Why Later School Start Times Matter: Teaching History with Unicorns

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If Teachers Ruled the World

Leah Cleary

20 episodes

5 days ago

The podcast where real teachers get real. No Pinterest perfection. No out-of-touch theory. Just honest talk about what teaching actually looks like—failures, wins, and everything in between. Hosted by Leah Cleary, a 25-year classroom veteran who says what we’re all thinking. If you're burned out, doubting yourself, or sick of impossible expectations, you're not alone—and you're not broken. Let’s give teachers a voice. New episodes weekly. Finally, someone’s saying what teachers are thinking.

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Why Later School Start Times Matter: Teaching History with Unicorns

If Teachers Ruled the World

29 minutes 6 seconds

3 weeks ago

Why Later School Start Times Matter: Teaching History with Unicorns

Should high school start later? In this episode of If Teachers Ruled the World, Leah interviews U.S. History, Economics, and Government teacher Joey Cleary, who teaches like he’s on stage, complete with set design, AI-generated daily images, and storytelling that brings history to life.

Joey shares real classroom data showing why later school start times matter: In his first-block class, 9 out of 14 students cheated on an assignment. In third block? Zero out of 19. Same teacher, same assignment—the only difference? Time of day.

They also dive into:

Joey’s journey from actor to teacher
How he makes history class engaging (with a little help from unicorns 🦄)
The classroom controversy over teaching flag burning
His dream school calendar (Thanksgiving through New Year's off, anyone?)

Two teachers, two totally different styles, and one shared truth: Adolescent brains and early start times don’t mix.

🎧 Full episode and Joey’s infamous unicorn image: leahcleary.com/podcast