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. Jul 9

    Restorative Practices in Schools: Why aren't they working?

    It is so frustrating to me — and I think to a lot of educators — that the practices schools adopt that are meant to solve all their problems end up fading away. Like Restorative Practices. A really great program aimed at strengthening relationships through honesty, support, and community connection. Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Of course, no program can be a silver bullet. Change takes humans who exert discipline and consistency and commitment. But, as my readers know, anything that strengthens relationships in schools is good because it increases the chances of effective teaching and learning. Not to mention growth and development. So sticking with programs that foster connection makes sense. Marisol Quevedo Rerucha, author of Beyond the Surface of Restorative Practices: Building a Culture of Equity, Connection, and Healing and CEO of Heartset Consulting Group, argues for restorative practices in schools. In this episode from Truth for Teachers, Marisol discusses * School Culture: Who are restorative practices for? * Living Our Values: How does our humanity get in the way of our work? * Making Mistakes: How do we hold each other accountable with love and dignity? * Being Human: How to blend personal and professional development * The Role of Faith: What is the Way of the Buffalo? What is a Cow Moment? Marisol is wise and offers lots of great perspective and advice. If you leave this episode thinking, “YEAH!! Let’s do this thing! But how?” here are a couple of suggestions (beyond using restorative practices in your school): * Read Loretta Ross’s Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel * Contact TTE Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Connect & Share Got a story to share? What’s your experience with restorative practices? I’d love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode! Or send me an email! betsy@teachingthroughemotions.com Support the Show: If anything about the Teaching through Emotions podcast resonates, please leave 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 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

    Restorative Practices in Schools: Why aren't they working?

  2. Jun 25

    Summer TTE Throwback: Rethinking assumptions about our negative emotions

    So something happens that irritates you and you berate yourself for being too judgmental, eh? It might be time to rethink that judgment. 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, which is the one you, dear listeners, listened to the most this season, Joe and I talk about a simple, probably all-too-common story of a teacher who condemns herself for having negative feelings in school. You might be surprised by our conclusions! Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss * Psychology of Boundaries: Why personal space in a busy classroom isn’t just a preference, it’s a psychological need. * Reframing “Judgment”: Why we mislabel valid annoyance as a character flaw. * Failure: How to view conflict as data instead of a disaster. * Overcoming Self-blame: The power of asking for what you need rather than internalizing the problem. Beyond the classroom? You don’t have to be a teacher to enjoy this episode! Too many of us turn our legitimate annoyance against ourselves. Hearing how someone (who happens to be a teacher) reframed her negative experience into open-hearted understanding is good for everyone! Connect & Share Got a story to share? Ever had a moment when you might have misunderstood your feelings? Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158. Joe and I can unpack it confidentially in one of our episodes and maybe, maybe offer a different and helpful perspective! 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] It’s summer summer summertime! I hope you’ve already begun relaxing. If you’re looking for ways to reflect on your year, consider re-listening to other TTE podcast episodes. There’s lots of food for thought here just waiting for you! 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

    Summer TTE Throwback: Rethinking assumptions about our negative emotions

  3. Jun 11

    Ending The School Year: Reviewing the state of education + TTE updates!

    We knew it was going to happen even if we couldn’t imagine it: The school year is coming to an end. And so is Season 3 of Teaching through Emotions. Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Huzzah! Congratulations to all for making it through another crazy year! Speaking of crazy years: In this episode, Joe and I review some of this year’s craziness. We share some facts and lots of strong personal opinions about them. And we invite you to weigh in! What did we get wrong? What was crazy for you this year? What are you looking forward to this summer? How are you going to rejuvenate before the new school year begins? We’d love to hear from you! Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss * Prejudice and Oppression: the state of our federal government’s influence on education * What’s Good? What’s Bad?: constantly feeling out the magic line between opposing stances in the classroom * TTE Updates: reviewing Season 3, your favorite episodes, and what we are working on plus what we’re releasing this summer * Important Bonus: how to say “effin’” in Spanish Connect & Share Got a story to share? What was crazy for you this year? I’d love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode! Or send me an email! betsy@teachingthroughemotions.com 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 External links Joe does talk about furries and litter boxes in schools (as he mentions) in this TTE episode: The Meowing Student: Understanding weird behavior in the classroom. Here’s the book I taught that has a conservative take on school reform in our country: Left Back: A Century of Battles over School Reform by Diane Ravitch (who has since flipped to the progressive side). Joe’s favorite episode: To Care or To Detach?: Finding the emotional balance in teaching One of Betsy’s favorite episodes (and our listeners’ favorite): Handling Teacher Guilt: Are you being too judgmental of yourself? TTE merch (T-shirts, mugs, The Feeling of Teaching) 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

    Ending The School Year: Reviewing the state of education + TTE updates!

  4. May 28

    Resistant to Joy? How to welcome and transform negative emotions

    God knows I am no fundraiser. Actually, neither is my guest, Erin McQuade-Wright — at least, not anymore. Erin used to be a fundraiser for non-profits and even has a podcast called The Brave and Balanced Fundraiser (which shares psychodynamic wisdom on how to survive that difficult job). But now she’s a coach who helps people of all types live vital lives. (Her company is called Vitalist Coaching.) In this episode, Erin and I talk about our areas of overlap (hint: it’s a large region) and revel in our delight in talking about emotion work, healthy relationships, and the wisdom of psychodynamics. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss * Personality Types: Enneagrams and their usefulness in learning about ourselves * Somatic Knowing: Brain vs. body knowledge and the half-life of an emotion * Emotional Lives: How much emotion is allowed in a classroom? How can we manage big emotions? How can we turn difficult feelings into freedom and space to be real? * Definition of Self-Care: How dealing with negative emotions helps us fill up so we can be present and resilient * Nourishment Barriers: How are you resistant to joy and why is that bad for you? * How Does Burnout Work for You? Are you singing the burnout song with a chorus of colleagues? Connect & Share Got a story to share? How are you managing your emotions at this point in the school year? I’d love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode! Or send me an email! betsy@teachingthroughemotions.com 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 External links Enneagram HeartMath Institute Vitalist Coaching 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

    Resistant to Joy? How to welcome and transform negative emotions

  5. May 14

    To Care or To Detach? Finding the emotional balance in teaching

    As y’all probably know, I’m a big fan of caring in education. But, thanks to today’s guest, Rachel Branham, a veteran Teacher Support Group participant who’s now working in higher education, we get to consider the downsides of caring, too. What if you’re not a particularly “squishy” person? What if you don’t want to be “in the shit” with your students all the time? What does caring look like for you? How does a natural inclination to detach serve you and your students? 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 such a fun and stimulating conversation! Applicable to anyone who, well, cares. I hope you enjoy it! Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss * Caring vs. Controlling: Sliding along the continuum between “squishy” teaching and detachment. * Alienation from Big Emotions: When students are joyous or chaotic, feeling outside of their world and not knowing what to do about it. * Students’ (and Teachers’) Psychological Needs: Do all students need or want to be seen? How can teachers love students who are causing them pain? * Setting Boundaries: When and how do you tamp down exuberance when students are “coloring outside the lines”? Where are those “magical lines” in the first place? Connect & Share Got a story to share? How do you balance care with detachment? How do you find and navigate the “magical line” between them? I’d love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode! Or, if you’re a millennial and hate using the phone (like Rachel), send me an email! betsy@teachingthroughemotions.com 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 External links Radical Love: Rethinking care and professional love in the classroom Pedagogy Basics: What educators can learn from early childhood teachers Dream Keepers: Comic Edition 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

    To Care or To Detach? Finding the emotional balance in teaching

  6. Apr 30

    Teacher Observation Strategies: Can evaluations actually bring joy?

    How can it be that teachers all over the country want to be observed? How can it be that observations of their teaching bring teachers joy? Today I’m conversing with Craig Randall, founder of Trust-Based Observations and expert in the art of supporting teachers in improving their practice. We go “pretty dang deep,” as Craig put it. Which is good, because classroom observations are super important and are too rarely done well. Until now! Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss * Building Trust: The wisdom of focusing on accumulating “trust marbles” before offering suggestions for improvement * Strengths-Based Observations: The importance of battling the deficit mentality and emphasizing teachers’ strengths * Coaching vs. Fixing: How to short-circuit the typical fix-them orientation * The History of Teacher Observation: How we got here (hint: It’s partly A Nation at Risk’s fault!) Connect & Share Got a story to share? Tell me a story of a disastrous observation! Or tell me about one that made you glow with confidence and happiness. 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 Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. External links Trust-Based Observations (the book) Trust-Based Observation (the website) craig@trustbased.com EMDR: Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing 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

    Teacher Observation Strategies: Can evaluations actually bring joy?

  7. Apr 16

    Actively Hating Students: How to rebalance your classroom

    In my experience, most teachers — hell, most people — don’t want to admit they hate anyone. “Hate,” they say, “is a strong word.” As if there’s a problem with strong words. (Like “love,” for example.) Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. But people do hate. And when they hate irresponsibly, when they refuse to process that feeling and assume it has more to do with the object of their hatred than with themselves, they can do grave damage. In this episode, Joe and I talk with a wonderfully open, self-aware teacher, storyteller, and entrepreneur who also happens to be a good friend of mine, Hari Kumar. It’s a great story about hate, teaching, self-correction, and hope. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss Teacher Sarcasm: Why it might be a red flag for teacher burnout Teaching Philosophy: Hari’s four pillars of teaching, a pedagogical framework Cat Shit vs. B******t: Which one does a teacher want? Embracing “Almostness”: What to do with not knowing and how it can transform your student relationships Teaching Community: Thinking about the support systems teachers need Connect & Share Got a story to share? What do you hate? I’d love to hear! 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 External links bell hooks Teaching to Transgress bell hooks Teaching Community Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore 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

    Actively Hating Students: How to rebalance your classroom

  8. Apr 2

    Toxic School? Diagnosing narcissistic organizations and changing school culture

    This one’s for the leaders. In this episode, I talk with a most amazing psychotherapist and “Leadership Whisperer,” Jerry Fromm. Jerry does organizational consulting, which means he helps people figure out (as I put it) what the hell is happening psychodynamically within their walls — or within their societies! or countries! since he works with individuals and groups domestically and internationally as well. He does quite remarkable work and tells lots of fascinating stories in today’s conversation, stories that will make teachers and school leaders think differently about themselves and the school cultures they’re a part of. Many schools are rethinking their cultures. But I promise you: Jerry’s perspective will make you think in a way you could never have imagined. 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 * The Clinical Is Missing: A simple and amazing definition of “clinical” makes Jerry’s (and TTE’s) psychodynamic work relevant to schools. * The Sentient Level of Organizations: How, in the psychological dynamics of systems, contagious unprocessed feelings define the school culture. * Playing Roles: Managing the “invitations flying around” all organizations to fit with others in familiar ways. * Different Types of Organizations: What are narcissistic organizations? What are dependent organizations? * The Power of Pictures: What drawing a picture of your organization with you in it can reveal. External Links For information on Group Relations Conferences and Leading from Experience, go to The Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems. To get in touch with Jerry, email him at gerard.fromm@austenriggs.net. Yep, I’m biased: I am certain that teaching is spiritual. Not because teachers need to be religious but because the tasks of teaching human beings require heart-based skills: faith, care, love, “unconditional positive regard for difference” — skills that do not necessarily come naturally all the time and therefore demand care and attention themselves. In this episode, I explore this question and others with Mark Longhurst, an inspiring pastor, writer, and publications manager for Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation. Together, we explore how to view teaching (and parenting) not just as a task list, but as a spiritual practice. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss: * Flowing with chaos: How to stay grounded when the classroom (or home) feels out of control. * The “holy ordinary”: Why the most mundane moments hold the most spiritual weight. * Detachment for connection: The paradox of detaching from our “teacher identity” to develop healthy attachment with students. * Somatic teaching: The importance of bringing a “settled body” into the classroom. * Sacred spaces: The benefits, and perils, of viewing your classroom as holy ground. External Links the holy ordinary by Mark Longhurst (Substack) The Holy Ordinary: A Way to God (Book) My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness that Can Heal the World by Dr. Jacqui Lewis Connect & Share Got a story to share? 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 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

    Toxic School? Diagnosing narcissistic organizations and changing school culture
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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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