Send us a text In this deeply personal and emotionally charged episode, Vanessa Jackson steps away from her usual format to examine the civil trial of Abby Zwerner, the first-grade teacher shot by a six-year-old student. This is not a story about politics—it’s a case study in ignored warnings, failed leadership, testing culture, and the trauma teachers are expected to survive in silence. If you’re an educator, this episode will feel painfully familiar. It’s a mirror held up to a broken system—and a call to stop accepting the unacceptable. 🧭 Timestamps for Navigation Use these timestamps in the episode description or show notes so listeners can jump to the parts that resonate most: 0:00 – Introduction & Framing 4:07 – The Pattern of Ignored Warnings 10:05 – The Defense’s Strategy: Deflect, Distract, and Weaponize 17:29 – The Test-Score Obsession 22:51 – Authority, Safety, and the Functionally Absurd Gap 28:47 – Leadership Accountability 35:00 – The Human Cost 40:50 – Broader Systemic Implications 47:47 – In Closing: What Are We Willing to Accept? Please share this with anyone you feel needs to hear it. And if you want to talk, - contact me. I’m here. 👋 Connect with Vanessa: 📩 Email:
[email protected] 📞 Voicemail/Text: 512-640-9099 🧭 Discovery Call: Book a session 🌐 Website: TeachersInTransition.com 🔵 Facebook: Follow here 📸 Instagram + Threads: @teachers.in.transition 🐦 Twitter (X): @EduExitStrategy 💬 Bluesky: @beyondteaching.bsky.social The transcript to this podcast is found on the episode’s homepage at Buzzsprout
