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?

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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

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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.