From the Teacher's Lounge - A Mixtape

Dear Reader,

If you’ve ever cried in your car before school, joyfully danced in your classroom with your students, or felt like a totally different human in July than you do in February… this mixtape is for you.

Each of these songs is paired with a teacher letter—written or unwritten—that reflects the ups, downs, grief, grit, humor, and healing that comes with this calling. Whether you’re new to the profession, a mid-career “maybe I’m done?” wanderer, or someone who just survived the hardest school year of your life, I hope you find yourself somewhere in this playlist.
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Put it on shuffle. Read out of order. Come back when you need it.

For the New Teacher (Or the One Starting Fresh)

Can I Kick It? – A Tribe Called Quest
Yes, you can. Find your marigold mentors and then be unapologetically you. Your unique self is your superpower.

Electric Relaxation – A Tribe Called Quest
Summers are your sacred time. Rest. Reset. Reclaim your rhythm. You earned it.

Knowledge – Operation Ivy
“All I know is that I don’t know nothing.” There’s no silver bullet curriculum. The best teachers revise constantly. Stay curious, not compliant.

Three Little Birds – Bob Marley & The Wailers
Not toxic positivity. This is about the good teams and those magical teammates. The ones that make everything feel possible. Cherish them. Be one.

When the Work Starts to Swallow You
Warning – Incubus
Protect your peace. This job will try to turn you into a to-do list with legs. Don’t let it. Teaching is your work, not your worth.

Unbelievers – Vampire Weekend
You won’t always believe in the system. But you can still believe in your students. Teach with doubt. It makes you conscious.

What's Up? – 4 Non Blondes
For the December teacher. The one halfway through and holding on by strand and a cold cup of coffee. What’s going on?! (No, seriously. What IS going on?)

Stressed Out – Twenty One Pilots
A veteran teacher’s battle cry. We miss the “good old days” before everything became a data point. Those times where kids were still kids. Wish we could turn back time.

Basket Case – Green Day
Do you have the time to listen to me whine? A good admin does. A great one brings snacks. (But will never send a kid you sent to the office back zero consequences and a fist full of fruit roll ups)

When It Breaks You
Paper Bag – Fiona Apple
You thought it was a dove of hope. It was just a paper bag. Stay grounded. Keep hoping anyway.

The Bends – Radiohead
When burnout makes the words come out all weird. You’re still surfacing. Give it time.

Just a Phase – Incubus / Get Gone – Fiona Apple
Not all teachers are marigolds. Some will dim your light. If it escalates to the point where you can’t breathe—it’s okay to get gone.

Let Go – Frou Frou
There’s beauty in the breakdown. Teaching will break your heart sometimes. Let go when you need to. It doesn’t make you weak.

Breathe (2 AM) – Anna Nalick
After loss. After the unspeakable. Sometimes all you can do is just… breathe. That’s enough.

Sleeping Lessons – The Shins
The awakening after survival. The moment you realize you’ve changed—and that’s okay.

Reckoner – Radiohead
Test scores. Growth targets. Data dashboards. But… what about the kids? What about you? Refuse to be reduced to a spreadsheet.

When Healing Begins
Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine
Leaving a toxic school is brutal. But Happiness? Run fast toward it and back to you.

Sunshower – Chris Cornell
Maybe you’re grieving a version of the job that no longer exists. That’s real. So is your growth. Grieve what was—but don’t live in it.

Over the Hills and Far Away – Led Zeppelin
The resignation letter has been sent. You’re on the open road. Windows down. Hope on blast.

Float On – Modest Mouse
The sarcastically positive mantra: even when things get “a bit too heavy,” we’ll all float on. (Eventually.)

Keep It Together – Guster
Some days you’re duct-taping your soul to your desk. But you’re still here. That counts.

Work It Out – Jurassic 5 & Dave Matthews Band
Sometimes we do work it out. Through conflict, grief, growth—we try, together.

When You Remember the Joy
JUST FOR FUN / 16 CARRIAGES – Beyoncé
Two sides of the teacher coin. One radiant with joy, the other heavy with grief. Don’t let anyone dull your light—or deny your story.

Formed a Band – Art Brut
You found your people. You got them on your team. You formed a band. It was bliss. And when it ends? (because sometimes it does) You remember it forever.

Tribute – Tenacious D
To all the bests—the teammates who became lifelines. The staff lounge philosophers. The ones who made it fun again. This isn’t the greatest letter in the world… it’s just a tribute.

Triumph – Wu-Tang Clan
“So many things are temporary… that toxic admin? The difficult class? Writing that thesis paper for your masters degree? All temporary—but Wu-Tang is forever.” Repeat it like a spell. Laugh when you can. That’s your survival- that’s your triumph.

Coda
This mixtape is part survival guide and part time capsule. It’s an offering. A reminder that teaching is layered, human, hard, and—sometimes—hilarious.
If you’re still in it, I see you.
If you’ve left, I honor you.
If you’re wondering whether to stay or go--
just know you’re not alone.

🎧 Add the playlist to your day, and if you’ve got a story of your own, drop it in the comments or reply. I’d love to hear what song got you through.
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With warmth & caffeine,

– Mrs. K
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