Former maths teacher David Myers joins us for a gripping two-part conversation about his journey in and out of the classroom - and everything in between.

In this first episode, we follow David from the early days of creative teaching and academic passion, through a toxic shift in school culture, the loss of professional autonomy, and the impact of long COVID on his well-being. From being told that “90% of teaching is marking” to experiencing mandated scripts, meaningless targets, and metacognition gone mad, David opens up about the moments that pushed him out of the profession he once loved.

What shines through is his deep care for students, his passion for real learning, and his refusal to accept factory-model education. There’s resilience here, humour, and insight - and for any teacher questioning what comes next, David’s honesty will hit home.

This is a story about burnout, boundaries, and finally saying “enough.”

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Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real