EP342 The hidden curriculum: getting real about the values we teach
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
Angela Watson
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 15 February 2026
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Each time we decide which history gets a full unit and which gets a mini-lesson…
Each time we choose whose stories to showcase in classroom libraries while others gather dust on shelves …
Each time we select which family structures and cultures to represent in class and which we quietly pretend don't exist …
We're teaching whose voices matter, what counts as normal, and how power works. That's the hidden curriculum. And it's been operating in classrooms since the first schools were founded.
This episode is about uncovering the hidden curriculum in your own teaching, so you can make conscious choices about the values you're reinforcing.
And, it's about empowering public schools to be unapologetic in their stance about a core piece of the hidden curriculum that should be underlying our work:
Every child who walks into our classrooms deserves to see themselves reflected there, to have their existence treated as welcome, and to leave knowing their life has inherent value.
This episode is a call to remain steadfast in your commitment to care for (and be actively inclusive of) all families in your school community.
We need to proudly own our commitment to teaching kids empathy, curiosity, and the ability to understand–and collaborate with–people who are different from them.
This episode is a rebuke of a coordinated attempt to paint these values as controversial, "political" or "a radical left wing agenda." They are not.
They are educational best practices, backed by long-standing research, that teachers have implemented for decades in schools across the country. It's time to stop playing defense and speak plainly about how we do what's best for kids.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to episode 342 of Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers. I'm your host, Angela Watson, |
| 0:08.3 | and I'm here to speak encouragement into the hearts of educators and get you informed and energized |
| 0:13.4 | for the week ahead. Today, I'm talking about the hidden curriculum and why it's impossible |
| 0:19.2 | for us to teach just the facts. Visit truthfor |
| 0:23.1 | teachers.com for an easy to read, easy to share version of this podcast episode. |
| 0:32.1 | When was the last time that you had three full days with nothing to do except for rest, relax, laugh with people |
| 0:41.3 | who get it, wander around in nature, have someone else cook and clean up, so you can just be. |
| 0:49.3 | Well, this summer, you're going to have an opportunity. |
| 0:51.9 | I'm hosting teacher retreats built around what your nervous system actually needs to decompress |
| 0:58.4 | after this school year. |
| 1:00.0 | We're talking restorative yoga, live sound baths, guided meditative forest walks, nourishing |
| 1:06.4 | meals, and the kind of deep connection that happens when you're surrounded by people who truly understand |
| 1:12.1 | your life. There's two opportunities to join us in summer 2026, June 12th through 14th in Honesdale, |
| 1:20.4 | Pennsylvania, and July 24th through 26th near Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina. Spots are limited and they will fill. |
| 1:29.9 | Go to doseasonpress.com, D-U-E-Seasnpress.com, or click the link in the show notes. |
| 1:37.0 | Even if you're not sure yet, check it out, see what the details are. |
| 1:40.6 | Future you will be so glad that you gave yourself this opportunity to rest on a teacher |
| 1:46.9 | retreat with me. So before we dive into today's topic, I want to address something directly. |
| 1:55.7 | No one has asked me about this or called me out for anything, but some of you might be quietly wondering |
| 2:01.8 | why I'm not speaking up more about everything that's happening in the U.S. right now. There is a lot, |
| 2:09.7 | and it is overwhelming. Here's where my head is at. I feel like no one needs another hot take, |
| 2:17.4 | least of all from me. No one needs me to repost |
... |
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