What is Twee Bat?

Aside from being the furry mascot of this podcast, the name Twee Bat comes from the acronym TWBAT (which means Teachers Will Be Able To) found commonly in professional development sessions for teachers.

Twee Bat is a podcast that explores what it’s like to be a teacher right now. Rather than focusing on teaching, I focus on the teacher. Who is the modern teacher? How is today’s teacher navigating the world right now? Twee Bat explores these questions in each episode.

A cartoon bat with glasses, a scarf, and a vest holding a coffee mug, with the text 'TWEE BAT'
A man with glasses and a pink button-up shirt taking a selfie at an outdoor gathering or restaurant, with other people seated and socializing in the background. String lights and fabric canopies are overhead, and a brick wall is behind the crowd.

About the host

I’m Brandon Haskey-Valerius, a veteran teacher and researcher with over twenty years in education. As I’ve gone through my career, I’ve seen volatile, shifting cultural definitions of who a teacher is supposed to be. From the onslaught of testing to an existential battle to even exist, education as a field continues to challenge its practitioners to be perfect, and I want to explore what these things do to the human behind the gradebook.

When not podcasting, I live in Chicago with my husband and two children (a dog named Benny and a cat named Guillermo).

Contact me

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and I will be in touch shortly. I can’t wait to hear from you!