5 Podcast Recommendations for Teacher Appreciation

By: Charles Fournier, teacher and producer of Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore and The Historian’s Table.

May 6th was Teacher Appreciation Day. To celebrate all of those brilliant teachers out there and to highlight the complex realities of public education, I’ve put together a list of podcast episodes by, about, or for teachers. These episodes explore everything from school violence to curriculum control to the joy of inside jokes only teachers will understand.

Podcast Recommendations for Teacher Appreciation:

Murder 101

This narrative series is a clinic on the impact of a good teacher. A Tennessee high school sociology teacher introduces his students to criminal profiling and gives them a cold case to solve. Not only do the students engage with the project, but they create a profile that links multiple real-life unsolved murders. The case becomes known as the "Redhead Murders."

Episode to start with: One in 200 Million

Violence Week

Emily Reeves returns to her high school in East Lansing, Michigan, where violence is escalating. After a gun is found on campus, tough conversations about school safety, race, and policing arise. This series is a powerful, timely look at what many educators and students are facing.

Episode to start with: Chapter 1: Violence Week

Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore

This season captures a year in the life of teachers across the country. Through research and personal audio journals from the 2023–2024 school year, teachers reflect on shared challenges and wins. It’s raw, honest, and deeply validating for anyone in the profession.

Episode to start with: August

Teaching Texas

Texas has shaped education policy across the nation for decades. This documentary series unpacks the influence of Texas’s textbook industry and its role in today’s culture wars in education. It’s essential listening for anyone trying to understand how curriculum battles unfold.

Episode to start with: Chapter 1: Under God

How To Survive The Classroom

Host Andrea Forcum and guest Gaspare Randazzo, both teachers and comedians, swap classroom stories and bring the laughs. This lighthearted episode is perfect for the end of a long school day. Watch for Andrea’s upcoming podcast How to Survive the Classroom, coming later this month.

Episode to start with: BTS of the Trust and Teaching with Gaspare Randazzo

These five podcast episodes reflect the highs, lows, and in-betweens of life as a teacher. Whether you're looking for validation, a fresh perspective, or just a good laugh after a long day, there's something here for you. Teachers deserve to be seen — and these stories help make that happen.