Be A Funky Teacher Podcast
Real conversations for educators who care deeply about the work.
Classroom stories, practical ideas, teacher well-being, leadership, student voice, and honest reflection from Mr. Funky Teacher, Nicholas Kleve.
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54 episodes
Feb 20, 2026
Naming What’s Broken Without Losing Hope
In this episode, I explore how educators can honestly name what’s broken in education without losing hope. There are policies, systems, and expectations that create strain. Pretending everything…
Feb 19, 2026
What Teachers Are Actually Asking For
Sometimes the conversation around education gets loud. There are debates, policies, opinions, and constant commentary. But in the middle of all that noise, what teachers are asking for…
Feb 18, 2026
Compliance Is Not Engagement
In this episode, I unpack something that many educators feel but don’t always say out loud: a quiet classroom is not automatically an engaged classroom. Students who are…
Feb 17, 2026
Burnout Is Not a Personal Failure
In this episode, I name something too many teachers carry quietly: burnout. The exhaustion, the emotional fatigue, the sense of being stretched thin. I say clearly that burnout…
Feb 16, 2026
When Systems Forget the Humans
In this episode, I reflect on the quiet tension that builds when systems begin to prioritize procedure over people. Schools need structure. They need consistency. But sometimes, gradually,…
Feb 13, 2026
Staying True When It’s Easier Not To
In this episode, I reflect on what it means to stay true as a teacher when it would be easier not to. Teaching rarely challenges us with dramatic…
Feb 12, 2026
Courage Isn’t Loud
In this episode, I explore what courage really looks like in education. When most people think about courage, they picture bold declarations and dramatic moments. But in classrooms,…
Feb 11, 2026
Being Misunderstood as a Teacher
In this episode, I talk about what it feels like to be misunderstood as a teacher. At some point, if you lead with conviction and care deeply about…
Feb 10, 2026
When You Don’t Fit the System
In this episode, I talk about something many teachers feel but do not always say out loud — the experience of not quite fitting the system. Sometimes the…
Feb 9, 2026
Teaching Against the Grain
In this episode, I talk about what it really means to teach against the grain. At some point in your career, you quietly realize that the way you…
Feb 6, 2026
Love Is Not Lowering the Bar
In this episode, I tackle a common misconception in education — that leading with love somehow means lowering expectations. That idea has shaped conversations in schools for years,…
Feb 5, 2026
Holding High Expectations with Grace
High expectations and grace are often treated like opposites, but they are meant to work together. In this episode, I unpack the tension teachers feel between holding the…