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]
Host Ben Tuval interviews entertainment industry veteran Marla Friedson about career pivots, trusting instincts, and her journey across the country.
6 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT
12. 3rd Grade: Hope Benzie Returns
Host Ben Tuval interviews his former 3rd-grade teacher Hope Benzie, exploring teaching insights, life's winding paths, and shared memories.
8 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT
11. Jeff Jablon
Host Ben Tuval interviews screenwriter and Hollywood insider Jeff Jablon about navigating the entertainment industry and pursuing creative passions.
27 Apr 2026
10. 2nd Grade: Roberta Sagud Returns
Roberta Sagud is a retired elementary school teacher with over 30 years of experience in the Southern California education community, as well as Ben's second grade teacher (2004–2005 academic year). The two reconnect in person for the first time in decades — in Irvine, CA, where it all began — Ben asks questions about the teaching profession as he transitions to becoming a teacher himself, and old memories, life advice, and some laughs come up along the way.
Discussed in this episode:
0:00 — Intro
1:04 — Does Roberta Remember Ben?
5:28 — Why Elementary Over High School
7:16 — On Husbands, Cameras & the Corporate World
18:47 — "By the End I Was a Psychiatrist, a Psychologist, and a Nurse"
21:48 — When Was Roberta Happiest in Her Career?
29:25 — Mental Health & Why Kids Need an Outlet
43:32 — On Finding the Right Person
56:59 — Advice for Going Into Teaching
1:08:36 — The Similarities Between Standup Comedy and Teaching
1:11:14 — Wrapping Up
Follow Ben on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/benhtuval/).
Ben is performing at Guy Reuven (https://www.instagram.com/guyguly/)’s show May 20 8PM at Eastville Comedy Club in Brooklyn. (Guy is genuinely one of the funniest guys doing it right now.) Tickets can be purchased here (http://bit.ly/4158LxW).
To advertise on the show, please contact @BenHTuval on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/benhtuval/) or through the Contact/Press form on Ben’s website. (https://bentuval.com/contact%2Fpress-1)
6 Apr 2026
9. Kindergarten: Sheila Jones
Sheila Jones is a staple in the Southern California education community, as well as Ben's Kindergarten teacher (2001–2002 academic year). The two reconnect in person for the first time since then, Ben asks questions about the teaching profession as he transitions to becoming a teacher, and old memories come up.
Discussed in this episode:
0:00 — Intro
1:05 — Catching Up / Old Memories
7:35 — Understanding Your Students (& Making Learning Fun)
11:43 — Life After the Classroom / Sheila's Retirement
19:41 — Did Sheila Always Want to Teach?
24:11 — The Hardest Part About Teaching
32:43 — How Kids & Parents Have Changed
39:43 — What's Missing From Education Today
41:35 — The Costume Story 😄
43:28 — Wrapping Up
Follow Ben on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/benhtuval/).
Ben is performing at Guy Reuven (https://www.instagram.com/guyguly/)’s show May 20 8PM at Eastville Comedy Club in Brooklyn. (Guy is genuinely one of the funniest guys doing it right now.) Tickets can be purchased here. (https://www.tickettailor.com/events/guyznitecomedyshow/2106344)
To advertise on the show, please contact @BenHTuval on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/benhtuval/) or through the Contact/Press form on Ben’s website. (https://bentuval.com/contact%2Fpress-1)
31 Mar 2026
Still "School Reunion"
School Reunion returns April 6, 2026. End of "trailer."
Follow Ben on Instagram @benhtuval (https://www.instagram.com/benhtuval/) for his comedy.
[concept art by Gripless (https://www.instagram.com/gripless/)]
[music: "Evan Finds the Third Room" by Khruangbin (https://open.spotify.com/artist/2mVVjNmdjXZZDvhgQWiakk?si=cLutNJFfR_G0oU7a9aHMTg)]
27 May 2021
8. 11th Grade: Andrew Thompson
Ben reconnects with his 11th grade US history teacher Andrew Thompson after 7 years without contact. Andrew shares something he’s never mentioned to a student before, how teaching can be surprisingly isolating (especially in year one), the importance of travel, and more.
20 May 2021
7. 10th/12th Grade: Dr. Kirsten Russell
Ben reconnects with his 10th grade history/12th grade AP comparative government teacher, Dr. Kirsten Russell, after 6 years without contact. Kirsten shares stories from her decades-long career prior to teaching, how her son became a source of motivation for her to transition into teaching, what living in China in the ‘80s was like, and more.
13 May 2021
6. 7th Grade: Bob Golden
Ben reconnects with his 7th grade science teacher Bob Golden after 12 years without contact. Bob shares insights from his 55 years of teaching, what it was like growing up in a tenement in New York City, one noteworthy reunion he had with a particularly challenging former student, his favorite part about teaching, and more.
6 May 2021
5. 8th Grade: Matt Timmins
Ben reconnects with his 8th grade math teacher Matt Timmins after 10 years without contact. Matt talks about starting as a substitute and what his first day teaching was like, how to manage a classroom, what many people misconstrue about teaching, and more.
29 Apr 2021
4. 5th Grade: Scott Bedley
Ben reconnects with his 5th grade teacher Scott Bedley after 12 years without contact. Scott shares one of his most embarrassing moments as a teacher, how the state of the world impacts curriculum, the disutility of homework, and more.
For more on Scott, find him at scottbedley.com (http://scottbedley.com/), and learn about his initiative Global School Play Day, which has had a half million participants from over 75 countries.
22 Apr 2021
3. Music: Lisa Linde
Ben reconnects with his high school jazz ensemble director Lisa Linde after 6 years without contact. Lisa reflects on her nearly 30 years of teaching and coming up alongside some of the New England jazz greats, imposter syndrome and the lack of female role models she had in her field, and how to manage a classroom while being yourself (and more, obviously).
15 Apr 2021
2. 3rd Grade: Hope Benzie
Ben reconnects with his 3rd grade teacher Hope Benzie after 15 years without contact. Hope shares the difficulties of moving in her teenage years, how she addressed the storming of the Capitol with her students, and more.
8 Apr 2021
1. 2nd Grade: Roberta Sagud
Ben reconnects with his 2nd grade teacher Roberta Sagud after 16 years without contact. Roberta shares insights from her 40+ years of teaching, the decades-long associations among teaching and gender and pay, how to make a classroom feel like a family, and more.
29 Mar 2021
Introducing School Reunion with Ben Tuval
Host Ben Tuval has attachment issues, so during the COVID lockdown he hosted a series of conversations with his K-12 teachers. That's it. That's the podcast.
Subscribe now! The first episode of School Reunion arrives 4.8.21
[concept art by Gripless]
Inside a recent episode
13. College: Marla Friedson
Published 25 Aug 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Um... You can come back to it. I mean, I guess I like the industry that I work in. I feel like I've learned a lot. I don't know if I've... I feel like I've learned more about other things than myself, if that makes sense. Like learned about the industry? Yeah, like learning how it works, like reading scripts. Yeah, learning how post-production works and all things like that. What am I going to learn about myself? That's a good question. I guess, again, I feel like it's things I already knew, but they were just reinforced. I'd say I need to do better at trusting my gut and my instincts. […]
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