The whole shtick when it comes to Kylie Kelce’s podcast, Not Gonna Lie With Kylie Kelce, is that neither she nor the guest are gonna lie. … It’s in the name. And while the Wave original podcast can get refreshingly honest, some of the hot takes can be met with hostility. That’s just what comes with the territory of not lying.
Kelce recently sat down with Kelly Clarkson, and the notably makeup-free Grammy winner was “not gonna lie” about how she feels about last-minute, mid-day school performances.
“A lot of us work,” the mom of two said in a clip on Instagram.
“Our kids don’t understand and we just look like a—holes when we’re not there,” she continued. “And then they go, ‘Why was this mom there?’ And then you have to say, ‘Because that kid got a better mom.’”
Followers were divided about the talk show host’s confession.
“THIS!!! 👏,” one person said. Another added, “This is so true!! And the guilt when you can’t show up HURTS 😭”
But when the educators entered the chat, things looked a whole lot different. Though they all agreed that parents should be notified in advance — “we want you there! 💞” — they also explained that they don’t get paid for afterschool performances.
“As a HS Theatre teacher I do my shows at night, but I’m not paid for that time, or given time off during the day to compensate for the nights and weekends I work,” one follower said. “I do agree day before notification isn’t ok, but there has to be some understanding that teachers are people too.”
Another added, “Teacher here! Love Kelly Clarkson but just want to offer another perspective — often time we teachers are not paid for ‘night time’ events, which is perpetuating the fact that our education system is built on (a majority of women) unpaid labor! I get that it stinks (especially because I can’t attend my own kids events because I only get 3 personal days a year). Just wanted to offer a why … it’s not to make everyone’s lives more difficult.”
Another public school music teacher said that evening performances often consist of working five hours outside of their contracted time. “Although we want everyone to come see their kids and what we’ve been working on, it’s also hard to donate so much time over the course of a year when we teach 6 grade levels.”
And now I’m not gonna lie: Even if Clarkson’s comments missed the mark, it’s great that they opened a discourse for educators to explain exactly why those 10 a.m. concerts and 1 p.m. ceremonies are so common. Hopefully the knowledge that this is better for your child’s teacher can ease some of the incessant mom guilt.
