Teacher Shift

Identity, Money, Resumes and Safety: Lessons From 100 Teacher Transition Stories

• Ali Simon & JoDee Scissors • Episode 100

Share episode

Teacher Shift has officially hit 100 episodes!!! 


In this episode, Ali and JoDee sit down and reflect on the top episodes of the podcast along with key takeaways you can use during your transition. You’ll hear how the top episodes relate to teacher identity, salary and benefits, resume building and school safety. Ali and JoDee will also discuss the power of networking, work life balance, job flexibility and so much more on this 100th episode!


Episodes mentioned:

Connect with Ali and JoDee:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachershift
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teachershift
Teacher Shift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/teacher-shift
Ali’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisimon/
JoDee’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodeescissors/

Website
https://www.teachershiftpodcast.com/

Episode Transcriptions
https://www.teachershiftpodcast.com/blog

Ali  0:06 
Teachers are natural innovators, entertainers and problem solvers. They dream of growing old into the profession, teaching their kids kids, but sometimes career goals shift, and that makes opportunities outside of the classroom seem intangible. Questioning, who am I, if I'm not a teacher? I'm your host, Ali Simon.

JoDee  0:29  
And I'm your co host, JoDee Scissors.

Ali  0:32  
And this is Teacher Shift. 

JoDee  0:43  
Today we're celebrating a big milestone. It's our 100th episode. What a great time to reflect on what we've learned about teacher shifts. Ali and I will discuss the top episodes and key takeaways that may connect with your transition.

Ali  0:58  
Well, JoDee, today is episode 100 and I can't believe that we're already at episode 100! It feels like we're just on a lower episode, like 30 or 40. I just can't believe we've had so many interviews with teachers who transitioned and people who support teachers and experts in the field. But what a great day for us to celebrate recording this 100th episode. 

JoDee  1:20  
I know. I'm cheers-ing you like air champagne, like pretend champagne.

Ali  1:25  
We should have planned this out more.

JoDee  1:27  
I know. What are we doing? Do I need to go grab a bottle? We can pretend .We're good. We've been practicing our acting skills because you are, you have that theater background. You've been teaching me a lot, 

Ali  1:39  
Right. And I think next time we get together in real life, we'll have a real toast to this. 

JoDee  1:43  
That's true. That will be soon. 

Ali  1:46  
So has it really hit you? We've done these 100 episodes yet.

JoDee  1:50  
You know, it did like a few weeks ago, not necessarily like the number of episodes, but I had this really crazy experience, which I told you about, but I'll tell our listeners right now. So a few weeks ago, I was having like, the craziest, most busy work week that I have ever had since leaving teaching. And I'm walking through my neighborhood. I'm walking towards my car, and my brain is just like, so full of information. I'm, like, barely functioning. And then all of a sudden, I hear the outro music of our podcast, and I'm like thinking that it's happening in my subconscious. And I turn around and this person is driving a convertible vehicle, and they are playing our podcast, and I hear Ali's voice, like, giving the outro and the little background music, and I stood there, like, with my jaw wide open, like, and nobody else around me, like, is it acknowledging what I'm hearing. I'm just like, what has happening? It was just very strange, you know, because I only hear our episodes like when I'm reviewing them, and I, I've heard the music 100 times over throughout the episodes. And it was very like surreal to hear, you know, our episode just being played by a stranger. And I thought it was pretty cool. And of course, I immediately texted you and was just in shock, even, like, hours later.

Ali  3:26  
Yeah, it was, it was so cool to get that text. And it was, it was really exciting. On a different scale. It feels almost like what music artists probably feel like when their song debuts on the radio for the first time or something. Oh, like, it's real, you know, like, this is, like, really cool. And I think it's just really validating for us that we've, we've poured a lot into this podcast. We love it so much. We love our listeners, and just to be able to hear it in the real world.

JoDee  3:54  
And also, just like, shout out to Emily for her high quality editing to even make it possible to get through the airwaves. I remember back when we were like episodes 1 through 12, you know, we were working on listening to the edits, and I was editing, you know, and taking so long to get just like one episode. And then we passed the torch over to Emily, who's an expert, and none of that would even be possible without her putting in that work for us. 

Ali  4:24  
Yes, I couldn't agree more, and she did an amazing job, and really just brought the podcast to our listeners in a way that is clearly working and we don't have the stress anymore. So thank you, Emily for doing that. So I can't believe it's been over two years since we started the podcast, and you know, we pulled up some statistics for you because we wanted to share what the top five episodes were. So I'm going to let JoDee share those with you, and we can do a little bit of reflection on those specific episodes and topics.

JoDee  4:57  
So first, I want to say because I just looked it up that our first episode debuted on March, 23 2022. And it is our most popular episode. Which makes sense, because everybody's first episode is usually the most listened to, but I think ours is pretty unique, because the episode is, "Who am I if I'm Not a Teacher?" And this is the reoccurring question that we hear over and over and over with our guests that have transitioned into a different career, or maybe they're still in education, or even perhaps just they've made, you know, some sort of linear leap to administration or something. So yeah, it's our first episode, but it is also the most common topic that we connect to and our guest as well. And so what we know from that is that it's about identity. We know that people are teachers. They want to hear others connect those ideas of identity and how they can connect to other fields. So I think, you know, there's a reason it's the first episode. And so some of the other top episodes that we want to share, and we definitely encourage you, if you haven't heard these episodes already, share them with others. "So What Happens if I Leave the Salary and Benefits" with Eric Garcia. That is one of our other top episodes. It's episode five. And salary and benefits, as you know, Ali like, it's always kind of the taboo topic that people don't want to talk about. 

Ali  6:29  
But it's so important.

JoDee  6:31  
We see over and over. Yeah.

Ali  6:32  
That episode is still one of my favorites. I mean, I think that it was so important for us. It was our fifth episode to really get it out there and show our listeners like, these are big decisions. And like, finances are really important, but also, like, having a more holistic perspective of your life and your finances, and personal finance is personal. So great episode, #2.  

JoDee  6:57  
Yep, #2. And then number three actually surprised Ali and I both when we were looking at the analytics. And so the third most listened to episode is, "A Reflection of Teaching in the Age of School Shootings and Violence." And so that surprised. I mean, it doesn't surprise us, but it's surprising in the sense that when compared to the other top five, it's not necessarily an episode that gives you explicit direction on how to make a transition, such as resume, getting help with your feelings. But it's about teacher safety, student safety, and it just goes to show that, like safety is a real concern for teachers that are considering a transition. And so we know that there are a lot of reasons that compromise teacher safety. And I think that that's worth a listen for those that are curious about one of the reasons that teachers may be transitioning out of the classroom. And then four, I love that this is one of the top episodes. "It's Making a Big Change after 23 years of Teaching," and that's about tenure. You get. You get into a career where you've dedicated a lot a lot of years, and you have shaped your entire educational experience, your entire professional learning, all of your certificates around this specific job. And you get to 23 years, and you feel a little bit lost. You feel like you don't know what direction to go to. And that episode gave so many great transition tips and encouraging words for those very tenured teachers. And even though it's like aimed towards, you know, if you've had, you know, 20 plus years of experience, I think there's a lot of takeaways from there.

Ali  8:39  
I agree. That was a great episode. And I think, you know, we're hearing more and more from teachers that are in that longer term, like longer tenure, about their interest in shifting. And so it's a great one to bring up, JoDee.

JoDee  8:54  
Yep. And then last for top 5 is, "Transitioning Resume with an Expert." And so we've had a few episodes with Kelsey Marks. And her episodes are always really popular because she's, she's very candid. She's very explicit. And she has an actual resume service to help with transitions. And so resume help, we see over and over, is one of the episodes that tends to trend. And we have a couple of other we met with resume spice, and lots of teachers have given advice on how to handle their resume, and so those are just one of the more concrete ways to help you with that transition is resume refining. So not surprising there at all, as we know that, like, you can't submit a teacher resume if you're looking to get out of the teaching profession. You're going to have to fine tune it.

Ali  9:45  
So I think what's really interesting about these top episodes is that there are trending topics that are not just unique to our profession. Understanding like your benefits, your salary, your identity connected to your work. I mean, that's something in the US that I think we all struggle with. Like so, much of who we are is tied to what we do. Safety, unfortunately, not just a concern to education. But then, you know, looking at these other aspects of like being in a career for a long time, or needing support or help with your resume if you're looking to make a shift. I mean, as I mentioned, a lot, like there's other careers out there where people anticipate leaving. They know they're going to leave. Maybe like the military where you go into one job and you know you're going to be moving up, or you're going to try to move to a different company. So these are really valuable topics just outside of teaching, but they're tailored for teachers or transitioning teachers on our podcast. And you know, looking through them like I'm just curious, what have you learned through not only these episodes JoDee, but like all of our episodes? What do you feel like a long term perspective into doing this work, interviewing teachers, interviewing teachers who transition, people who support us, like I don't know, do you have some key, key lessons learned?

JoDee  11:07  
Yeah, I think the first thing I've learned is that my feelings and my experience have been validated by so many people. That when you're considering that transition, it feels so lonely, and there are big feelings that come with that, and you don't have to do it alone. Like you can reach out to people right in front of you that you know they have great relationships with, but there are other ways to connect with people that have gone through these things. And so I think, like, one of the biggest takeaways is, just like, you don't have to do these things alone. There are people that can share their experiences, that you can connect with to help you, you know, build a plan to be actionable.  The other thing I think I've learned, is that, I don't know if it's learned, but also just some validation is that teachers are so skilled. They are so good at so many things. And what we've learned is that everybody's gone into many different fields, and you do not have to be siloed. So that's, I guess, the learned part is that there are so many opportunities out there, and they have shown us that you can penetrate into other industries and that you can be happy, and you can do well. And then if there are times it doesn't work out, you can go back to teaching. The door is always open, as you say. So what about you? Are there some, a few things that you know you've learned through episode 99 up until now?

Ali  12:48  
Well, I mean, I do want to piggyback off of what you just said, in terms of teachers can go into so many different things. I think that's oftentimes something that they don't realize. Right? You think that if you're going to leave the classroom, you have to go into something tangentially related to education. So they might want to go into like Ed Tech, or they might try to go into curriculum, or they might try to go into something that's still connected to teaching. And I think that was also my, my inclination, in a way. Although I had some other non teaching experience that allowed me not to necessarily do that. But I just feel like it's really empowering to know that your skill set is so transferable through all these stories that we've been able to help tell with our guests, and to know that you you don't necessarily have to do that. There's not like a one size fits all for a teacher shift. There's many different options. You know, they come in all different sizes and shapes, and what really what works best for you. And I think the thing that I've learned the most, besides just reflecting on what you said, is that I thought for the longest time that my struggle with teaching, like, my concern and like, inability to, like, feel like I could keep going with the work life balance was because I was a military spouse, and my spouse was gone a lot, and we had to keep moving. And so I was like, this is just such a hard profession for me. This is the reason. But most of our guests are not military spouses and so hearing that they also had the same concerns that I did. The same feelings of overwhelm, the same feelings of wondering, questioning if that was the right thing for them to stay into. Maybe it was when they also started a family. Maybe it was when they had a big life event. But I think for me, it made me feel less alone that, you know, for a long time, I kind of almost blamed it on that. Like that's the reason why. And that that ultimately was a big part of it. But in reflecting, like I may have come to that decision on my own if I had been in a completely different circumstance. And so I think the the realities, unfortunately put on modern teachers are similar across the board, whether you live in the UK. Like we've had guests from the UK. Whether you live in the US. Whether you live in, you know, some other part of the world, like a lot of the demands on teachers are, are really universal, and the idea for considering a shift is also a part of that. So yeah, I was just really, really validating to be able to see that through this lens of reflecting back in our 99 episodes up until now. 

JoDee  15:28  
I like how you unpacked that connection to being a military spouse, because you've done a lot of work in military spouse. I don't know conferences or communities, or, I don't know what you call those things, but you do have, like, a really strong network of those people, and to be able to connect, you know how you were feeling with having, kind of having that role related to your professional role, and what does that mean, and where are you going? And so I know a lot of people from the military community do appreciate your connection to that, though, because it is a life where you do move a lot, and you have to make choices for yourself, and sometimes it is related to your career, and sometimes it's unrelated. And you bring that, like unique perspective, I know that you're pretty settled now.

Ali  16:18  
Yeah, I mean, I think  it's been, honestly, like, such a pleasure that, like, it was welcome to be a part of the podcast. That I didn't have to, like, hide that part of my identity. I think, like, that's another thing with reflecting that I still carry that with me. I also carry the educator with me, like I do feel connected to the education world. I mean, the work that I do my day job, is still related. But I also think meeting all of the guests that we've had, being able to talk about what we used to do in the classroom. I mean, some of it's still the same with teachers. Yeah, it's like, it's not that different. And that's also just a really, it's just like a good feeling to know that I'm not disconnected completely from that world, because it was something that I really loved being a part of.

JoDee  17:03  
So I just thought of something that I also wanted to talk about, that I've learned, and it's from, you know, the perspective of hiring. So when you know, I was a classroom teacher, I was on hiring committees to hire teachers. And a lot of the resumes would come in and look very similar, because when you're in a school district, you kind of get trained the same way. And so we saw resumes that were very, very similar. And then really what it came down to were those in person interviews, like, how did they interview? Do they connect well with our team? Is this someone that can fill a void that we need to strengthen our team and stuff like that. But now that I'm on this hiring side, where I'm helping hire for different organizations, I definitely see resumes differently and cover letters differently than I did before. And to me now, resumes don't tell the full story of someone, especially if they're moving from one, one career to another, or maybe just kind of pivoting slightly. And I think that I may have, like, a little bit more empathy or grace for applicants, because I know that there's more to that than these, you know, very rigid bullet points. I know that there's more to someone's story, such as, maybe they're a military spouse. Maybe they've had a health scare in their family. Maybe that they're at a loss and don't know what to do. Maybe they're in a position where they don't need to work all of these hours and are trying to scale back. So I think when I look at those things, I want to know more, like I'm eager to get into the interview to unpack more about what makes them the right fit for this role, that perhaps the resume or the cover letter doesn't tell me. These days, cover letters, to me sound so AI generated. 

Ali  19:12  
Well, probably because some of them are, we're being realistic here.

JoDee  19:16  
Yeah. I mean, just like cover letters, I take them with a grain of salt, because they can be just very buzz-wordy, you know.

Ali  19:23  
But they can tell your story too. I mean, I think that can good way to explain, like, a gap in a resume, or to explain, like, why you're all of a sudden interested in going into X, Y or Z field. But one you don't always get the chance to submit a cover letter. Sometimes they only resume, but no, I definitely see your perspective there on knowing that there's more to the story besides just this, like one to two page piece of paper. And I think you know also in reflecting on lots of interviews and lots of episodes, I read something recently. It was actually about college admissions. And you know, that's such a competitive thing that parents and teachers are going through right now with students. And just to remember, like to keep in perspective that, just because you don't make it to the interview or to the next round does not mean that you are not qualified and you were not an excellent candidate. And the example that they gave was for NASA. Like, when they're picking the new astronaut class. And I hope I'm going to get this right, because I only read the article one time. But it was like, they have seven spots. Do you think number eight wasn't qualified? Do you think number nine wasn't qualified? Number 10, number 25, number 100? Like, 1000s of people apply for that. 

JoDee  20:39  
That's true.

Ali  20:40  
 and so you know, yes, like, don't be so hard on yourself because you didn't necessarily make it to that next round. But also know that you have this opportunity with your resume, like JoDee's saying, to bring the version of yourself that you want them to see. Yeah, it

JoDee  20:57  
Yeah, it is very rare to look into a candidate pool and see, like, someone absolutely not qualified, like, it's very rare. But I'm also not hiring like CEOs, you know. It's, it's very rare. Like, there are so many applicants that come along, they're like, yeah, they would be a great fit. They would be a great fit. And it's really hard to choose. It's a really hard job, and it takes a lot of responsibility and care to be able to narrow those down, and I know that people put a lot of hard work into making those choices. So, yeah, don't take it personally. You're probably work qualified.

Ali  20:57  
I mean, there's also one other thing that you can do, though, to try to increase your chances of of landing a new role, or moving into a new field. And that's something I know that you're very passionate about, and that's building connections with people. You know, whether that's nurturing relationships that you already have, whether that's, you know, putting yourself out there, networking, connecting with us through LinkedIn. So you want to talk a little bit more about that, because you're that's really your jam. 

JoDee  21:59  
Yeah, I think what I didn't expect to get out of this is expanding my network, expanding my relationships. Because, you know, you're in a school, and those are your people. And as someone that works from home, and I do work with different organizations, and I have all of these relationships, but I would say the podcast has put me in a position to get to know many of our guests and what they do for a living, to be able to refer others to them, to be able to follow them on LinkedIn and find and when they post jobs to repost them. And so their relationships that we did, you know, acquire through this, but it was kind of like a mutual thing, where we all wanted to talk to each other. And I have to say that all of the people that we've interviewed have given back in some way beyond the podcast, whether that is collaborating with them, referring their work, finding jobs that we can share. We get people share job that share jobs with us to post, and so they have done a lot for our community in general. And I could have never predicted that.

Ali  23:16  
I mean, I'd say for me, I actually learned from the guests on the show about building more of my LinkedIn network. Like I used to treat it more like a personal kind of social media account where I'd only want to accept people that I actually knew in real life, and I learned. And I so I've grown a lot throughout this podcasting experience in terms of those professional relationships and assets that I have now networking with people you know, using services of some of our guests, sometimes also professionally, has has been great, and so it's really amazing. And we couldn't have done all this work without the support of our listeners, who follow us on social media, who share in our episodes, who you've had the pleasure of interacting with and having as guests on the show sometimes. Those are probably, like, the best episodes, I think are when, you know, it's like someone who's been an avid listener, they get to be on the show. 

JoDee  24:07  
I know this wasn't, you know, part of like the top five that we talked about earlier, but I think one of the most trending things that we do discuss with people is work life balance. And that's been kind of a topic that just is constantly reoccurring. It just seems like those that have made a transition have a lot to say about work life balance, and we know that that's something that teachers struggle with. But how they have made a choice to gain control of their life. And I feel like that is something that everybody is trying to achieve it. And I know I was too. Like there was this point where I just needed to regain control of what my daily life looked like, especially when it came to my family. Because they are the priority, they are the number one. And so the transition gave me that ability. But also, you know, through our interviews, it reaffirmed that I'm not the only one that desires that. I'm not the only one that identified some of the the faults in where I spent my time and how it was impacting me after work hours. And so giving like so much gratitude to those that talked about those things. Did you have any takeaways from those discussions with others when it came to work life balance?

Ali  25:41  
Yeah, I mean, I would say that's a trend, that's like a through line through almost all of our episodes. That part of the reason why people left, whether it was a big thing, but then also the work life balance that was really key. And it's hard for people outside of teaching to understand that, because they think that teachers just get all this time off. They have the holidays. They have the summer. But really it's like, your your day to day. Like we have a weekend, a long weekend coming up in my school district. Kids have off Friday, Monday and Tuesday. The teachers don't have off all three of those days. I think the teachers have off Friday because they're recognizing a holiday, but they don't have off on Monday and Tuesday. But what I will say is that one of the teachers that I spoke with, I was like, Oh, I'm like, sorry, you guys don't have as long of a weekend. She's like, Oh, it's not going to be that bad. And I asked her, I'm like, do you have to go in for these teacher days? And she actually said, No, we have some flexibility, like, if we've already completed our training, or if we've, you know, we can do it from home now. And I was really, honestly surprised by that JoDee, like, I didn't expect that. Because it used to be like, you have to sign in when you get in on those teacher planning days and you sign out. And so I would say, like, I'm hoping that we'll see a little bit more flexibility in the teaching profession, but right now, it's not flexible enough for some people who want that true work life balance, right? They want to be able to go to their children's school to help out one day, or they want to be able to see their performance, and they can't do that if they're also a teacher. So yeah, I really think that, that's key. That's been something that we've, we've seen just across the board, whether it's male, female, married, kids, not like everybody felt that work life balance was not where they wanted it to be. 

JoDee  27:28  
Yep, I've heard that too. I recently had chatted with a teacher, you know, it was like a teacher work day, but she was completing all of her work from home. And I was like, Oh, that's awesome, like you did all your trainings from the comfort of your home, and you didn't have to spend that time commuting, and you didn't have to do that awkward sign in and wait around and until someone says you may go home now. Or sometimes there's that, like, unspoken language of we've heard that if you're done, you can leave. Just, just just leave. 

Ali  28:01  
Don't say anything though.

JoDee  28:02  
Yeah, yeah, yes, totally.

Ali  28:04  
I hope that we see that expand potentially even more, if possible, because I think it can really alleviate some of the pressures that you feel.

JoDee  28:12  
Yeah. So, you know, we're several years out of our transition, our shift, and we're 100 episodes in to learning more about shifts. Do you still feel connected to education? 

Ali  28:30  
Yeah,  I do feel connected through the podcast, through the work that I'm doing. I honestly feel it's funny. I thought I'd feel more connected as a parent, but my kids are still younger, and I taught high school, and so like... I feel connected in the sense that, like, I support our teachers, like I volunteer. But like, when they go to high school, I'm gonna, it's gonna be a weird thing, because it's like, exactly what I taught. I don't know if you, if you felt like that with elementary school with your own child.

JoDee  28:56  
I think we're opposite, like, I don't know what I'm gonna do when she goes to high school. Like, what? What is my role? What am I supposed to do? I don't know. 

Ali  29:05  
Yeah, I, I've had to ask you for advice for elementary school stuff, because that just wasn't my specialty. And so, yeah, it's, it's just neat to be able to have all these conversations with former educators or current educators, or people that support educators, and just know that the decision to change careers outside of education, or outside of just the classroom into something else is not something that's taken lightly. And we know that most of our listeners are connected to educators, but we just we want people to know that teachers can do so many things, and you're not restricted to just like one specific niche profession. But I'll pass that that ball back to you, like, do you feel still like connected?

JoDee  29:48  
I do, and I don't know. I mean, this probably has a lot to do with it is being a parent, because I have access to my daughter's school. And so, I think that in that regard, like, I feel very connected, because I volunteer for a lot of things to a fault. As you know me, like, I like to bite off more than I can chew. And so I feel very connected, and honestly, have really good relationships with her teachers. And I want to be there. I want to be like, a positive force within a system. And it's taken a lot of learning to know, like, what my role is, and how do I not overstep, and how do I not like, go full blown, like, teacher brain. You know, I have to be respectful of all the things that the teachers can offer, and only chime in when I feel necessary. And so, yeah, volunteering. Our school has so many events and activities and things, and just this week, I'm going to be helping with the Halloween party. So it's like little things like that, you know? So I do feel connected that way. And then all of my work that I do is connected to schools, whether it's in person or digitally. And so I still get to talk to teachers a lot. I get to work with teaching artists, and they are there. They are there with kids every single day. While I might be one removed from that. I still feel like I am supporting teachers in many ways and doing the thing that I love to do, which was incorporate more arts into everyday learning. So from the professionals perspective, I'm still in it, and I feel good about it.

Ali  31:30  
No, it is good, and I think that professionally, like whatever you end up doing, there's just always ways to incorporate what you learn in the classroom and to feel like you're contributing to your organization, to feel like you're contributing to your community. I'm also like recovering, like recovering from too many volunteer opportunities, whether that school or my community. But I just really think it's been such a great experience to be able to be a part of teacher shift with you and share this with our listeners. And thank you listeners for listening to this whole episode of JoDee and I just reflecting on Teacher Shift.

JoDee  32:05  
Yeah, I'm gonna double fist. I'm gonna cheers to the listeners and to you with our fake champagne.

Ali  32:12  
Next time we're in person, we'll snap a picture post on social media. So don't worry, an actual nice image is coming soon, but we will be back with some other interesting guests.

JoDee  32:23  
I might show up on your doorstep. Now that you live so close. 

Ali  32:28  
It's a little bit harder for me to get into your building, but I could also try.

JoDee  32:30  
That's true. That's true. You can just yell like, make sure you bring a big radio and you yell and sing at me.

Ali  32:37  
And make sure listeners that if you are listening to Teacher Shift podcast in your car that you're turning it up. So in case we walk by you we hear that episode, we will feel the same level of love that I know JoDee felt the day that she heard the podcast in the car, and then I got the text message from her. And we will see you again very soon for another episode. 

JoDee  32:58  
Ciao.

Ali  33:09  
Are you interested in suggesting a topic for Teacher Shift? Being a guest or recommending a guest? Please see the episodes page on our website to make a submission. And if you'd like to write for us, see our blog page. If you liked Teacher Shift, give us a five star rating and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Apple podcasts, Spotify and Amazon music. Today's episode was written and recorded by me, Ali Simon and my co host, JoDee Scissors. Executive produced by Teacher Shift. Produced and edited by Emily Porter. Original Music: Emoji by Tubebackr.