Using Humor, Pranks, and Modern Tools to Thrive in Teaching with Kevin McClintock

Andrea: Welcome to Those Who Can't Do, I am Andrea Forcum, and today we have Kevin McClintock, but you guys probably know him as Mr. McTikTok, who I am so excited to talk to you today. Kevin, thank you so much for coming on. 

Kevin: Thanks for having me, Andrea. 

Andrea: Yeah, I was very excited. I think I did a decent job when we were both at VidCon, and I tried to be very cool, but I was actually very excited to meet you because we have a bunch of mutual friends that I had hung out with a lot, but you were like one of the only ones I hadn't met yet, and I don't know that anyone was even expecting you to be at VidCon, right?

Kevin: Yeah, so I didn't like tell anybody I was coming to VidCon because we didn't know. If we were going to truly make it because it seems like every summer where I'm trying to use up my summer vacation to travel and whatnot. And then we finally were like, no, we need to do this. Like this is important. And so, yeah, we surprised everybody.

Andrea: You did. Yeah. We were wandering around the convention center and really at VidCon, I, my whole job was just, Holding Andy who if you guys don't know Andy, she's the sticker lady teacher. Um, I was just holding her purse while she was just like swarmed by all these little middle school fans and stuff like that.

So it was really fun to get to be the person who's like holding all this stuff and watching. You know, one of our friends just get admired because, and I didn't realize this, but a lot of her fan base is like younger middle school, high schoolers. Um, and for me, it tends to be like the teachers themselves, the adults and all of that.

Now, what about for you? Are you, is your fan base mostly middle schoolers or is it the parents as well? 

Kevin: It depends. So it depends on the platform. Like on TikTok, it's probably going to be a lot of kids. Um, and, you know, parents and adults, moms, um, and then on Instagram, it's like mainly adults. Just because, like, I feel like when I use, like, my millennial wit and humor, it lands so much better on Instagram than it does on TikTok.

So I have a feeling it's just, it's older, but like, you can't trust analytics, 

I'm gonna 

be honest. The kids lie about their age on these platforms all the time, so like, I'll look and I'm like, I don't have that many. 18 year olds that follow me, you know what I mean? 

Andrea: Yeah, yeah. Well, and it's, it's so funny you mentioned, um, that it hits differently with like millennial humor and all of that because I just got my course reviews back and this is the first time I've looked at my, like, as a college professor, looking at course reviews.

I always did it with my students, but my students knew that I could, like, recognize their handwriting, even if it was anonymous. Um, so. And this was completely digital, so it's truly anonymous. And I just absolutely wrecked by one of my classes. And I was like, so crushed. But one of the things they said was they felt like I would argue with them.

And I was like, I don't argue with any what? Like, I don't know what that and I was chatting with a couple people about it, and they're like, well, the millennial sarcastic humor doesn't always translate 100 percent to Gen Z. And sometimes they see it as argumentation, when really you're just like, challenging their thought process or being sarcastic, and they don't vibe with it as much.

And I'm like, oh, I'm in trouble. 

Kevin: Like, Yeah, I think we grew up No, but like, we grew up with sarcasm. Yes. You know what I mean? Like, there was You know, like, there was more that we could say in, like, the early 2000s that was, like, sarcasm and not as offensive as it is now, and, and, but, like, we've always been, I don't know, I think from the time I remember, like, being in elementary school, You know, like just about that like developmental age of like sixth grade, you can start like understanding sarcasm.

You know what I mean? 

Yeah. 

That's all we talked in. 

Right. 

You know what I mean? Like, I just feel like everything that we said came out as sarcasm. And so like, it's so natural for us to do it. 

Yeah. 

And yeah, it's funny cause I've subbed like little kids and I'll forget like, you know, like, I mean like when I first started teaching, I was like a sub for K through 12 and I went from like 12th graders.

And like AP lit to like kindergarten Spanish and I was like just being super witty and like, you know, whatever, like sarcastic. And they were like, they were vibing with it. And then I get to like these five year olds and I'm like, Oh man, what am I doing? Like I had to really like code switch real quick.

Andrea: Yeah. It's crazy. Well, and some, somebody I was talking to said that they think maybe part of it is as well, that these kids are living in comments and in DMS and all of that. We're like, They don't, they're not learning like the voice inflection in the same way. And like my students that I had right now, I think they it's, I can't believe it's been four years since COVID, but they would have been like seniors in high school.

So at that point they should have kind of been there already, but I think it is maybe just like a generational thing a little bit. So I'm like, Oh no, I'm going to have to, I'm going to have to navigate that. 

Kevin: Yeah. You know, like the slang that we use or the things that we think As funny or snarky to them is like actually rude.

Yeah, exactly. 

Something that's like new, you know, like we'd like put a thumbs up. You know, like we're like, yeah, that's cool. Like, good job. Whatever. A thumbs up to Gen Z is like, Really, it's just like, it's like a great, um, you're weird. So like the thumbs up is like offensive to them. 

I'm in so much trouble.

I'm 

so there is that like generational. It's always gonna happen. I mean that's why like our teachers were always like, offensive to us or like Right. 

Andrea: You 

Kevin: know what I mean? Yeah. 

I'm like, they're taught as get older. 

Yeah. You're like, why are they so mean when like, I'm sure like are like, I don't know, I probably had teachers that were like in their fifties when I was, you know, a teenager.

The generational gap in that, you know, like the way that they could talk to you is not the way that we could talk to like our kids today. 

Andrea: You know what the worst part is, is if you looked up the actual age of the teachers that we felt like were in their 50s when we were in high school. They were like 

Kevin: 30.

Yeah, 

Andrea: they were probably like 30 or something, and I'm like, oh, dang. Before we go too far away from VidCon, I, I want to talk about the meet and greet that we went to. 

Kevin: Oh, my. That was so sketchy, dude. 

Andrea: It's so my fault, too. So one of our, one of our friends, Lauren Chela, who's been on the podcast, she had to leave early, but she had made all of these fun connections because she went to the Metta headquarters and all of that.

And she texted me, she's like, Hey, I heard about this cool meet and greet. It's not at the convention center. It's like, 15 minutes out from where the hotel is. Um, and it's just like content creators and businesses that want to work with content creators. So I was like, Oh, awesome. And so I, I messaged Kevin about it.

I was like, Hey, you and Katie should come. And so I went separately and I, on my way there, this was like late June. And as we're driving further and further away, we're not driving to a nicer area of Anaheim. We're just starting to get like, there's a lot more check cashing places and gas stations and stuff like that.

And I hear something that sounds like a gunshot on my way there. And I asked the driver, the Uber driver, I'm like, was that a gunshot? And he did not acknowledge that I said anything. He did not respond to me. And then I pulled up and it's, it's a house. Like, And not a super fancy house, just, just a house that I would not want to be at alone.

And at that point, I wasn't even sure if you and Katie were going to make it. So I get out of the car and I'm like, Oh my, Oh my gosh, is this the end for me? I'm like, I took a video to send to my husband. I like sent him my location. That way, you know, they, they could identify the body later. Like, Bye. 

Kevin: We rolled up and I was like, where are we?

I was like, are we just walking into a house? Like, I mean, it was super cool. Like the way that they like designed their studio, that it was like in the back, like it's California. You know what I mean? Like everybody has to do something with what little land they have. Yeah. But yeah, you roll in thinking that you're going to like a meet and greet with like businesses and all this stuff.

And you're thinking, You know, like, I mean, because we had gone to that TikTok party like the night before. 

Andrea: Yeah, maybe that was part of the problem. And 

Kevin: that was also the expectation. You're like, you know, and the way that, like my wife described that party was like everything that you would see on like TV and in movies, like in the early 2000s for parties, like is what it was.

You know what I mean? Everybody, there's food, there's like people dancing, DJs, and you're like, this is insane, you know? And then you show up to like this super laid back, like almost like a house hangout, like 

Andrea: a kickback 

Kevin: is what it felt like. Like a kickback? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. It went from like a, like a party to a kickback.

Mm-Hmm. . And it was really like, yeah, when we walked up, I was like, what are you, are we like supposed to be here? Like what 

Andrea: It felt, it felt weird 

Kevin: and then it felt really weird because the businesses like weren't even there. It was just a bunch of. Content creators and influencers and, you know, whatnot. Um, and then I think the pace of it was really weird because I did like a panel 

Andrea: and 

Kevin: it was supposed to be a meet and greet.

Like if you, if you call something a meet and greet. It's for people to meet and greet, not to sit there and like watch a whole panel like as like the main focus like you're not supposed to talk and there was like that clash, right? Yes. You had all the people that wanted to meet and greet in the back and they were super loud and like they were doing what was, you know, Essentially, like, what they were told to do, but then it also came off as super rude.

And we're teachers, so we are 

Andrea: sitting as quietly as possible, making as much eye contact with the presenters as we possibly can. 

Kevin: I know, I, I was like, every fiber in me was like, I just want to be like, shut up, like, like, were you raised in a, like, a zoo, like, what's wrong with you, you know what I mean? Like, I was like, I was like, seriously, they're all 

like adults that are like talking over presenters, but like at the same time, I can't fault them because they were told it was a meet and greet.

And so they were doing what they were supposed to be doing. I just think that like, maybe it's a whole learning, like that whole event is a big learning thing. event. It is. A big learning experience for them. 

Andrea: Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, I accidentally almost got us all trafficked by going to this. 

Kevin: I 

Andrea: know. I was like, what is this?

Legitimate party thing. It was insane. Um, so now you, however, you, you mentioned that you're on summer break and you always try and like fill as much as you can, but it's fall now. So what is the plan for you right 

Kevin: So we were actually, my wife and I stepped away from teaching. Because I wanted to try to start a family with my wife, um, and we were going to move to her hometown.

So I was going to be leaving my school anyway. Um, and I felt like, okay, well, I'd like to pursue social media. Um, and I think a lot of the reason behind that is I can't tell you how many times, like I've had an interaction with somebody because of social media that was incredible. Like I got to like pour into somebody or Um, create a, a friendship somewhere.

And I just thought it was really cool because I have kids that come up to me and I get to ask them about, you know, everything going on in their life. And it's like a really, it's funny. Like I was in Costco the other day and the kid walks up to me and he's like, 

dude, you're the YouTuber. Like, 

and you know, I was like meeting him and his dad was there like, dude, let me take a picture.

And I just got to ask him about himself. And you know, like, The crazy part is, is just that little simple thing is going to be like a highlight for him, like a core memory. And I think for me, like I remember those times, like when I really looked up to people, like we didn't have social media the same way that we have it now.

But like when I met people that I really like aspired to be and they were just like, so cool, like just normal, I was like, yes. And it was inspiring. And so for me, I would love to be able to. I don't know, like, to build community and mentor, um, on a greater scale than just my classroom. And I will always, always miss my class, like, my kids.

Andrea: Well and it's And teaching. It's kind of insane too when you think about it because the kid who came up and was so excited to see you in Costco. That same kid, if he were to be in your class and see you every day, he probably, like, you probably have a lot better chance of saying something, like, super memorable to him in those two minutes than if you were up there and you were like, okay guys, today here's what we're gonna do.

He'd be like, oh, that's my teacher, whatever. But because you're like the YouTuber, all of a sudden now everything you say is at, like, this absolute pedestal, which I think is really fun. 

Kevin: It's. It always starts like the first week of school or whatever. All the kids are like, Oh my gosh, he's famous, whatever.

And I'm like, I'm not, I'm just like, I make ridiculous videos and people sometimes like them. Um, but when we go like on a field trip or something, like when we go to DC, um, with the eighth graders, people like, that's just like my demographic. So like the place that I get recognized the most is in DC on that trip, 

really, you know?

And I, I mean like Andrea, it was like, 150 times. Like, I, like, no matter where we went, like, somebody was like, dude, I, what? But I was also wearing my whole costume, you know, like my jersey and stuff. Like, I was just, like, hamming it up and having a fun time. 

But the 

kids, the kids, like, start getting really, like, They're like, that's my teacher.

You don't even know him. You don't even, you don't even know him. You know what I mean? Like, it's funny. Like I had, um, somebody like one of my former students say like, you know what? Like, they don't know you. Like we know you. And we know your way more than like, Just social media. 

Andrea: Right. 

Kevin: You know, and it was like one of the sweetest things a kid could have ever said, said to me.

Um, but you know, they also will like say it backhandedly. 

Andrea: Right. Of course. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 

Kevin: Yeah. 

Andrea: They, they love to see it because you're famous and they think that's cool. But then also they love to just troll you for it because They're middle schoolers. 

Kevin: Exactly. 

Andrea: One of the things you brought to talk about today, um, was, uh, relationships with your students and the importance of that connection.

So how do you build that kind of a connection? And this is like, honestly, for me as well, even working in college, I have a really hard time with connecting as much with the very quiet students. The ones who are just, you know, quiet. there and trucking away and doing their work all the time. Um, because I am not that way.

I tend to just not connect with them as much. I have to be way more intentional. So what are the things that you do to connect with like those really quiet? introverted kids that if you call on them in the middle of class, they're going to like shrivel up and die. Like, how do you do that? 

Kevin: Well, I married an introvert, which definitely helps.

Actually, I married an introvert therapist, so that definitely helps. Um, but at the same time, um, I've learned to, uh, look for those kids, um, specifically because you're always going to have like the kids that are like me. Like I definitely have kids that are, um, they're like, they're many me's. You know what I mean?

And they're like, you know, they can be super loud and boisterous and, and, you know, all of that. Um, but then I look at like the kids sitting next to them who like maybe isn't saying anything. Um, and I just, I don't know, I go and I see them for them, 

if 

that makes sense. Like I go and I get on their eye level and I talk to them and like, sure.

Like I can't do all that in a classroom, like in, in a class. Period. 

Right. 

But it happens outside. So like sometimes I'll, what I would do is I would just go down for lunch. And I would sit down and like, even if I didn't have lunch duty, I'd just like go down and hang out with the kids, you know, and just like talk to them and get to know them, um, and ask them about their interests, you know, and I'd see something like, um, one of the things was, is like, I like anime, um, but I like never really displayed that or anything in my classroom until some of my introverted kids were like super into it.

So then I like went and like Amazon a couple of like anime posters and put them like in my classroom. Um, just so like the kids could like see something, like tangibly see something and be like, Oh, I've got a connection with my teacher. 

Yeah. 

You know, even though my teacher is like a surfer bro, like loud extrovert, like whatever, they could see that and be like, Oh, you know, and then I have like one of my kids to this day.

Um, he is a junior now. Wow. Um, super quiet, has, um, struggles with, creating friendships and everything. Um, but he would get me little like Dragon Ball Z, um, action figures and I'd like put them up in my class. Um, and then he would just come hang out. He was like one of those guys that would like help me film, you know, he'd be like the camera guy and wouldn't say anything, you know, but, I would be able to sit there and just talk to them, you know, just because of that little bit of connection.

But I think, you know, I'm just the biggest goof in the room and like, like the, and I act like the dumbest one in the room. So like the kids, I don't know, they feel like they can not necessarily like fully relate, but they can, they feel comfortable. 

Yeah. 

You know, because I'm like shameless. 

Andrea: Yeah, I think.

Kevin: I'm willing to embarrass myself in like the most extreme ways 

Andrea: that 

Kevin: my students are like, Okay, cool. 

Andrea: Yeah. I feel like that's really powerful, too, just because I know, I remember one of my high school English teachers, she would, when we were watching, I think, Macbeth. That's what it was. She would, she would put it up to like play for the class after we finished reading Macbeth.

And then she put like a sheet over herself and walked around the class with the lights dim and like tried to like spook people. But I mean, she's like a grown woman walking around with a sheet over her head going, Ooh, it's like a complete core memory because she remember it, of course. And she was really tough with us most of the time.

I mean, she gave so much homework and she was just one of those teachers that expected a ton from us, but then would allow us to see kind of like the sillier nature that she had when it was not a moment where we had to be super serious. Um, and I think that's incredibly powerful. Being willing to be like the butt of the jokes in the classroom, I think is a really good way of going about it.

Kevin: Yeah, absolutely. Like, I don't know. I was just, I actually surfed with a former student of mine who graduated a couple years ago, and I was asking him, I was like, what are some of your core memories of my class? And he, he was saying, you know, that one time in eighth grade, you know, that was a long time ago.

Right. Like in eighth grade, when you came in with your blue suit and all you did was talk as a New York mafia guy. And it was just like something, I was just like, what can I do that would just be ridiculous that these kids would like remember? Like, you know, that would keep them engaged. And it was just something like that.

And of course, some of the kids are going to be like, oh, you're so dumb and cringey. Yeah. But they love it. Still something to this day that he remembered. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Kevin: You know? 

Andrea: Yeah. That's great. And I always have, I have like the intent in my soul. to do stuff like that. But then I think about actually doing it and I, I get too embarrassed.

And I think I just need to get over it, especially since I'm now teaching future teachers. They would be way more likely to be on board and not be like, this is dumb. I'm not participating because they're all future teachers, you know? Um, and I very much do try and Use the different teaching strategies in class that I'm teaching them to use, because there's nothing worse than like when you go to the college, college class and you're learning how to be a teacher and they spend the entire time lecturing and tell you not to lecture, like.

Kevin: Yeah, I know. It's, it's. It's so backwards. Like everything I learned in college about teaching, I never used. 

Yeah, I 

was like, are you kidding me? Like lesson plans. Now AI writes your lesson plans for you. Like, come on, let's be on it. Like the thing that I took away from it, from college, was that I could, you know, do things, like I could make sure I turn things in on time and like, like the basic skills.

But I feel like that is something that's like so missing when you're, when you're teaching. a teacher for teachers is that you need to model like who your like kids are going to be. And like one of the things that I really appreciated because I'm crazy and um, my teachers always knew it. But even in, um, college I was like one of, cause I was actually going to be an elementary teacher originally.

And so like my, my degree was dominated by females. I was like one of five guys in like a, in like a cohort of like 500 women. And so I was always notable to my teachers and I did one class that was like teaching PE. Um, and I ended up being like in this one like subsection where I was the only guy and I just clowned.

I basically, I told the teacher, I'm like, dude, I'm going to goof off and stuff. And she's like, you know what? These girls need to be able to handle somebody. That is that acts like a seventh grade boy or a sixth grade boy, and I that's what I did, dude I just I goofed off I like bent like bent the rules of like whatever they were teaching and stuff and it would get so frustrated with me And I just obviously I was having like a field day with it I was like, I'm allowed 

Andrea: to be bad in class.

But 

Kevin: yeah, and then but then she was like And then she would like address the girls after and be like, okay, so how many of you guys were really frustrated with Kevin today? And like all of them. And then she was like, he's going to be just like your students. 

Yeah. 

Like, you remember that? 

Yeah. 

And I was like, in.

Your. Faces. So, you know 

Andrea: what, that is, that is so powerful because it's really hard before you get into the actual classroom to know what to do with, with kids that are genuinely making you laugh, but disrupting the entire class. Like that is so hard and it's so hard to emulate outside of the real classroom to be able to be like, okay, you're going to have a kid, it's going to come in and they are going to say something that is inappropriate.

Genuinely, one of the funniest and best times jokes you've heard in weeks, and you aren't allowed to laugh, and you have to get everybody back on track. I was so terrible at that, and I was such an idiot my first year teaching. I remember I told my students, again, why did I say this? But I told my students that if, if I laughed, then I didn't feel like it would be ethical for me to write them up.

So their goal then, from that point on, was like, if we make it funny enough, she's not going to write us up. And I, I don't know why I thought that. Because generally, like, I do think it's kind of messed up if you're laughing at the joke as you're writing a referral or whatever. But you don't tell them that.

You don't give them basically carte blanche to say the funniest things that come into their head, because I'm going to laugh. Like, there's, there's no way I'm going to be able to keep a straight face when they do some of the things that they do. Oh, my gosh. And then in those class situations, especially, that's when I really struggled for, I struggled connecting with the introverts because the kids who would get us off topic are the ones I'm interacting with the most.

And then the introverted kid that's literally just like waiting, like, can we please talk about what we're going to be doing today? I don't want to waste this time. I could be using this time to work and they get frustrated with me. And that was, Always my challenge, all the way through, still is, if I have like a super chatty funny student in my class, then I'm like, this is, we're building class community.

Kevin: Yeah, and it's like natural to like, enjoy them for, you know, who they are. Yeah. But yeah, it, it's totally like on the, on the flip side of things. Um, then the kid that is being overshadowed and is like, does listen and does their work on time. I just feel like those kids a lot of the time are just overlooked.

Yeah. 

You know what I mean? Just because like they don't require as much help or attention. 

Yeah. 

You know what I mean? Yeah. And so like I've, my first couple of years of teaching, I definitely probably fumbled the bag on that. Yeah. Um, but as I, I, you know, really looked for the kids that like needed that extra bit of help, 

you know, 

and my classroom wasn't necessarily designed to be quiet all the time.

Like 

that's not who I am, 

right? 

Like we'd play review games and, you know, we do these things called like history hoops and you know, like we'd be playing like trash ball and stuff and it would just get like super fun and loud and, um, I had some kids that like, didn't necessarily like that. And so I had to like, come up with different ways to incorporate that every now and then to like, Okay, now it's like Silent Ball or, um, now it's, you know, uh, we do different teams and things like that.

And so, uh, over time, I had to learn to look for those kids. 

Andrea: 100%. And I, I thought I had gotten better at it until I got my reviews from my spring students and, uh. Like, it was just very clear that I, there were a couple of students that definitely felt like I didn't make an effort to kind of get to know them in the way that they saw me chatting with some of the other students.

So even if, you know, we've been doing it for a long time and we think we're doing really well, sometimes a little bit of honest feedback. Unfortunately, it showed me that I was not doing as great as I had hoped. Um, okay, so we are going to take a very quick break, and then when we get back, we're going to talk about some middle school behavior that was in the news this week.

Be right back.

Welcome back to Those Who Can't Do. Okay, Kevin, I, have you, have you seen in the news? What RFK did. 

Kevin: No, I'm actually, I don't really watch the news, which is probably why I'm like such a happy person. Yes, 

Andrea: I don't watch the news either. This was one of those I was watching because my husband does love the news and I was walking through and I just caught a little, a little tidbit and then I found the original article.

So I'm going to read you an excerpt from this article from the New Yorker. Okay. Um, One day, in the fall of 2014, Kennedy was driving to a falconry outing in upstate New York when he passed a furry brown mound on the side of the road. He pulled over and discovered that it was the carcass of a black bear cub.

Kennedy was tickled by the find. He loaded the dead bear into the rear hatch of his car and later showed it off to his friends. In a picture from that day, Kennedy is putting his fingers inside the bear's bloody mouth, a comical grimace across his face. When I asked Kennedy about the incident, he said, maybe that's where I got my brain worm.

Then, this is, I'm going to summarize for you what he did with the, the bear. Um, because he went then to an event, forgot he had the bear in his car, because he was going to take it home and skin it. And again, like, I just, when I read this, I kept thinking, this sounds like a seventh grade boy would do exactly these things.

So he stopped, he picked up the dead bear, put it in the back, and then he decides, okay, I'm going to skin it, eat the meat. And then he forgot about it and then he was late for something. So instead of taking it, skinning it, and like getting the meat and the fur, he went to Central Park in New York City and then staged the dead bear around a bicycle, making it look as if the bear had been killed by the bicycle.

And he left it there. Like this was, it was 10 years ago, but it was like in the news that they found this dead bear in the park. They weren't sure where it came from or what was happening. Um, and he just. admitted to it because apparently the New Yorker had found out about it from somebody and so now it's like In the news that he went through and did all of these things, is that not the most middle school behavior thing you can imagine?

Like, 

Kevin: is it, is it bad that I find that really, like, epic? Like, I think, like, like, okay, he didn't do anything to the bear. The bear was already dead. Right, 

right. 

Sure, like, whatever. Like, if he, if he would have killed the bear and all that stuff, but because he didn't, he found it. 

Andrea: And 

Kevin: then, he wasn't According to him.

Andrea: He says that he just found it. You know. Maybe he killed the bear, but we don't know. Yeah. Yeah. 

Kevin: Like, if he killed the bear, I'd be like, oh, come on, man. Right. If you're gonna kill a bear, like, eat it. You know what I mean? Right. Like, whatever you're gonna do. Don't forget about it. 

Yeah. 

Don't forget about it.

But, like, that kind of stuff is funny to me. Like, pulling pranks. I pulled pranks. I like pulled pranks. Like, that was, like, one of the things I used to do all the time. Everybody knew me as, like, I'm pulling pranks, like, putting a fart machine, like, in the ceiling and, like, waiting for people to come by and, like, hitting the button.

Like, I, that's kind of, you know. 

Andrea: At what age, though? At what age are we hiding fart machines, Kevin? Are you still, are you, is Katie dealing with this now? Is, are you hiding fart machines in your home with your wife? 

Kevin: At like 31, I was doing it at 32, like, you know. 

Andrea: I feel like I'm way more mature than I was three weeks ago.

Kevin: I mean, like, come on now, come on. 

Andrea: And it was, it's such an insane story, but like, I was walking through And he was talking to Rosie O'Donnell about it for some reason. Like she was interviewing him and he was like admitting it to her and Rosie O'Donnell's hair is blonde. It felt like I fell into like an alternate timeline for a second.

And because we have so, so many serious things happening in our country and we all care so much about what's happening. And then they're like, hold on though, let's not talk about any of these other things. This one guy who also wants to be president, he wants Found a dead bear and then just like kept it in his car for a while And then also set it up like it got hit by a bicycle.

I just and then said he's got A worm in his brain like . 

Kevin: Yeah. You know, it makes him more human. I appreciate that. 'cause I feel like, you know, senators and all those people are like untouchable. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like super out of touch. 

Yeah. 

And like all that, like, they're just, they, it just, they're feels like that.

Right. But when you have somebody like, say something goofy, like, yeah. In my youth when I was younger, it's not really like in his youth. Right. But like, still like, you're like, okay, he's a human 

Andrea: right. Like me, he's. Kevin, what I'm learning from this is you would absolutely do the same thing as him. Put in that same situation.

I wouldn't, 

Kevin: I wouldn't do it with a carcass. I don't, I don't like that to me. But I definitely, like, I would prank my, I like, I, I would, this is bad, but I would take an entire teacher prep. 

Mm-Hmm. 

fill up a bunch of balloons and I, I filled up my principal's office with, oh, this is something you 

Andrea: actively did.

This is not a hypothetical. 

Kevin: No, no, no, no, no. And I like hid in it. I hid in it until, like, the end of my prep, and she comes in, and I, like, jump out of this, like, balloon, like, this, like, pile of balloons. And I mean, like, when I filled it up, it was, uh, like, I could stand in the balloons. It took me so long.

Andrea: Why? Was it her birthday? 

Kevin: No. Because it was fun. 

Andrea: So wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. So just a random day, you were like, you know what I'm going to do with my prep? Yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna fill all of, did you fill all the balloons in one prep? That's a lot of balloons. 

Kevin: Yeah. So I like recruited some of the office staff, some of the ladies that were in the office, like they all knew me though.

Like they're like, all right, it's fine. Um, and my principal, I love her. She's like a, like a mom to me, you know? Um, and she loves pranks. So yeah, like I had the best working environment ever. It was incredible, but I would just do stuff like that all the time. You know, I, I just, It was a way to like liven things up, 

you 

know, and to make it feel a little more fun around the school, you know?

Do 

Andrea: you think now that you're not working there anymore, you could get away with playing pranks on some of the teachers? Like, call the principal and be like, Hey, 

Kevin: I'm gonna go. 

Andrea: You totally should. You should be like the Mr. Beast of your former school. Just like randomly be like, all of your supplies, here they are.

Kevin: I, so now that I'm not like, well, I guess I'm subbing there still technically. Cause I was supposed to be moving, but our, our move, like our housing fell through. So we're going to be in San Diego for a while. And I only live a couple, like a couple miles from the school. So I like pass it going home and I'm like, Oh my God, that used to be my classroom and stuff.

But like, I'll be around. They've got me speaking at camps and stuff, so I will be actively involved. I'm actually going to ask my principal today if I can help with surf club, if I can be a surf club coach again. I'll be around like once a week. So I'll still very much be present. Okay, good. 

Andrea: So you still have the chance to fill the principal's office with balloons?

Oh, 100%. Excellent. 

Kevin: 100%. Like, I'm for sure gonna do that. I'm gonna recruit people. Like, 

Andrea: is that the craziest prank that you've pulled on someone? Or do you have something that's like, a level up from that. 

Kevin: Like, when are we talking? Like in college days? Are we talking like I didn't know we needed 

Andrea: to further define it, but like, I mean, if you want to share it in your whole life, what's the craziest?

Kevin: So I was a part, I was like the president of a Christian fraternity in college. This 

Andrea: tracks, yes. 

Kevin: Yeah, yeah, I know. Um, a lot of people like, look at, and they're like, oh yeah, yeah. Of course 

Andrea: you are, yeah. 

Kevin: Totally. Um, And so like by, when I say, when I say Christian, it sounds like an oxymoron, but it really was.

It was really cool. Um, we were still stupid boys, you know, like boys being boys, putting holes in walls, you know, trying to like take a computer chair down, like, you know, three flights of stairs. Stupid. You know what I mean? 

Yeah. 

Um, but we had a sister sorority that was a Christian sorority down the street.

Cause we went to, I went to San Diego state and, um, they were like half a block from us. We could just walk down our back alley and get there. And we used to do like pranks. with like amongst the houses and stuff. Um, and one of the pranks we did was we went on Craigslist and we got a bunch of like cinder blocks for free.

And then we went down, we all pitched in and got, uh, like quick drying cement at Home Depot. And we drove over, it was like maybe two in the morning or something. And all of us just like started building this like brick Wall in front of their door. 

It was like The best thing like they woke up in the morning I get 

a I get a text from the president this sorority president and she's like Kevin.

What did you guys do? 

Andrea: What 

Kevin: do you 

Andrea: mean I didn't do 

Kevin: anything I was working. I was right. 

I was sleeping. What do you know? 

Andrea: Oh my gosh. But 

Kevin: like, yeah, so I've always, I've always loved that stuff as long as it was like, didn't destroy property. I've always liked really fun things. Like I never egged when I was a kid, like I never egged cars or anything like that because I always thought like, I don't want to damage anybody's car, but like, I'll teepee your house.

Like, that's funny. Like people, we would have like teepee wars, like when we were, you know, when I was like 17, you know, like I would teepee my best friend's house or the girl, the girl that I liked at the time or the girl I was dating. And then she would do the same thing, you know, like to me, like, 

Andrea: do kids still do that?

Kevin: Oh 

yeah, 

Andrea: and I tell them to 

Kevin: do it. So like there's like some kids, I'm like, I'm like, dude, 

I, um, my, my school, as you know, was a private Christian school and you know, like the culture that comes with that is a little different than a public school. And so like the parents and stuff, there were a lot of parents that lived like pretty close by to the school and, um, they were really cool, like really cool people.

They, and actually, um, this. Uh, like maybe a month ago we got invited over to dinner and they like hosted us and just, you know, they wanted to like pour into us before, you know, we thought we were going to leave. And so like, things like that that are really cool. But I was like, now that I know where you guys live, you guys better watch out.

I'm TP ing your house. 

Andrea: Right, it's happening. This was a mistake. 

Kevin: I was like, you guys, man, you messed up. We love you, but 

Andrea: Was this, was this a parent from the school? Okay, 

Kevin: and I taught like all three of their kids. Oh, so that's awesome. Yeah, I mean at that school I taught almost every subject and Almost every grade like seven.

So I've taught seven through eleven. 

Andrea: Okay 

Kevin: in my time there So some of those kids I legitimately watched like grow up. 

Andrea: Oh, you were like, I 

Kevin: was 

Andrea: um, 

Kevin: it was really Yeah, like bittersweet to see them go and also see like

Andrea: So one of the things that we do on the podcast is I get questions from my listeners and then we can try and take a stab at answering, um, with a little bit of advice. Um, and I chose this one for today because you are in the midst of changing from being, you know, pro a classroom teacher to being full time content creator and all of that.

And the person who's asking the question is also in the midst of a change. They said, I'm changing grade levels and I feel completely overwhelmed with the volume of the material. What is your advice of how to prepare for the new curriculum without spending my entire summer working? 

Kevin: Oh, Oh, that's tough because like that happened to me like every summer.

So like, I'd never, I never taught like the same thing. The only thing that I taught like back to back for three years was AP US history. They were like, you need to stay here, you know? Um, but I had taught like one year I was teaching seventh grade, you know, world history. And then the next year I was teaching, uh, my seventh grade English.

Or, you know, and so like it was every summer felt like I was a new teacher all over again. So I know that feeling. My advice would just be focus on like what you're, what you're good at and the curriculum comes. 

Like, 

like, let's just be honest. The kids don't remember much from the curriculum, right? Like, and that's my whole thing is like, I, I'll never say that I'm the greatest teacher ever.

Like I, you know, like administrative stuff, like I'm terrible at, like grading, ah, I hate grading, but I do it. I do it because it's necessary and it's good feedback. Like. Kids need to have feedback, but 

Andrea: yeah, 

Kevin: you know, I was all about making sure my students like knew that they were loved. Um, and like that to me is like so important because then they'll learn.

Like 

I had kids that hated history, but they loved my class. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Kevin: And, you know, that was my, that's my degree was history. And so like that to me is like, yeah, they'll never care about like what I taught them. They'll remember some of the things that like I taught them. You know, I had a kid email me, um, this past year, she, um, Navy kid and, um, parents moved to Virginia and, you know, so she was like emailing me back on my school email and saying like, I miss you so much.

Like, you know, I love my history teacher now, but they're not you, you know? And then saying like. Do you remember when you taught us about this? And I was like, wow, that's so random. But yeah, I do remember it. Like, you know what I mean? But like things like that. But it's just, I think like, yeah, you do have to do a little bit extra like footwork with the curriculum.

Um, and it is hard. But I think, like, focus on just building relationships. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Kevin: Um, that's going to matter more in the end anyway. 

Andrea: I agree. And I think that it also is encouraging because that is a little bit more in your control than the curriculum is, because especially when, like, you said that you taught APUSH for a long time.

The volume of the AP history exams is, is, is huge. Insurmountable. Like, there's no way, like, AP World and AP U. S. History, there's so much they put in the curriculum for that, that, like, you're right, focusing on trying to memorize all of it before you start the school year and get everything kind of lined up before the school year even starts, like, even if you did, There's no way that you can anticipate what the needs of the kids are going to be in your class.

And so you might be good for the first week, but then after that, you're gonna have to change everything because, oh, this kid actually needs remediation and can't, can't write a DBQ or whatever it is. Like, yeah. 100%. 

Kevin: You always go in with like a plan, 

Andrea: but 

Kevin: then that plan, like 99 percent of the time changes.

Andrea: Yeah, totally agree. 

Kevin: You're just like, You have to have a plan. You can't just like wing it. There are times teachers do that. I've done it. You wing it. Every, 

Andrea: every teacher has too. Every teacher has, 

Kevin: right? There's like weeks that you're like a couple days ahead of them. Right. You know what I mean? And that's like, it's true.

Or like the morning of you're like cramming and it is like, it's life. It's what, it's what happens. But, um, a lot of the times, and as you know, like things just get derailed and you're just like, okay, how do we pivot? What do we do? This didn't work. This lesson is not working with them. So what's my backup?

Andrea: Right. Right. And I would also say that when you're looking at a brand new curriculum, rather than looking at like all of the specific content you have to cover, I would say if you create certain teaching strategies or certain, um, so I've been reading, doing like a bunch of professional development on, uh, edu protocols, which is basically different ways that you're going to teach.

Things like each. It's so hard to explain. This is the hardest thing for me to explain for some reason, but essentially you're, there's certain steps that, um, a teacher is taking when they are breaking down, let's say an article, and they're going to take steps one through three, regardless of what the article is.

Like the article is going to get switched in and out, but you're learning a strategy on how to analyze. And that's the kind of thing that if you're starting a new whole thing, you only need to be a week ahead of the kids. Cause you're going to be doing the same. So if you have a little kid, they can actually take a class and they can take three or four activities with whatever it is, and you can switch out what the content is.

So that way they're learning kind of the steps they need to take, which is also powerful when you're doing an AP test because you're going to have something brand new. The kids won't, you know, have necessarily read that specific letter from that founding father. So you have to teach them like how to analyze and how do that.

That's hard. Like, focus more on the skills you're teaching as opposed to, um, like the specific content is what I always found 100 

Kevin: percent 

Andrea: most helpful. And 

Kevin: I'm like a huge proponent of using like AI to supplement yourself. You know, like if you're, there's so many ways to like get curriculum using AI, like they, it'll look even if you're teaching English, it'll like change a lexicon.

Um, or that, sorry, the Lex, the Lexile level of, you know, whatever the kids are reading, you know, and it's like, like that. 

Yeah. 

And you don't have to like do that extra, like, you know, how teachers used to just have to spend hours and hours doing it. So I think like using the modern, the modern tools, um, to do that is super crucial, especially so you don't feel like you're drowning.

I'm sorry, but like teachers are overworked. It's just the system. It's not what people want, but it is the system. 

Yeah. 

And I think that like the less you have to do as a teacher and the more you can like dial in and focus like on what matters, you'll be like, you'd just be a better teacher. 

Andrea: Yeah, absolutely.

And I. I feel like sometimes we also hold ourselves to certain things that we're the only one expecting that of us. So, for example, I would have students who, um, would come in, like, three weeks into a unit, and English is not their first language, and they're plopped in my class, and we are halfway through reading this text that my kids, who in that class are native English speakers, are struggling with.

And so I would use AI to say summarize chapters one through five of Of Mice and Men, and it would summarize it for me, and then I would say translate to Spanish, and it'd translate it, I'd hand that to the kid, that way I can give them kind of something to start with, and not say, okay, you better go home and read these five chapters, and also translate them from a language that you're not familiar with yet, like, that's, It, that's an insane thing to expect of these kids.

And so using AI, using all the different tools like that, I 100 percent second that because it has already saved me so much time working with it, with like college curriculum building and all of that kind of stuff. So. 

Kevin: 100%. 

Andrea: Yeah. Um, and it is still as we're recording this, uh, it is still technically summer.

So I have not started back my, what are your students doing question that I do on Fridays where people talk about like some of the chaotic things that their students do. Um, so I wanted to see if you have a memory of maybe one of the craziest things you had a student do in your classroom. 

Kevin: So one year, and I actually just posted about this.

Um, Because I was asking, I was asking my student, like, what are some things that you remember? And he was like, dude, that, the water bottle incident, that's what he said. Um, and it was actually like, My first year of teaching, I like turned to my back and I was like writing on the board. Um, and one of like my, when we say like one of, one of our like best students, they're not better than anybody else, but like really well disciplined, self motivated, outgoing, runs for ASB, like, you know, like the traditional, you know, boxes or whatever.

Um, well, she ended up hitting me with like a full water bottle, like just nailed me in the back. Um, but it, like, she didn't mean to do it. She was trying to hit the guy like in front, like it was in the front of the class, um, but he ducked. It just drilled me and I remember like turning around and I just like I must have had like a look on my face that like every kid in that room just like had like whiplash they were like and they were like and I just remember her like sinking down like interesting she's like 

she's like I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I'm so sorry and I was like I 

mean like I knew they were just Like, it was like, whatever.

Yeah. But I definitely put on a front for, like, a while. I was like, I can't believe 

you 

did that. Yeah. Like, I can't believe you did that. And 

she was like, 

I'm sorry. But it was really the bush. It was like the bush. I mean, it was both of their faults, but it was definitely, like, I guess he threw the water bottle first.

Like, it happened. And you know how stuff happens. Like, literally. Ten seconds. 

Andrea: Yeah, you probably turned it around to write one single word on the board, and then you got drilled in your back. 

Kevin: That's why I was, like, so surprised. I was like, what just happened? I was like. Yeah. Oh, that poor 

Andrea: girl. I could just imagine the horror of that.

Like, she's trying to get back at this guy and then accidentally hits the teacher. That is brutal. I 

Kevin: know. That was so bad. Oh, man. I mean, like, kids have pulled pranks, you know, things like that, but it's like nothing that I wouldn't have done. 

Andrea: So any pranks that impressed you that a kid did in your class?

Kevin: So every year, like on my birthday, they would prank me. They, one of my favorites actually, like I remember, um, actually this was just for Christmas time. Uh, they, they wrapped my entire classroom with gift wrap. 

Andrea: That's so nice. 

Kevin: The entire thing. I was like, man, if you would have put 

the same effort into like your homework, but I was like, I get 

it.

It's not as fun. Like I'm the same way. Like, um, no, but it was, it was really sweet that I put a tree in the middle of my room. And so I like kept it for a 

while. It 

started to fall off and look janky. And so I was like, all right. We'll take it down. That was one that impressed me. I liked that one. That was cool.

Andrea: Um, okay. So before I let you go, can you share about any upcoming projects or where people can find you and all that good stuff? 

Kevin: Yeah, absolutely. I'm a former teacher. I'm no longer teaching, um, and I've decided to step away from the profession. For now, I don't know what the future is going to hold for me.

I don't necessarily miss teaching in the way that some others might. I miss mentoring. Like that was like my biggest thing was mentoring kids. Um, and always having my room full at lunchtime, just talking to kids and you know, whatever. Um, but I think. Right now what I'm doing is I've launched a new YouTube channel that's just me, Kevin McClintock, um, and it's kind of like peeling back the layers behind like this persona of Mr.

McTicktock. And I'll say that Mr. McTicktock is more of just like a, it, it, it's me through like a teacher lens. Cause it's like, I mean, I have like old videos of me in the classroom, like dancing and jumping up on tables and like being Mr. McTicTac before that was a thing, but I want it to be like more real and or feel more real at least.

And not like a 30 second clip of me doing something ridiculous or saying like, skip the Ohio toilet, whatever, like, you know, like, you 

Andrea: know 

Kevin: what I mean? Um, and so, um, I'm launching that new channel. I'm probably gonna launch a discord and try to build like a community going forward and I'd like to pursue this and, um, whether, whether I fail at being a social media influencer, like, you know, um, it's trivial to me.

I think for me, it's something that I'd like to try and do. Um, and I hope that it inspires other people to like, Jump into something new like I always felt trapped sometimes like as a teacher I was like, I've got nothing else because this is my degree that this is this is all I can do But like it's it's one of the things that I did.

I was a mentor. I was a surf coach I taught so many I taught English history Uh, life science, AP US history, health, speech, like the curriculum to me is, is, it, it, it's like inconsequential. 

Yeah. 

You know, and so for me, as long as I'm pouring into people and if I can use social media to do that, now I don't know if I'm going to teach online.

Maybe that is something that I might do, but even at the very least, if I can just, you make somebody feel seen, you know, through like a screen because we all want to be connected. Uh, that's enough. So 

Andrea: that's awesome. 

Kevin: Yeah. So, you know, my new channel is just Kevin McClintock. It's not Mr. McTicktock vibes. I mean, it is cause it's me, but 

Andrea: it has 

Kevin: nothing to do with teaching.

Andrea: Gotcha. 

Kevin: So, 

Andrea: and so these are YouTube videos. Do you also have a separate platform you're creating on TikTok and Instagram? Or are you just transitioning your Mr. McTikTok ones over to kind of this new time for you? 

Kevin: That new channel, the YouTube channel is like kind of its own thing. I'm still keeping Mr.

McTikTok, you know, alive. Uh, but yeah, the content's changing. I'm not like in a classroom. That's not my backdrop. Mr. McTikTok might be like a dad, you know what I mean? Eventually, like, you know, um, And my content has changed so many times. Like I, I, I used to be known as the dance, like I danced. It's like my original TikTok dances.

And then I did, uh, stories where I like would run through this, the school hallways and like do ridiculous, like Stories of like a monster chasing, chasing me or whatever, like just ridiculous things. And then it went to roast battles and then it went to, you know, pranks and then it went to the marriage content, you know, and, and all that.

And so like, I'm just going to create stuff that I hope resonates with people, 

um, 

and makes people laugh while making fun of myself, you know, like, I think that's like, that's Uh, the joy of it that I get to do that kind of stuff and make people feel better. 

Andrea: That's awesome. Do you want to shout out your wife's YouTube channel as well?

Because I know she's working on that. 

Kevin: Oh, yeah. Um, her Saturday Chronicles. So, uh, it's Katie McClintock, just K A T I E and then McClintock, M C C L I N T O C K. So, yeah, she's loving that. 

Andrea: Yay, good. I'm so excited. Um, all right. Well, thank you so much, Kevin. I appreciate you taking the time to hang out with us today.

Kevin: Absolutely. Thanks for having me, Andrea. 

Andrea: Yeah. All right, guys, we will be right back.

Welcome back to Those Who Can't Do. I hope you enjoyed my chat with Kevin. It was really fun. Really fun catching up with him and hearing about all of the new projects he has going. Um, so please do go check out everything he has on his YouTube for Kevin McClintock. Um, and he's still on Instagram and TikTok as Mr.McTikTok. Um, if you haven't seen his stuff before, he's usually got like, like a jersey on and he's talking like a middle school boy. Um, which kind of fits now that we've hung out with him a little bit and learned that if RFK, And Kevin were on the same journey together. They might come up with some of the same ideas, which was an absolute treat to hear about.

If you have any comments or suggestions on who should come on the podcast, you can contact me on Instagram at Educator Andrea, or you can email us Andrea at human content. com or you can reach my human content podcast family at human content pods. Thank you to all the amazing listeners who have left feedback and reviews.

I appreciate it so much. It warms my heart every single time I read one. Um, so thank you in particular to Ziya underscore K on Apple podcasts. who said, informative and fun. I'm a student and listening to this podcast is very entertaining, but also provides a lot of perspective that I find very valuable and interesting.

Thank you guys so much for listening. If you would like to see the full video episodes up every week, they are on YouTube at Educator Andrea. And I am your host, Andrea Forkham. A very special thank you to our guest co host today, Kevin McClintock. Our executive producers are Andrea Forkham, Aron Korney, Rob Goldman, and Shahnti Brooke.

Our editor is Andrew Sims. Our engineer is Jason Portizzo. Our music is by Omer Ben Zvi. Our recording location is the Indiana State Bi College of Education. To learn more about our Those Who Can't Dos, Program Disclaimer, and Ethics Policy, and Submission, Verification, and Licensing Terms, You can go to podcasterandrea.com. Those who can't do is a human content production.

Thank you so much for watching. If you're like me and you're thinking, gosh, I really need more those who can't do in my life. You can start your binging right now by clicking on that playlist button right over there. New episodes are out every Thursday, so please subscribe and join us each week on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.