School Reunion with Ben Tuval

Author: Ben Tuval

During the COVID lockdowns in 2021, Ben Tuval interviewed his K-12 teachers. Now he's back revisiting his teachers and expanding to comedians and other creatives. Old teachers, new guests, new conversations. School Reunion returns April 6, 2026 wherever you get podcasts. Follow Ben on Instagram @benhtuval for his comedy. [concept art by Gripless] [music: "Evan Finds the Third Room" by Khruangbin]
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Language: en

Genres: Comedy, Comedy Interviews

Contact email: Get it

Feed URL: Get it

iTunes ID: Get it

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12. 3rd Grade: Hope Benzie Returns
Sunday, 5 July, 2026

Hope Benzie is a longtime elementary school teacher in the Irvine, CA education community, as well as Ben's 3rd grade teacher (2005–2006 academic year). The two reconnect in person for the first time in decades, catching up on life, family, and the winding roads that brought them both to where they are now. Ben asks questions about the teaching profession as he transitions to becoming a teacher himself, and old memories, hard-won wisdom, and plenty of laughs come up along the way.Discussed in this episode:0:00 — Intro0:56 — Catching Up4:50 — The Thanksgiving Play & "Turkeys on Strike"7:30 — Comedy vs. Teaching: Surprising Parallels9:36 — How Kids' Knowledge Has Changed (Social Media, Coddling & Resilience)17:26 — "Everybody Has Feelings": Classroom Empathy 10121:44 — How Parenting Has Changed Since COVID27:35 — Handling Difficult Parents (& Losing Their Cool)31:55 — What Hope Remembers About Ben34:18 — Moving as Teenagers: Shared Culture Shock Stories41:50 — Hope's Soft Retirement & What Led Her There48:02 — Standup, Public Speaking & Speaking From the Heart59:42 — Outro Follow Ben on Instagram here.Ben is performing at ⁠Guy Reuven⁠’s show July 8 at 7PM at Broadway Comedy Club in NYC. (Guy is genuinely one of the funniest guys doing it right now.) Tickets can be purchased ⁠here⁠ or at tinyurl.com/bwaycomedy. To advertise on the show, please contact @BenHTuval on Instagram or through the Contact/Press form on Ben's website.