burnout: A Healing Story

    12/05/2025

    From Teacher of the Year to Burnout: A Healing Story

    In this episode, I’m joined by physics and math teacher Stephanie Watroba. You’ll get to hear her dramatic journey through burnout — what it was like, why it happened, and how she got through it. She went from Teacher of the Year to burnout and depression to “the best year of school that I’ve ever done.” It’s an informative and intense conversation. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss: - Daily Burnout: Understanding that exhaustion isn't a straight line, and how to recognize the shifts in your energy. - The Psychology of the Teachers' Lounge: What negative talk among staff reveals about systemic stress and the need for support. - The Internal Critic: How high-achieving teachers use self-criticism as fuel until it leads to burnout. - Warning Signs: Identifying the red flags before they spiral into depression. - "Making Friends" with Burnout: Why fighting your burnout doesn't work, and how Stephanie learned to listen to her burnout as a signal for change. It’s not just teachers who experience burnout, of course. This episode is for everyone who gets depleted and cannot care for themselves when they’re not meeting their own and others’ high expectations. Stephanie’s experience and insights are universally valuable. About Stephanie: Ms. Stephanie Watroba started working at Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School in 2013 as a physics teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics with a minor in Mathematics from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and is a proud member of Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honors society. She has held the titles of math team leader, science team leader, and teacher of the year in her prior years at BART. She currently teaches physics, calculus, and pre-calculus. In her spare time, she enjoys video games, dungeons and dragons, horseback riding, and ballet. Connect & Share Got a story to share? Does Stephanie’s story resonate? What’s your story of burnout? Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158. Support the Show: If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us. Get full access to the community: [www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe] Credits Founder and Host: Betsy Burris Co-Host: Joe Johnson Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe

    50 min
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Teaching through Emotions is a Women Who Podcast award-winning podcast that provides a rare form of relief for educators. Hosted by Betsy Burris PhD, teacher educator and psychotherapist, the podcast looks at bad feelings and bad behavior as meaningful and useful. Through a psychodynamic lens, she unpacks how emotions influence student behavior and teacher mental health. If you’re struggling with classroom management, feeling the weight of burnout, or dealing with the "bad feelings" that come with high-stakes teaching, TTE offers the psychological strategies, tools, and resources you need to stay grounded. You also get to hear beyond-surface-level tips and unique takes during interviews with remarkable experts. Join us twice a month as we explore psychodynamic teaching, effective classroom management, strategies for teacher support and mental health, and authentic conversations about the guilt, judgment, and joy of teaching. Co-hosted by Joe Johnson, long-time Spanish teacher. Get full access and become a paid subscriber to Teaching through Emotions at [www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe]. Listen to build up your psychodynamic muscles by hearing about other brave teachers’ wins when they thought nothing, NOTHING, would change. www.teachingthroughemotions.com

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