Whose Lesson Plan Is It Anyway?

Dr. Jessica Hawk spent 32 years in public education before retiring from the classroom and becoming a full-time content creator. Known online as @MyTeacherFace, she now uses humor, experience, and a growing social-media platform to speak candidly about the challenges facing teachers and public schools. Jessica joins Marc to explain why she misses her students but not the stress, unpaid labor, and expanding responsibilities that came with the job. She describes the “time poverty” teachers experience as new obligations are continually added without additional time or compensation, and she explains why good administrators can determine whether a teacher builds a long career or leaves after only a few years. The conversation also examines the transformation Jessica witnessed after smartphones and social media entered the classroom. Students became more isolated, less willing to participate, and increasingly eager to retreat to their screens. Jessica and Marc discuss phone-free schools, parental resistance to device restrictions, the role of technology in emergencies, and the importance of giving children opportunities to interact with one another in person. They also explore the growing political pressure on public education, the relationship between school funding and student outcomes, the limitations of standardized testing, and the danger of expecting teachers to solve problems rooted in poverty, housing instability, hunger, and family circumstances. Finally, Jessica explains why children need a foundation of knowledge and critical-thinking skills before turning to artificial intelligence. She shares her concerns about excessive classroom technology, her support for universal pre-K and equitable school funding, and the freedom she has found as an “unfettered teacher” who can now say publicly what many working educators cannot. Timestamps 00:00 - Why teachers have become society’s soft target 00:31 - Introducing Dr. Jessica Hawk of My Teacher Face 01:25 - The strange intimacy between creators and their audiences 02:18 - Retiring after 32 years in public education 02:40 - What Jessica misses about the classroom 03:54 - The story behind the My Teacher Face persona 06:02 - What coaching fourth graders taught Marc about teaching 06:56 - Managing 150 students with different needs and abilities 08:03 - Teacher “time poverty” and the job that grew tentacles 08:40 - How much Jessica’s doctorate added to her paycheck 09:09 - Teacher shortages, micromanagement, and scripted curricula 09:41 - Jessica’s cautious advice for aspiring teachers 10:39 - How she knew it was time to retire 12:43 - Losing an identity and beginning the farewell tour 13:05 - Why Jessica encourages some young teachers to leave 15:03 - Criticizing teachers while remembering the teachers who changed us 16:42 - How educators become targets of political accusations 17:59 - The change Jessica noticed when smartphones entered the classroom 19:06 - Why children seem more isolated and reluctant to participate 20:23 - Phone-free schools and parental resistance 21:08 - Why phones can become dangerous during school emergencies 23:51 - The importance of administrators who support their teachers 25:41 - What children can learn from having a teacher they do not like 28:02 - Is there a coordinated effort against public education? 30:00 - Why public education is essential to democracy 31:09 - The connection between wealth, school funding, and opportunity 32:46 - Why schools cannot solve poverty by themselves 34:30 - Teachers as the easiest people to blame 36:04 - Why education is a public good, even for people without children 38:32 - Universal pre-K and helping children before they fall behind 38:54 - Why Jessica has always voted for school funding 39:56 - The human cost of education and the temptation to replace teachers 41:30 - AI, critical thinking, and the need for foundational knowledge 43:13 - From classroom teacher to online education advocate 45:10 - Finding her political voice after retirement 46:04 - The one change Jessica would make to public education 46:59 - How universal pre-K could help level the playing field Connect with Jessica Hawk Follow My Teacher Face on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, or find all of Jessica’s current links on her official Linktree. Resources mentioned The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt The Digital Delusion by Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath Bluebonnet Learning materials from the Texas Education Agency Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.