In Tiny Pep Talks for Teachers (Quirk Books; On sale: April 7, 2026; $14.99; Hardcover), comedians Paula Skaggs and Josh Linden offer hilarious encouragement for all the tiny heroic acts that teachers perform every day.
Teachers are constantly handing out reassurance, support, and inspiration.
But who’s boosting them through their everyday challenges—like waking a sleeping student, paying for supplies out of pocket, or fighting with the copy machine again? Frankly, sometimes an apple isn’t enough!
Comedians Paula Skaggs and Josh Linden are here to give teachers their due, with a hilarious compendium of over 75 pep talks for all the mundane struggles of the classroom. Let them cheerlead the beloved teachers in your life through those tough times at work:
- You don’t get the students’ references and now you feel old!
- Someone microwaved something gross in the teacher’s lounge!
- A parent has strong opinions about their kid’s grade!
- It’s 9 p.m. and you still haven’t planned tomorrow’s lesson!
- Oops! You looked at your paycheck!
- And more low-stakes but all-consuming situations inside and outside of school!
“We hope this book is a reminder for teachers that they’re not in it alone,” said co-author Josh Linden. “No matter what stresses or ridiculousness the school day brings, this book is meant to be like a friend giving you a thumbs up from the back of the classroom saying, ‘you’ve got this!’”
“While Tiny Pep Talks for Teachers doesn’t cover any teaching pedagogy and definitely won’t count towards your professional development hours (we’re sorry!), it is hopefully a fun and celebratory read for anyone who is a teacher, knows a teacher, or has a deep admiration for teachers,” said co-author Paula Skaggs.
A teacher’s support lasts for a lifetime.
Tiny Pep Talks for Teachers lets them know someone’s rooting for them, too—and give them the belly laugh they probably need.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paula Skaggs and Josh Linden are Chicago-based writers, comedians, co-authors of Tiny Pep Talks: Bite-Size Encouragement for Life’s Annoying, Stressful, and Flat-Out Lousy Moments, cocreators of the conversation game No Wrong Answers, and cohosts of Being Earnest (A Very Sincere Podcast).
ABOUT THE BOOK
Tiny Pep Talks for Teachers
By Paula Skaggs and Josh Linden
Publisher: Quirk Books
On sale: 04/07/2026
ISBN: 978-1-68369-529-5
e-ISBN: 978-1-68369-530-1
Hardcover
Price: $14.99 US