On today's show, Holly from New York called in to share her two cents. Holly didn’t waste any time, she wanted to speak about one thing and one thing only: Lunchbox’s ongoing claims about how “easy” it is to be a teacher.
Holly, a retired teacher of 35 years, made it clear she wasn’t calling to chat with Lunchbox, but rather to respond to his opinions. To her, it was obvious he had “no clue” what the job actually entails. She reminded everyone of the chaos during COVID, when parents suddenly found themselves teaching their own kids and panicking over how hard it was. That panic, she said, faded fast, but the reality for teachers hadn’t changed. She shared the side rarely talked about: being hit, spit on, called horrible names, and treated as nothing more than a babysitter. Many teachers, she added, spend summers working second jobs because their pay is so low. And as for the idea that teachers just hand out worksheets and play movies every day? Holly said any teacher who tried that would be fired immediately.
Lunchbox jumped in with his usual confidence, insisting that teaching still seemed like an easy job with lots of time off. He argued that the COVID frustration came from parents juggling two jobs at once. He questioned Holly’s experiences, even suggesting that if she was repeatedly spit on, she should have just switched schools. Holly didn’t hesitate to correct him. She pointed out the injury statistics among teachers, numbers that would shock most people. She challenged his assumptions about teacher qualifications too. In her state, teachers are required to have master’s degrees, often earned while working full-time. Lunchbox pushed back, noting that many states don’t require this, but Holly held her ground: in her world, it was required, and that was the perspective she was speaking from.
The back-and-forth didn’t soften Lunchbox. He doubled down, calling teaching “laid back” and insisting that teachers have plenty of time to hit happy hour. Bobby stepped in to clarify his own stance, making it absolutely clear that he does not share Lunchbox’s opinion. In Bobby’s view, teaching is a deeply important and often thankless profession, one that demands hard work, offers too little pay, and loses incredible people because it simply doesn’t support them well enough. Before hanging up, Holly shared something personal. If she were 18 again, she said she would never choose teaching. After 35 years, the challenges, disrespect, and lack of support had worn her down. And then, in a tender shift, she thanked Bobby. She told him she’d lost her husband a few years ago, and the show had been a comfort to her during that time.
Amy felt the weight of Holly’s words: her exhaustion, her pride, her grief, and her courage in calling to speak for teachers everywhere who feel unseen.