Vault: Teacher Vent Line

Summary

The Bert Show – Vault: Teacher Vent Line

Date: June 25, 2026

---

Overview

In this episode of The Bert Show, the team revisits the "Teacher Vent Line," a platform where teachers can candidly share their frustrations about the current state of education. The main topics include budget cuts, lack of support from parents and administration, concerns about student literacy and discipline, and the effects of technology on communication skills. The conversation is lively, with the hosts and teacher callers expressing both empathy and exasperation at the challenges facing educators today.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Nature of Teacher Frustrations

• Vent Line Purpose:
  The vent line acts as an anonymous outlet for teachers to express things they can't say to parents or admins, giving them emotional relief.

  • Host/Moderator: "You just go ahead and dump there because you can't say these things to the parents and you feel better about things. So this is our fourth now teacher vent line." (01:20)

• Main Frustrations:

  • Teacher 1: "We do is mostly gripes about the parents." (01:17)
  • Common complaints include lack of parental involvement in discipline and poor administrative decisions.

---

2. Budget Cuts, Furloughs, and Teacher Pay

• Furloughs and Financial Stress:
  Multiple teachers discuss how furloughs impact their already tight budgets and the added stress of financial insecurity.

  • Teacher 2: "I just want to say I'm tired of everyone giving us furlough days. I make just enough money each month to pay the bills in the household and buy groceries and maybe have enough for gas. And then you're going to take out $200 out of my paycheck for the month." (02:33)
  • Equity issue: Frustration that administrators receive bonuses while teachers face cuts.

• School Closures:

  • Teacher 1: "They're having to do major, major budget cuts. And I just heard this morning that they're having to close four schools." (03:10)

• Value of the Profession:

  • Teacher 4: "I just think that teachers just... Oh my God. I don't understand why they're not the most celebrated profession in this country and the highest paid." (02:58)

---

3. Student Literacy and Academic Standards

• Declining Writing Skills:

  • Teacher 3: "Most of them are writing on elementary levels and with the anticipation of going through college. The worst thing that we are doing as educators is allowing these students to pass through these grades and not give them what they need to be able to function as literate writers." (03:32, 03:55)
  • Teacher 2: "Parents don't understand it. It's all about test scores. Policymakers don't understand it." (03:57)

• Impact of Technology:

  • Host/Moderator reflects on how emails from college interns lack proper grammar and professionalism, blaming texting and social media for the decline.
    • Host/Moderator: "If some of our college interns are writing resumes or cover letters the way they are writing emails ... they are never gonna get a job." (04:14)
    • Teacher 1: "Teenagers now have never grown up without a cell phone or texting. They don’t know what life would be like without it." (05:50)

• Language in Professional Settings:

  • Teacher 4: "When you're in the professional world, you have to be professional and be able to adjust to that ... when you're trying to get a job, you can spell it right." (05:17)

---

4. Parental Role and Student Accountability

• Parental Expectations and Student Behavior:

  • Teacher 2: "If you expect them to behave and not get in trouble, then discipline needs to start at home. That's not what we do at school." (01:38)
  • Teacher 2: "How in Sam hell do you have a sixth grader in private school or public school and they can't even read?... Everything's always a teacher's fault. That's absolutely ridiculous." (06:52)

• Parental Involvement in Academics:

  • Teacher 2: "Do not tell [your kid] it's okay to watch the movie instead of reading a book." (05:59)
  • Teacher 4: "Why have children if you're not actually going to involve yourself in their life?" (07:29)

• Failure Rates and Attendance:

  • Teacher 2: "I'm sick of administration asking why my failure rate is so High when 20% of my students have missed at least 15 days this year." (05:59)

---

5. Advocacy and Change

• Encouraging Political Action:

  • Caller: "If teachers are upset about the furloughs or the merit pay system, I really want to urge all teachers, it's email your senator week...do anything that you can to let your senators and lawmakers know that they need to stop furloughing us." (07:41)

• Importance of Professionalism:

  • Host/Moderator: "If you write them a letter, go ahead and use capital letters and punctuation, commas and periods and stuff like that." (08:18)
  • Teacher 4: "I think senators respond to correct spelling." (08:24)

---

6. Standardization and Softening in Schools

• Expectations in Classrooms:

  • Teacher 4: "There's a certain standard that should be applied to everybody ... sometimes I think we're getting weak in school...the administration does not let the teachers have the power in the classroom." (09:20)

• Shift in Discipline and Authority:

  • Host/Moderator: "They can turn around, they can sue you and then they go to their parents." (10:00)
  • Teacher 4: "I think we're getting soft as parents too." (10:09)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Teacher 2: "I love kids. That's why I became a teacher. There's nothing in me that gets excited about having to discipline a kid." (02:06)
• Teacher 1 on screening interns: "If you send something that's got misspellings or all lowercase or you're using C U Z instead of 'because' then it's not gonna happen. I'm sorry." (04:39)
• Teacher 2: "Throwing money at the problem is not gonna fix it. You should have sat down with them when they were in kindergarten and first grade and helped your teacher." (06:52)
• Host/Moderator: "It's almost like an age definer now, and I'm not sure what it is. Maybe 28 or older, you're using capital letters and punctuation. And under 28, you're not." (05:09)
• Caller: "Get on Facebook, join Georgians Against Merit Pay, find out information, do anything that you can to let your senators and lawmakers know that they need to stop furloughing us..." (07:41)

---

Timestamps For Important Segments

• (01:01) – Teacher Vent Line opens: Host explains the concept and invites teacher participation.
• (02:06) – Teachers air frustrations over furloughs, pay, and administrative decisions.
• (03:32) – Concerns over students’ poor writing and literacy levels.
• (05:09) – Email and resume professionalism as an age marker.
• (05:59) – Teachers discuss high failure rates, absenteeism, and problematic parental attitudes about academics.
• (07:41) – Caller urges teachers to advocate with their senators and engage in political activism.
• (08:30) – Teachers discuss language use, adaptability, and standards between student culture and workforce expectations.
• (09:20) – Debate about whether schools are getting too "soft" and issues around teacher authority.

---

Summary Tone and Flow

The episode maintains the Bert Show’s signature authenticity and humor, even as it navigates the serious struggles teachers face. Hosts and guests balance empathy for teachers’ daily realities with candid observations about changing parental values and societal trends affecting education. While the laughter and quips lighten the mood, the repeated emphasis on parents’ and politicians’ roles in supporting teachers leaves listeners with a strong call to action and a sense of solidarity with educators.

---

For more on education issues and to participate, listeners are invited to check out www.thebertshow.com or join conversations on social media.

Transcript

[Host]

Hey everybody.

[Lady Luck]

Lady luck here. And we're celebrating America's 250th birthday. Now all summer long I'm going to be celebrating by playing on spinquest.com which is an American owned social casino. It obviously features over a thousand slot games and live blackjack, live craps, live bubble craps. Head on over to spinquest.com get yourself a $30 coin pack for just 10 bucks.

[Spinquest Announcer]

Spinquest is a free to play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[Lady Luck]

This year's girls trip to Telluride was the best. We one upped ourselves with my Sapphire Preferred card. And with 5 times points on Chase Travel, plus 3 times points on vacation homes with top brands, we got this incredible cabin.

[Teacher 1]

It was a mansion.

[Lady Luck]

And with three times the points on dining, we ordered a wagyu steak dinner.

[Teacher 1]

And that pistachio gelato was too good.

[Lady Luck]

So where should we go next year?

[Teacher 1]

I've got ideas.

[Lady Luck]

Chase Sapphire preferred the card that's preferred for a reason. Cards issued by JP Morgan, Chase bank and a member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply.

[The Birch Show Announcer]

The Birch Show.

[Host/Moderator]

All right, let's get back to the teacher event line here. 404-255-3535 is the number and if you're a teacher and you're frustrated with anything going on, could be another teacher, could be administration, could be one of your students, could be the parents to one of your students, which is really what

[Teacher 1]

we do is mostly gripes about the parents.

[Host/Moderator]

Then you give our vent line a call and sort of is working as your therapist. You just go ahead and dump there because you can't say these things to the parents and you feel better about things. So this is our fourth now teacher vent line.

[Teacher 2]

Your child is with me more hours

[Teacher 3]

of the day than they are with you.

[Teacher 2]

So if you expect them to behave and not get in trouble, then discipline needs to start at home. That's not what we do at school.

[Host/Moderator]

All right, again, so we're going to see probably the same reoccurring thing. Teachers don't have a problem with the kids, right? It's when they get back to you guys, man.

[Teacher 3]

Just want to let you know, teacher

[Teacher 2]

assistants have been furloughed 10 days.

[Teacher 3]

We make poverty level salary as it is. You gotta understand, single moms just can't

[Teacher 2]

do it on a poverty level. Hey, get it together. I have valuable things to do with my own time. Whether it be pouring my heart and energy into lesson plans and creative activities to keep your lazy children attentive in My classroom or whether it be personal things, believe it or not, we have a life outside of school. I love kids. That's why I became a teacher. There's nothing in me that gets excited about having to discipline a kid. Thanks. Appreciate it. Bye. I just want to say I'm tired of everyone giving us furlough days. I make just enough money each month to pay the bills in the household and buy groceries and maybe have enough for gas. And then you're going to take out $200 out of my paycheck for the month. How about you do something else? And cut the administrators when they're getting bonuses and they can go on vacations that cost thousands and thousands of dollars?

[Host/Moderator]

Melissa and Jen just both nodding their head yes.

[Teacher 4]

I just. I mean, we're both daughters of teachers, and I just think that teachers just. Oh, my God. I don't understand why they're not the most celebrated profession in this country and the highest paid.

[Teacher 1]

Well, and for more furloughs coming, too, I mean, to me, it seems like they're having to do major, major budget cuts. And I just heard this morning that they're having to close four schools.

[Host/Moderator]

Indicator budgetary cuts.

[Teacher 1]

Close them, like, close. Like no one works there anymore, you know, And I think they're still trying to decide which ones those are going to be. But, yeah, you'd rather take a furlough than everybody get fired, you know, I

[Teacher 3]

am a high school teacher and extremely disappointed with the writing of most of my high school students at this point. Most of them are writing on elementary levels and with the anticipation of going through college. The worst thing that we are doing as educators is allowing these students to pass through these grades and not give

[Teacher 2]

them what they need to be able

[Teacher 3]

to function as literate writers.

[Teacher 2]

It's very frustrating.

[Teacher 3]

Parents don't understand it. It's all about test scores. Policymakers don't understand it. They're not in the classrooms. They're not dealing with these students who don't care, who don't want to be

[Teacher 2]

there, who want to make a grade,

[Teacher 3]

move on, but don't want to do the work.

[Host/Moderator]

Let me step in there for just one second and sound like an old guy, because from time to time, I'll get emails from some of our college interns. And I blame this on the Internet and Twitter right here. But, man, it is so bad. Like, if. If our. If some of our college interns are writing resumes or cover letters the way they are writing emails, professional emails to us, they are never gonna get a job.

[Teacher 4]

Correct.

[Teacher 1]

That's usually the first line of defense for me. Like with our collegiate interns, if they can't send me, like a complete formal email and be able to email me a resume that looks like a formal resume, I don't even accept them for a phone interview. And then after the phone interview, you know what I'm saying? Like, it goes in steps, but that, to me is the first line of defense. If you send something that's got misspellings or all lowercase or you're using C U Z instead of. Because then it's not gonna happen. I'm sorry.

[Host/Moderator]

It's almost like an age definer now, and I'm not sure what it is. Maybe 28 or older, you're using capital letters and punctuation. And under 28, you're not well.

[Teacher 4]

And the thing is, you say you sound like an old guy, but guess who's hiring you? It's gonna be the old guys. So, I mean, I just. That's cute and everything and having slang and doing all this stuff, but when you. Yes. You're in the professional world, you have to be professional and be able to adjust to that. You can do this C U, Z with your friends, but when you're trying to be. To trying to get a job, you can spell it. Right.

[Host/Moderator]

I've been really surprised by that. You know, and these. These students are inevitably going to grow up and be teachers also. So are. They're learning the basics in school.

[Teacher 4]

Right.

[Host/Moderator]

But they're just not applying it in the social networking world. Is that right?

[Teacher 1]

I think so, yeah. I mean, you have to think about it. Like teenagers now have never grown up without a cell phone or texting.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Teacher 1]

You know, they don't know what life would be like without it.

[Host]

Right.

[Teacher 2]

I am sick of administration asking why my failure rate is so High when 20% of my students have missed at least 15 days this year. Parent, if you're going to have your son. Daughter in a literature class, do not tell them it's okay to watch the movie instead of reading a book.

[Teacher 1]

Oh, my God.

[Host/Moderator]

I used to do that.

[Teacher 4]

But your parent is telling me.

[Host/Moderator]

My parent never told me to do it. No, but I did it.

[Teacher 4]

I mean, I failed a test because I watched Gone with the Wind and didn't read it. Yes, I know.

[Icebreaker's Gum Announcer]

Okay.

[Teacher 4]

But. Yes, Millie, Pete never said. Well, honey, don't worry. Just get the Cliffs Notes or watch the movie.

[Teacher 1]

The Cliff Notes are awesome. No, no, no. I mean, CliffsNotes can help you, but yeah, watch the movie instead of reading the book at all.

[Teacher 4]

But the parents saying it is the thing. Of course, you know, I tried it.

[Host]

It's funny.

[Teacher 2]

First of all, I have a problem with the parents. How in Sam hell do you have a sixth grader in private school or public school and they can't even read? I have a problem that I have to teach your 6th grader phonics in a private school. Hello. Throwing money at the problem is not gonna fix it. You should have sat down with them when they were in kindergarten and first grade and helped your teacher. But no, no. Everything's always a teacher's fault. That's absolutely ridiculous. And that's all I have to say. Thank you. End of messages.

[Host/Moderator]

All right, so sort of the same sentiment there.

[Teacher 4]

Why parents? I know I'm not a parent, but why have children if you're not actually going to involve yourself in their life? Why have children? Why just don't have children?

[Host/Moderator]

Hey, Heather, good Morning. You're on Q100.

[Host]

Hi.

[Caller]

I was listening to the teacher vent line. And if teachers are upset about the furloughs or the merit pay system, I really want to urge all teachers, it's email your senator week. Let them know that you're upset. Get the message out there, because there's not a lot that we can do when we don't have unions. So get on Facebook, join Georgians Against Merit Pay, find out information, do anything that you can to let your senators and lawmakers know that they need to stop furloughing us and they need to not let that merit bill get through and become a law.

[Host/Moderator]

And I would suggest if you write them a letter, go ahead and use capital letters and punctuation, commas and periods and stuff like that.

[Teacher 4]

I think senators respond to correct spelling.

[Teacher 1]

Proper grammar would be good.

[Host/Moderator]

Hey, Jill. Good morning. You're on the Bert Show.

[Teacher 4]

Good morning.

[Host]

I'm a teacher, and when I went to college, I remember one of my teachers telling us, a child has a right to his or her own language, except in the workforce, so they can punctuate incorrectly and jive and do all that stuff that they want to do while they're kids and while they're with their families and all. But the minute you start in that workforce, I'm sorry, you have to adapt.

[Host/Moderator]

People need to tell them that, but they do.

[Teacher 4]

How do you adapt if you're not educated to do that or if you're

[Host/Moderator]

not doing it consistently right?

[Host]

If the teachers aren't doing their job and telling them just that, fine, you talk how you want to. But in the workforce, you've Got to be like everybody else. But you got parents who then are saying, well, my child was raised this way and this is how they're supposed to be. Well, fine, but they're not going to get a job.

[Teacher 4]

There's a part of me that I don't know. There's a part of me that doesn't fully. I get where everybody's diverse, but if you're in a classroom or in a workforce, I don't necessarily agree with the teacher saying, well, you can write however you want, you can talk. No, when you're in the classroom, there's a certain standard you that should be applied to everybody. And I just think that we're, I don't know. Sometimes I, you know, Bert always uses the word, you know, like, you know, in sports, like weak or whatever. And sometimes I think we're getting weak in school. Like, you know what? Yeah, we're getting too soft in school. I really think so. I think the administration does not let the teachers have the power in the classroom. And that is who you, you, you need to be intimidated by your teacher and want to see they can't be anymore.

[Host/Moderator]

They can turn around, they can sue you and then they go to their parents.

[Teacher 4]

And I think that's horrible. I think that's horrible to do that. Yeah, I think we're getting soft in school. Absolutely.

[Host/Moderator]

I think we're getting soft as parents too.

[Teacher 4]

Yeah, totally.

[Spinquest Announcer]

The bird show.

[The Birch Show Announcer]

What's going on, everyone? It's bluff here and we're driving through the states in the Bluff mobile. And the best thing that we can do is play our favorite casino style games on Spin Quest. They have over a thousand games including live dealer blackjack and craps. With tons of slots and unlimited options, you can get a $30 coin pack for just $10 for new users. Sign up today. Go to spinquest.com right now.

[Spinquest Announcer]

Spinquest is a free to play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[Icebreaker's Gum Announcer]

Need a boost? Sometimes all it takes is tapping into your inner cool. Icebreaker's gum helps you unleash the confidence within. Each chew releases a rush of icy flavor powered by cooling flavor crystals, sending a wave of refreshment to reinvigorate all your senses. Icebreaker's convenient pack fits everywhere from car cup holders to backpack pockets so you can find your cool wherever you go. Grab Icebreaker's gum online or at a store near you.