Whether listeners are fellow educators, parents, nostalgia-seekers, or weary souls in need of a hearty laugh, <\/span>Two Mr Ps in a Pod(cast)<\/span><\/i> hosts Adam and Lee Parkinson aim to entertain with a light-hearted, comedic view into classroom life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Relaxing around a Florida pool four years ago, the Parkinson brothers were sharing funny stories and tales with their family about working in the classroom when Lee suddenly said, <\/span>\u201cWe should start a podcast.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Adam, who has worked in primary schools for 10 years, admits that he didn\u2019t know what a podcast was when Lee mentioned it. <\/span>\u201cMy brother said,<\/span><\/i> \u2018We just sit around and talk and record it,\u2019\u201d Adam recalls, adding that the simplicity of the idea sounded perfect to him. <\/span>\u201cWe started recording a month later, and it\u2019s just been an unbelievable journey so far.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

A teacher for 14 years, Lee wasn\u2019t a stranger to providing online content. He already had a large following for his business, ICT with Mr. P, which provided training on how to use technology in the classroom, from sharing funny videos and school observations. Adam attributes that loyal audience to how quickly <\/span>Two Mr Ps in a Pod(cast) <\/span><\/i>grew to 50,000 downloads a week, and then to 5,000,000 in four years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a real core audience, and during the pandemic, we saw a massive spike, as I\u2019m sure many podcasts did,\u201d <\/span><\/i>says Adam. <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019d meet up in the garden at either end of the table, microphone in the middle, and just shoot the breeze for a couple of hours. We\u2019ve had such an amazing response, and it\u2019s obviously led to incredible opportunities.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Those opportunities have included publishing two books, <\/span>Put a Wet Paper Towel On It <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>This Is Your Own Time You\u2019re Wasting, <\/span><\/i>and touring with their live show.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Lee and Adam, eldest and youngest of three sons, respectively, are natives of Manchester, England, with homes just down the street from each other. Four years apart in age, they got along well growing up, even though their personalities are vastly different. <\/span>\u201cHe always looked after me even though I outgrew him,\u201d <\/span><\/i>Adam says. <\/span>\u201cI didn\u2019t always make the right choices when I was at school\u2026 unlike my brother, who was very well-behaved and got good grades. We\u2019re different that way.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Lee loves being in the classroom and working with children. Although he could go full-time with his own business now, he prefers to remain in the classroom part-time. <\/span>\u201cHe would never want to leave and not have that interaction with children in the local area,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Adam says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam gives props to Lee, who he says does all the editing, production, and marketing for the podcast. <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve never known anyone who works as hard as my brother,\u201d <\/span><\/i>he says, joking about himself,<\/span> \u201cI kind of turn up, get myself covered in crumbs, and, hopefully, provide the light-hearted perspective alongside him. I\u2019m the equivalent of a grandma when it comes to technology.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Their recorded conversations often happen after sporting competitions and family events, when their children\u2014Lee\u2019s triplets and Adam\u2019s six- and three-year-olds\u2014are tucked in bed. <\/span>\u201cWe meet up and just laugh our heads off\u2014an hour of just pure hilarity, which we hope brings people that light comic relief,\u201d <\/span><\/i>Adam says, adding that during the pandemic, many listeners shared how the humor helped them. <\/span>\u201cPeople were saying, <\/span><\/i>\u2018I\u2019m going to visit a family member in the hospital, and it\u2019s quite far away. The only thing that\u2019s keeping me from breaking down is listening to you and your brother.\u2019<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The hilarity includes telling stories about their childhood, their time in the classroom, and offering special segments that feature listener confessions as well as their 89-year-old nana.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cWhenever we feature Nana on an episode, we get so many lovely messages from people saying they\u2019ve adopted Nana Maureen as their own, or from people who just absolutely adore hearing from her,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Adam shares.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing you don\u2019t realize when you\u2019re doing things like this is the people it\u2019s going to reach and the impact it\u2019s going to have, even with something as simple as recording a three-minute segment with my nana, her being hilarious, and people taking comfort with the fact that there are still those legends around you.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Adam has many funny stories to share about the innocence and brutal honesty that can simultaneously flow from children\u2019s mouths. Like the boy who told his young teacher that his dad had just gotten his COVID-19 shot, so she would probably get called soon. The teacher told the child that she likely wouldn\u2019t, because she was still quite young. <\/span>\u201cYeah, but you are overweight,\u201d <\/span><\/i>the boy said matter-of-factly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe said it in such a caring way, but it was such a put down, and so brutal,\u201d <\/span><\/i>Adam says, adding, <\/span>\u201cI remember one woman shared about this child who was drawing the teacher and said, <\/span><\/i>\u2018Look, here it is. I\u2019ve even got your whiskers.\u2019 <\/span>They will say things you don\u2019t want to hear. Yet it\u2019s so innocent! They don\u2019t mean it as a put-down or bad thing\u2014we\u2019ve been sent so many of these stories.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

With Adam and Lee\u2014and Adam\u2019s wife\u2014 all being educators and parents, they have an inside understanding of the joys and challenges of the world of education.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is such a hard job, and sometimes, it can feel lonely. You maybe question whether you\u2019re doing the right thing or getting the results you want to get. But as long as you are providing the children with what they need, and you keep them safe\u2026 if you can provide an environment where they are happy and making memories, that\u2019s one of the biggest things I hope I do with my job\u2014help children, no matter who they are, to make memories and have an amazing school life.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September 2022 Issue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether listeners are fellow educators, parents, nostalgia-seekers, or weary souls in need of a hearty laugh, Two Mr Ps in a Pod(cast) hosts Adam and Lee Parkinson aim to entertain with a light-hearted, comedic view into classroom life. Relaxing around a Florida pool four years ago, the Parkinson brothers were sharing funny stories and tales with their family about working in the classroom when Lee suddenly said, \u201cWe should start a podcast.\u201d Adam, who has worked in primary schools for 10 years, admits that he didn\u2019t know what a podcast was when Lee mentioned it. \u201cMy brother said, \u2018We just<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":13297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[3810,420,549,3811,3813,3808,3809,3812],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n