HeyJaredIf Teachers Ruled the World
The podcast where real teachers get real. No Pinterest perfection. No out-of-touch theory. Just honest talk about what teaching actually looks like—failures, wins, and everything in between. Hosted by Leah Cleary, a 25-year classroom veteran who says what we’re all thinking.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 8
- Latest publication
- Sep 21, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 6, 2026
Latest episodes
Teaching Synthesis Skills in the Age of AI (opens the original)
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A student's test answer clearly wasn't written in their own voice, and Leah had no way to prove it. That's the moment that sparked this episode on teaching synthesis skills in the age of AI. Leah shares what she now does, during and after note-taking, to build the one skill AI genuinely can't replicate for students. Check out the show notes here: leahcleary.com/teaching-synthesis-skills-in-the-age-of-ai/
Self-Imposed Deadlines Teachers Set (And Why We Should Stop) (opens the original)
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Leah didn't stay up all night to meet a deadline she set for herself, and it cracked open something bigger about teacher perfectionism and boundaries. This episode gets into a Sunday night, a classroom gamification system, and a famous stress study she used to teach and never fully applied to her own life. Full show notes: leahcleary.com/self-imposed-deadlines-teachers-set/
The AI Paradox: Why Tech Sped Up the World but Slowed Down Your Classroom (opens the original)
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Lessons are taking longer this year, and it's not just you. In this episode, Leah explores the connection between AI and student attention span, using story about a simple bellringer activity that kept resetting in students' minds week after week. She digs into 2024 research on how this generation of students learns differently, then makes the case for why scaffolding versus rigor is a false choice. The real answer is teaching up while providing the heavy support kids need to get there, even whe
What the New AI Literacy Mandates Actually Mean for Your Classroom (opens the original)
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AI literacy mandates are landing in classrooms nationwide right now, and most of them show up without of funding attached (shocking, right?). Leah breaks down the federal executive order, the state bills, and one line written into legislation that inspires a sense of 1:1 deja vu. She's got a free a four-move framework for AI proofing any assignment you can grab along with the full show notes: leahcleary.com/ai-literacy-mandates-and-your-classroom/
The Differentiation Myth: Why Scaffolding Up Beats Leveling Down (opens the original)
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Think differentiation means leveled worksheets? An observation ten years ago convinced Leah otherwise, and the research from Fisher, Frey, and Shanahan backs it up. She breaks down why scaffolding up beats leveling down, and walks through exactly what it sounds like in her classroom. Full show notes: leahcleary.com/differentiation-myth-scaffolding-not-leveling
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