Believe’ment is Achievement with Ed DeShazer

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You are listening to The Balancing Act Podcast. Here's your hosts,

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Jamie Wanko and Joe Vitale.

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Are we recording? We are officially recording. Yes, we are.

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Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back to The Balancing Act Podcast.

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I am Jamie Wonko here with Mr. Joseph Vitale. Hello, Mr. Vitale.

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Hello, friend. How are we doing? We are doing very well Thank you very much

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We are in the deep depths of March at this point We're always in the deep depths

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of something Of something, yes, I know March seems like, again, another one of those,

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Beware the Ides of March Yes, the Ides of March It always seems like one of

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those months that has A million days in it, because there's no days off So like,

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We don't get that little break Although Daylight Savings kind of starts to perk

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everything up And we have more hours of daylight,

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Agreed You know, and that is something that And speaking of another thing that

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we have been perked up by Not just

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the longer daylight hours But we have a guest in the studio today, Mr.

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Vitaly Look at you, the professional transitioner that you are So yeah,

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we have a guest Well, let's bring him in here Hello, Ed DeShazer, how are you?

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It is great to have you with us today We're excited that you're able to join

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us How are you? Yeah, definitely.

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I'm doing well. I definitely appreciate you all for having me on.

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You know, I enjoy to be connecting with other like-minded people in the educational

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space. And, you know, so it's an honor to be here.

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Um, we definitely would like to know, um, you know, as we, as we jump in here,

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um, Ed is, is, uh, what is your path?

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Like, what, what are you, what are you currently doing in education?

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Uh, what, you know, what subjects did you teach? How did you,

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you know, what makes Ed DeShazer, Ed DeShazer? I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly.

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I didn't ask you that before. Yeah, you did pronounce it correctly.

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So you were one of the few that pronounces it correctly the first time. So good work. Um,

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Yeah. So currently I am the executive director at a K to eight school,

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a greater Holy temple Christian Academy out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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I've been executive director there since 2016.

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I have, it's actually the only school I've ever worked at full time.

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I've been there since 2006.

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I believe 2006. So I'm on my 19th year. Uh, actually got an education,

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started off as a gym teacher.

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And then halfway through the school year, we were having challenges in the classroom

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and the principal called me into the office and said, Hey, we would love for

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you to switch to seventh grade.

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And I was like, sure, let's do it. And I switched to seventh grade.

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It was actually my favorite job I've ever had in a school.

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Um, and I did that for a couple of years.

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I've pretty much done every position in our school until I became the executive director.

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So my father founded the school. So that's what really brought me into education in the first place.

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Um so it's more than just

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like a job for me it's really like a legacy a

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family legacy um in education so

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that's kind of how i stumbled into it into education what mom and dad both teachers

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or educate both in the education that is like a whole nother like really crazy

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story so my dad uh my dad was a sales person for a long time and my uncle was

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a really big pastor in the city Milwaukee.

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And in 2000, my uncle passed away.

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And shortly after that, my dad kept running into friends and colleagues of my uncle.

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And they kept saying, your brother always wanted to start a school.

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And then one night my dad woke up. I remember this because I was actually still

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living at home before I went to college.

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And he had like this vivid dream that he was supposed to quit his job and start

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the school that everyone kept telling him my uncle was supposed to start so

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he quit his he had a very good sales job he quit his job and in 2002 started

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the school in the first year was 2003.

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Wow uh charter school or catholic or like religious school? Yeah just a private

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private k-8 uh religious school.

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Gotcha wow that's interesting. Yeah so it's a whole long kind of series of events

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that then ultimately led um me to being there.

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It's also interesting that you said like, um, a seventh grade was like the best

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job that you had in the school. Cause most people are like seventh grade. Ooh.

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Cause I look, I teach seventh grade. Okay. Um, yeah. Middle school by trade, 26 years.

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Uh, uh, Jamie, you know, 90% of your 95% of your career. Cause you had one year as in sixth grade.

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Um, so it's just crazy to like.

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What was, why was seventh grade your favorite part? I got to ask,

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because we all have different answers.

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Well, there's, it's really a twofold. One is the kids are,

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we're old enough for I can, for I can have like actual real conversations with

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them and really get them to reason, but they weren't old enough to,

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to think they know everything.

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Well, they, a lot of them did still think they know everything,

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but they weren't old enough to think that they knew everything.

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So they still listened and really wanted to receive what I have. That's one reason.

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And the other reason I learned more now as a school leader is I didn't have

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to worry about everyone else's problems.

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I only had to worry about the 24 problems that were in my classroom on a day-to-day basis.

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And those were a lot easier to manage than the 500 problems that I have to manage

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on a day-to-day basis now. Is that the enrollment, about 500?

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Yeah. Right now, we're just about 400. Our school at one point had 750 kids.

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And we moved locations in 2022.

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We moved locations to a different part of the city. We remodeled a brand new building.

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And now we're kind of reestablishing and regrowing with that neighborhood. Awesome.

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You know, Ed, my dad was in public education for 38 years in the city,

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in New Jersey, a city called Newark, which is a pretty, you know, very, very urban spot.

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Anyway, he will, he was a teacher for a few years and then went on to be principal,

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but he will always say that seventh grade was his most favorite, like the best grade.

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And for many of the reasons that you listed as well. So, you know,

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that's, that's a really nice connection there.

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I mean, thank goodness for the people who love different ages, right?

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That gives all of us an opportunity to, you know, hopefully be with the ones

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that we connect with the best.

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And trust me, when people are like, you know, we teach sixth,

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seventh and eighth in our building. And every year, our principal will always

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be like, hey, what do you, you know, what do you want to do?

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She'll send an email out. What do

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you want to do? You want to do anything different? Blah, blah, blah, blah.

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And I always say, look, I'll literally do anything. I don't care.

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I'll teach whatever you, whatever I'm certified to teach. Doesn't matter.

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I said, I would prefer not to teach sixth grade.

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Then there's a reason why, like it's, they're just a little,

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and again, no offense, any sixth graders, a little baby ish.

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It's just, it's just not my cup of tea. There's a reason I don't teach elementary school.

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Like I'm kind of built with my sense of humor and the way my brain works to

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deal with like seventh and eighth grade, you know, uh, outbursts and behavior

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and stuff like that. Like I'm just, that's what I'm built for.

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Um, so yeah. Did you also teach like lower elementary grades as well?

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No, I have never. Well, when I taught gym, I taught all of the kids.

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I did everything. So that was a little experience. And I was just like, I just enjoy older kids.

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I wouldn't want to be in high school. When I've been in high schools doing work,

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I'm just like, yeah, I would never want to teach above eighth grade.

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But seventh and eighth grade to me is like that sweet spot of,

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they're old enough where you can have conversations and reason with them,

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but they still don't think they know everything just yet.

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So a couple of years before that age too. Yeah, I loved seventh grade.

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So what does your day-to-day look like as the director of the school?

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Is that, what was the title that you used?

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I'm the executive director. So we have a principal. So it's like close to like

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a superintendent of a single school. It's kind of the best way I really describe it.

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The primary thing I do right now is really managing the budget,

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community outreach, a lot of that aspect.

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So some days it is doing a lot of paperwork for the state of Wisconsin.

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Other days I'm able to be around the building.

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But I get to work around like 7 o'clock, which I used to get to work at like 6.15 every day.

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Um but i have to drop our dog off at daycare

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on the way get to work at seven and then i'm usually out by around three-ish

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because i have to pick our dog up from daycare um but there was a time where

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i was working getting there at 6 15 and i was leaving at five o'clock you know

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so i've i've done the long long days um,

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And I know we'll probably go

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into stuff a little deeper, but that really ended up taking a toll on me.

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Um, just really, you know, when you're putting 65, 70 hours in a week, it was a lot.

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And people don't understand that in education, how draining a regular day can

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be, let alone adding two hours every single, you know, two or three hours every single day.

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So yeah, my days are much shorter, but we have an incredible team.

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So people always ask as the executive director, how I'm able to,

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um, do work at other schools.

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And have a little more freedom, but it's because we have an incredible leadership

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team with our principal, our director of operations, everyone else on our team

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is absolutely incredible.

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So I always like to give them a shout out because I'm able to not have to feel

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like I have to sit at work, be the first one there and the last one to leave,

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which I used to have to feel because of the team that we have.

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So one of the things that kind of drew me when I found you on social media and

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saw some of the stuff that you had been talking about, um, was about,

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and it's something, listen, I, I struggle with it.

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It's about like reclaiming boundaries. Cause you talked about like what you

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just said, like work at 65, 70 hours a week.

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Um, you know, giving your all for, uh, for your students in and out of the classroom,

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like that is mentally and physically draining.

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Um, but how, how do you, if you are in a situation where you,

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you know, I think both Jamie and I, we're go-to people in our building, right?

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Or people, both administrators and colleagues will come to us for either advice

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to vent, to, you know, when there's an issue and you're standing in the cafeteria

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and they're like, oh, how should we handle this? And the eyes all go to you.

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That can be very daunting to have to deal with.

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But one of the things I definitely would love to talk to you about is,

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you know, I know you go and do speaking engagements at other organizations.

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At, you know, and, and go, I guess at other schools and other,

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other places, like what are some of the things that you're seeing that teachers

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need or should do in order to reclaim boundaries within our profession?

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Cause that's a big struggle for us.

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Yeah. You know, one of the, the best piece of advice I would give someone a,

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I think people are very good at setting boundaries, but we're not good at standing

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and being intentional with them.

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Like we'll say, Hey, hey, this is my boundary.

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But when someone steps over it or it gets violated, we don't do anything to change it.

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And people will treat you how you allow them to.

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And one of the things I try to really encourage educators is once we set boundaries,

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we have to make sure that we properly communicate them to the people around us.

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Because then people can really understand, And, you know, Jamie and Joe aren't mad.

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They just have timeframes and boundaries that they have set.

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And I have to respect that. But if you say, hey, I'm not answering emails after 7 p.m.

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And someone sends an email at eight o'clock and you constantly respond,

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you are telling them that there are no boundaries, that you are going to respond to them.

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So I think the main thing I would I really share with educators is setting them.

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But if you don't communicate them with other people, it can also create tension

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because then they may think you're mad at them. they could think there's a problem

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versus, you know, hey, just so everyone knows after seven o'clock,

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I'm not going to respond to a work email.

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If it's an absolute emergency, you know, feel free to text my phone or call my phone.

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But if it's if it can wait till tomorrow, I'll respond as soon as I'm able to.

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You know, now people have a clear understanding of these are the boundaries that he set.

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And then if they do cross that, you know, that's kind of, you know,

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a personal thing that you have to would have to address with individuals,

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but I think it just creates clear expectations. And that's where you see a lot

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of blurred lines for people.

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So I see that you have a series specific for teachers, the Be Well Teacher Academy.

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Can you tell us a little bit about that and how that started?

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Yeah. So the Be Well Teacher Academy, it's, I'm working on kind of,

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it's been launched, but I'm working on really getting it going.

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So the Be Well Teacher Academy started off as the Be Well Teacher Box.

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In 2021, during teacher appreciation, I was creating a teacher appreciation gift for our staff.

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And what I did is I just went out and bought some boxes and I bought some candles,

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some books, some other items.

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And I just kind of put it in a box and just kind of packaged it up and gave it to our teachers.

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And they were just like, this is one of the best things we've ever received.

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So me being a business-minded person, I was like, hey, if my teachers like it,

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what if this was a business and a company like a BarkBox and these bigger subscription companies?

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So I created the Be Well Teacher Box, which was a gift box for teachers.

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And I wasn't sure, do I sell them directly to teachers? Do I sell them to school?

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So there was really no clear direction on it.

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But what I ended up finding is when I was talking to our staff about why they liked it,

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they said it was somewhat about the items, but more about the experience of

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opening the items and having, you know, ways to light a candle or shower steamers

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that you can, you know, use to really decompress.

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So then my thought was like six or seven months ago, what if I turn this into

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an online community where teachers can have a network of people?

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We did a live event in February. We're going to be getting those back going in April.

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There are resources on the community where they They can, how to manage stress, how to stress.

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There's habits. So we have different categories that people can go through.

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But I really wanted to create a network because when I talk to teachers,

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they, a lot of them feel alone or the people that are around them don't get

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it. You know, you have summers off.

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How can you be tired? You just had a week off of winter break.

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How can you, I know, listen, I don't mean to interrupt, but like to like,

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you know, Like, you know, the breaks and this and that and that like we were

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just talking about like how it's March and like stuff like that.

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Like I literally planned.

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I kid you not. I planned a doctor's appointment for mid-March because I knew

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that like March has a lot of days where like we're working in a row.

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I said, all right, let me make this appointment on like a Wednesday because

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I also know that like Wednesdays for me are a light day after school.

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You know, cause we talk, you know, Ed, we talk a lot about, you know,

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our schedules and balancing and it's sports and baseball and, you know, right.

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We were coming on, it's, uh, Jamie's kids doing, uh, uh, you know,

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working for the American heart association and, and doing like fundraising events

00:16:00.561 --> 00:16:03.261
for that, for, for various reasons, which is amazing.

00:16:03.421 --> 00:16:07.301
But that's all again, something else on our time. So I literally planned like

00:16:07.301 --> 00:16:08.281
a doctor's appointment.

00:16:08.401 --> 00:16:11.601
It's like, okay, I'm going to do like a seven 30 doctor's appointment for this

00:16:11.601 --> 00:16:14.941
like scan thing that I got to go get done. and like, I'll be done mid morning.

00:16:15.161 --> 00:16:18.541
And then I got the whole rest of the day to myself to figure out,

00:16:18.681 --> 00:16:20.101
well, what do I want to do?

00:16:20.201 --> 00:16:23.681
Do I want to, you know, go, go hit a couple of golf balls, go walk around outside,

00:16:23.941 --> 00:16:28.541
you know, just take a ride, uh, you know, and, and do something on the way home,

00:16:28.661 --> 00:16:29.701
take myself out to lunch.

00:16:29.961 --> 00:16:34.441
Like people don't understand like how much you need that.

00:16:34.581 --> 00:16:39.701
And you get to that end of the school year where everybody's just like drained

00:16:39.701 --> 00:16:41.761
and fried and you need that reset.

00:16:42.741 --> 00:16:45.801
It's not as simple as, oh, you have all these breaks, you have all this stuff.

00:16:45.941 --> 00:16:49.841
Like it's, especially at the middle school level, which is all I could speak

00:16:49.841 --> 00:16:52.381
to because that's where my career lies.

00:16:53.681 --> 00:16:58.381
It's a lot. It is like, there are even days like right now, like I have found

00:16:58.381 --> 00:17:00.801
myself, like when you are on stage,

00:17:01.661 --> 00:17:05.341
for however many hours a day in front of a classroom and you're animated and

00:17:05.341 --> 00:17:08.141
you're doing a lesson and it's stations and you're going from here to here to

00:17:08.141 --> 00:17:10.761
here and you're dealing with this behavior problem.

00:17:10.921 --> 00:17:14.081
That one's having an issue. Today, I'm, you know, translating for one student

00:17:14.081 --> 00:17:17.181
in Spanish who misunderstood something that was said there in English and thought

00:17:17.181 --> 00:17:20.681
that a student made a racist comment, but they didn't because,

00:17:20.681 --> 00:17:23.821
like, there's literally a language barrier between the two of them.

00:17:24.021 --> 00:17:26.621
Like, I got home today and I was like,

00:17:27.542 --> 00:17:34.002
I need a drink. Like, I'm not really a drinker. Like, it's not really my thing.

00:17:34.222 --> 00:17:38.762
Like I do, but like, I'm not, I'm not that kind of person. Not on a Tuesday. Not on a Tuesday.

00:17:39.102 --> 00:17:42.142
Like, you know, I come home on Friday and like when it's nice out,

00:17:42.222 --> 00:17:43.282
sit on the porch and have a beer.

00:17:44.422 --> 00:17:50.142
But like, my goodness, like what it, like sometimes like, and I have like that,

00:17:50.322 --> 00:17:54.162
that decision fatigue because you've made so many decisions throughout the day

00:17:54.162 --> 00:17:57.042
that I'm just like, Kids are like, oh, what should we go on half a day?

00:17:57.142 --> 00:17:59.442
Somebody just decide. I'll cook it. I don't care.

00:17:59.722 --> 00:18:03.522
Just tell me and I'll do it. I don't want to make any more decisions.

00:18:04.022 --> 00:18:07.302
Anyway, I'm sorry that I jumped in there.

00:18:07.482 --> 00:18:13.802
The idea of the BarkBox type of teacher appreciation is, it made me start to

00:18:13.802 --> 00:18:20.042
think about some of the teacher appreciation gifts that I've gotten.

00:18:20.882 --> 00:18:22.342
Once was a flashlight. Right.

00:18:24.062 --> 00:18:29.182
Another time we got Pilsner glasses, which you can't drink at work.

00:18:29.342 --> 00:18:33.582
So we got Pilsner glasses and they said you're appreciated on them,

00:18:33.722 --> 00:18:35.422
but the you're was spelled incorrectly.

00:18:36.142 --> 00:18:39.762
Oh, yeah, that's fantastic. I'm sorry.

00:18:40.462 --> 00:18:43.862
I mean, what did all the people do? We saved them for years.

00:18:44.082 --> 00:18:46.662
And when like this whole group of people retired at one time,

00:18:46.862 --> 00:18:50.902
that was like the centerpieces we had on all the tables. But no,

00:18:51.102 --> 00:18:56.882
but really the idea of having like a really lovely gift put together.

00:18:57.202 --> 00:19:01.002
And I'm sure, you know, like anything, if you're, you know, if you're tasked

00:19:01.002 --> 00:19:05.642
with doing that and you have a hundred people to give something to.

00:19:07.882 --> 00:19:11.122
Like, right, like our boss has a hundred people for teacher appreciation.

00:19:11.182 --> 00:19:13.322
It's a lot of different people.

00:19:13.822 --> 00:19:17.582
So what a lovely idea to be able to, you know, or even as a parent,

00:19:17.762 --> 00:19:21.842
if you wanted to gift your child's teacher. with something, I think it's, I think it's great.

00:19:21.922 --> 00:19:24.642
It's for sure something that I would be shopping for.

00:19:25.463 --> 00:19:30.663
Yeah, it went well. But then what I found was putting them together was so much work.

00:19:30.683 --> 00:19:34.183
Like every time I had a big order, I'm like, oh, gosh, I got to go and put together

00:19:34.183 --> 00:19:38.783
30 of these boxes because I couldn't afford to buy it, have a team and have people.

00:19:38.923 --> 00:19:41.483
So, yeah, I was just like, what can I do?

00:19:41.643 --> 00:19:45.583
That's a lower barrier of entry that still gets people the experience.

00:19:45.583 --> 00:19:51.223
And I have a I'm in a community of speakers and I have access to some of the

00:19:51.223 --> 00:19:55.263
best speakers in the world. So I was like, I have people that will come speak

00:19:55.263 --> 00:19:58.923
for free to teachers for me. And I just want to create a platform in this space.

00:19:59.103 --> 00:20:02.283
And our first event, I brought three of my friends on. We had a two-hour,

00:20:02.743 --> 00:20:03.883
it was called a Recharge event.

00:20:05.283 --> 00:20:08.383
And there was like 25 people. And I was like, there should have been 25,000.

00:20:08.983 --> 00:20:11.003
Who was that offered to? Don't mind me asking.

00:20:11.543 --> 00:20:16.163
So it was offered to everyone that was in the community. It was offered to everyone

00:20:16.163 --> 00:20:17.323
that was in the community.

00:20:18.043 --> 00:20:22.723
And I did. And it's right now the memberships are free because I just want to

00:20:22.723 --> 00:20:26.783
get as many people to join and to sign up.

00:20:27.223 --> 00:20:31.643
But then I haven't really been pushing it because I want to get things more organized.

00:20:31.763 --> 00:20:36.183
I want to do what's called Saturday Morning Coffee every single Saturday at 8 a.m. Central.

00:20:36.423 --> 00:20:40.803
So right now I'm building out a schedule of people that I know that will come

00:20:40.803 --> 00:20:45.483
and speak and pour back into educators so they can open up their phone and be

00:20:45.483 --> 00:20:47.523
on and they don't have to have their screens on like this.

00:20:47.643 --> 00:20:50.363
They can just be having on their, you know, on their counter while they're having

00:20:50.363 --> 00:20:53.963
their coffee before the family's up, before they have to go start running errands.

00:20:54.083 --> 00:20:58.163
Um, so I'm really just trying to be more, I was kind of just going with it with

00:20:58.163 --> 00:21:01.663
no real plan. So right now I'm resetting coming up with a plan.

00:21:02.123 --> 00:21:10.163
Um, but yeah, I have just a phenomenal network of, uh, educational speakers, wellness speakers.

00:21:10.623 --> 00:21:14.003
One of the people that has committed, and I'm going to get her scheduled,

00:21:14.163 --> 00:21:17.703
she just won a psychologist of the year nationally.

00:21:18.123 --> 00:21:23.783
So it's like, I have this great network and I wanted to be able to bridge the

00:21:23.783 --> 00:21:29.543
gap with educators because they need people that can like really pour back into

00:21:29.543 --> 00:21:35.643
them and give them actionable things that they can do to really preserve themselves.

00:21:36.043 --> 00:21:42.583
I always say there's not this long line of teachers lining up to get in a profession.

00:21:43.043 --> 00:21:47.703
So we have to do whatever we can to keep the ones that we have healthy.

00:21:48.043 --> 00:21:52.923
And then when other people see, all people see is teachers complaining about.

00:21:54.037 --> 00:21:56.877
Life and their job so why would anyone else want to sign up

00:21:56.877 --> 00:21:59.997
to do this work when every time i go on facebook it's like you guys

00:21:59.997 --> 00:22:03.197
are complaining i don't want to why would i go into something where everyone's complaining yeah

00:22:03.197 --> 00:22:08.737
so it's like how do we make educators happier that then can draw other people

00:22:08.737 --> 00:22:12.217
to education because we're going to end up running out of people that want to

00:22:12.217 --> 00:22:18.237
do it because the pay is too low the job is too demanding and it's it's just

00:22:18.237 --> 00:22:22.897
it's a mentally draining thing if we're not intentional with how we spend our time.

00:22:23.757 --> 00:22:29.137
I really like the avenue of creating a network, you know, because a lot of times

00:22:29.137 --> 00:22:33.077
when, when, you know, you're at a training or professional development,

00:22:33.077 --> 00:22:36.817
or you'll get the email for like, you know, take some time to yourself, practice self-care.

00:22:37.037 --> 00:22:39.817
And like, some people don't know how to practice self-care.

00:22:40.217 --> 00:22:41.677
Like, I'm not saying that as like

00:22:41.677 --> 00:22:44.317
a tongue in cheek thing. Like people are like, where, where do I start?

00:22:44.517 --> 00:22:49.417
Like, like I'm, I'm going to blatantly ask you, let's say I got 30 minutes a

00:22:49.417 --> 00:22:59.097
day and what can I do or what might I do to start forming that habit of taking care of myself?

00:22:59.097 --> 00:23:02.917
The idea of like, Hey, we, you know, the old, the old airplane adage of like,

00:23:03.017 --> 00:23:06.657
if the oxygen mask comes down, you got to put it on yourself before you help other people.

00:23:06.777 --> 00:23:10.777
Like we got to help ourselves before we can help others. Like if I'm not coming

00:23:10.777 --> 00:23:15.977
to work in a mental head space with the availability where I am, you know,

00:23:16.337 --> 00:23:19.477
centered, focused, and intentional, which are words, I use the word intentional

00:23:19.477 --> 00:23:22.217
all the time with myself and with, that was my word of the year last year.

00:23:22.737 --> 00:23:27.277
Um, like that's what, you know, how I like to focus. Like, what can I do with

00:23:27.277 --> 00:23:30.437
30 minutes a day? Like, what, what are some things that I might be able to implement?

00:23:31.397 --> 00:23:34.397
Yeah. I think the easiest thing someone can do is go take a walk.

00:23:35.177 --> 00:23:38.617
Like you don't have to have some long gym routine. um

00:23:38.617 --> 00:23:41.617
i and i mean it's obviously not the nicest out

00:23:41.617 --> 00:23:44.617
now in wisconsin but you know just getting

00:23:44.617 --> 00:23:47.837
outside and getting some fresh air and walking and

00:23:47.837 --> 00:23:51.397
not having your phone you know maybe it's some music playing or you know maybe

00:23:51.397 --> 00:23:56.737
it's just nothing maybe it's just wind and birds and not noise or maybe a great

00:23:56.737 --> 00:24:03.017
or maybe a great podcast with a bunch of people you know just anyway sorry yeah

00:24:03.017 --> 00:24:06.077
like i feel like that's the easiest thing people can do people are like well

00:24:06.077 --> 00:24:07.257
i don't have a lot of time.

00:24:07.497 --> 00:24:10.917
It's like, even if you just take a 15 minute walk, that's better than no walk.

00:24:11.017 --> 00:24:15.797
One of the biggest misconceptions is on the weekend, I just need to do nothing.

00:24:16.017 --> 00:24:19.037
And I think that's the mistake a lot of people make is we just do nothing.

00:24:19.657 --> 00:24:23.137
It's like pulling up to a gas station and not filling your car up and then just

00:24:23.137 --> 00:24:24.437
driving off without doing anything.

00:24:24.617 --> 00:24:28.297
Like that's essentially what we do on the weekends. So it's like, what.

00:24:29.064 --> 00:24:32.624
Is it just reading a book for 15 or 20 minutes? Is it walking?

00:24:33.084 --> 00:24:36.884
Joe, you talked about golfing. I love to golf. That is a time where I don't

00:24:36.884 --> 00:24:41.844
check my emails, where I'm in nature, fresh air, birds.

00:24:42.564 --> 00:24:45.864
That is how I love to recharge my battery. So I think it's important for people

00:24:45.864 --> 00:24:48.744
to find, I call it a recharge routine.

00:24:49.384 --> 00:24:53.364
What do you do to refill your battery on a day-to-day basis?

00:24:53.764 --> 00:24:57.044
It could be sitting in your room with absolutely no noise. I don't really listen

00:24:57.044 --> 00:24:59.784
to music or anything when I drive these days, because for me,

00:24:59.904 --> 00:25:02.524
sometimes that's the only quiet time I have all day.

00:25:03.124 --> 00:25:07.864
And I just sit in my thoughts and drive, you know, so it's really important for people to identify.

00:25:08.644 --> 00:25:11.824
But then you have to be, you have to make sure it's a scheduled thing.

00:25:11.904 --> 00:25:15.224
It can't just be, oh, I'll walk when I have time. It's, you know, at 6 p.m.

00:25:15.544 --> 00:25:19.904
Tonight, I'm going to go for a 15 minute walk around the neighborhood or like

00:25:19.904 --> 00:25:23.524
at our house, we bought a walking pad for those that are just like,

00:25:23.924 --> 00:25:27.564
you know, it's cold. I think we got a walking pad off Amazon for like $90.

00:25:28.064 --> 00:25:32.464
It wasn't, you know, it's not nothing fancy, but I can put it in front of a

00:25:32.464 --> 00:25:33.944
TV and just get some movement.

00:25:34.204 --> 00:25:37.964
You know, movement is something I don't think people do enough because we're so tired.

00:25:38.164 --> 00:25:42.904
But part of the reason we're so tired is because we're not moving and working on it.

00:25:43.004 --> 00:25:45.304
And, you know, we don't have to be bodybuilders, but you have to get some sort

00:25:45.304 --> 00:25:46.824
of movement. And that's just the simplest.

00:25:47.024 --> 00:25:51.344
I think that's just the lowest level of thing that someone can do to really

00:25:51.344 --> 00:25:53.504
start feeling better about things that are going on.

00:25:54.224 --> 00:25:58.964
Jane, you recently posted something about like, there was a woman.

00:25:59.344 --> 00:26:01.624
Yeah, there was a study. Can you talk about that if you don't mind?

00:26:01.864 --> 00:26:05.664
Yeah, there was a study that was done at Duke University and they had like a

00:26:05.664 --> 00:26:11.184
group of people who were, you know, feeling like moderately depressed and they took, you know,

00:26:11.344 --> 00:26:15.184
half of the group of people and they gave them Prozac and they gave half of

00:26:15.184 --> 00:26:19.164
the group of people the task of one hour a day of walking.

00:26:19.804 --> 00:26:25.004
And the walkers had like a marked improvement over the Prozac people.

00:26:25.797 --> 00:26:30.137
You know, so it was exactly what you just described. And it is true.

00:26:30.277 --> 00:26:32.797
And the woman, while she was walking and describing the study,

00:26:33.017 --> 00:26:34.777
you could tell it was freezing out.

00:26:34.897 --> 00:26:38.097
Like she had her hat on, the coat, the gloves, the whole, you could see like

00:26:38.097 --> 00:26:39.477
her, you know, her breath.

00:26:39.577 --> 00:26:43.037
And so that was, you know, the idea of being outside.

00:26:43.037 --> 00:26:46.917
And it is so true, you know, of how restorative that can be.

00:26:46.917 --> 00:26:49.477
I mean, even, you know, after the few days that we just had,

00:26:49.597 --> 00:26:53.697
that was so, um, like we didn't see the sun for days and days and it's like

00:26:53.697 --> 00:26:57.297
the minute it came out and it reached like 40 here, you know,

00:26:57.377 --> 00:26:59.977
it was like that fake, they call that like fake spring.

00:27:00.137 --> 00:27:04.777
Um, and everyone was outside with like shorts on and they were ready for it.

00:27:04.957 --> 00:27:08.997
Um, but it does, it just, you know, it can, it can change your mood so quickly.

00:27:09.097 --> 00:27:13.657
I do love the idea of the, um, Saturday morning coffee.

00:27:14.157 --> 00:27:16.897
Um, I think that that's excellent. And really, you keep saying to,

00:27:16.897 --> 00:27:20.817
you know, kind of give back, pour it, pour it back in. Right.

00:27:21.617 --> 00:27:29.417
And it is it is so needed. And of course, I could definitely see myself joining

00:27:29.417 --> 00:27:31.377
in on something like that. Absolutely.

00:27:31.777 --> 00:27:35.837
Yeah. So if anyone is interested, it's www.bewellteacher.com.

00:27:36.017 --> 00:27:39.077
Yeah. Memberships are free. You know, you know, eventually I'll charge.

00:27:39.697 --> 00:27:43.257
You know, we have we have there's, you know, software and stuff we have to pay

00:27:43.257 --> 00:27:49.057
for. But, you know, I'm I just know it's needed because people don't,

00:27:49.137 --> 00:27:50.777
you know, like what Joe saying, people don't know where to start.

00:27:51.277 --> 00:27:54.437
And it's not doesn't have to be as complicated as people think,

00:27:54.537 --> 00:27:56.537
you know, you don't have to spend two hundred dollars to sit in a spa.

00:27:56.737 --> 00:27:59.877
You don't have to have this hundred dollar a month gym membership.

00:28:00.297 --> 00:28:03.637
I lost a bunch of weight over the summer without really going to the gym at all.

00:28:03.817 --> 00:28:07.877
I was like, I'm going to eat smarter and I'm going to walk 30 minutes every

00:28:07.877 --> 00:28:11.237
single day, even if it's 15 minutes before work, 15 minutes after work.

00:28:12.017 --> 00:28:15.577
And that made all the difference in the world. You know, I talked to our teachers,

00:28:15.777 --> 00:28:22.317
you know, at school and, you know, you're ordering DoorDash and it's fried chicken

00:28:22.317 --> 00:28:26.937
and all these, you know, very heavy and then you're wondering by 2 p.m. why you feel terrible.

00:28:27.377 --> 00:28:33.257
Well, you are just filling yourself with, and I'm not the, I wouldn't call myself like a health nut.

00:28:33.617 --> 00:28:37.577
You know, I still eat. I mean, as a matter of fact, I had a fried chicken sandwich yesterday.

00:28:37.997 --> 00:28:41.977
But when you do that every single day and then you're groggy and you're tired.

00:28:41.977 --> 00:28:45.737
So it's important that we really are trying to be mindful of what we eat,

00:28:45.837 --> 00:28:50.117
but then movement is just the simple and walking. Like you don't need a gym membership to walk.

00:28:54.158 --> 00:29:00.198
Now, I see that you wrote a book. Can you want to talk to us a little bit about

00:29:00.198 --> 00:29:01.558
your book? I love the title.

00:29:03.098 --> 00:29:09.518
Which one? I have two books. Oh, you do? Oh, sorry. I was trying to bring up the book myself. Oh,

00:29:11.558 --> 00:29:14.918
I do love the title. Closing the Believement Gap. Okay. Yeah.

00:29:15.058 --> 00:29:17.858
So that just came out maybe like a month ago.

00:29:18.378 --> 00:29:23.638
So that book really highlights my journey. So a lot of people,

00:29:23.638 --> 00:29:27.338
they learn this when I speak that I was actually kicked out of school.

00:29:27.518 --> 00:29:30.898
I was expelled three times growing up.

00:29:31.078 --> 00:29:37.858
I was suspended numerous times. I was a special education student starting in third grade.

00:29:37.998 --> 00:29:41.238
I was diagnosed as being emotionally disturbed.

00:29:41.738 --> 00:29:46.438
So I had a lot of challenges. And in that book, I get to highlight the incredible

00:29:46.438 --> 00:29:51.498
educators that really ended up making a difference in my life when I got in high school.

00:29:52.358 --> 00:29:57.078
So it kind of talks about some of those stories. It talks about stories with

00:29:57.078 --> 00:29:59.298
staff members I worked with in leadership.

00:29:59.338 --> 00:30:02.238
It talks about other teachers that I've seen how they've worked with students.

00:30:02.378 --> 00:30:07.698
So it really just highlights the power of, you know, it's power of just believing

00:30:07.698 --> 00:30:09.218
in kids, believing in your coworkers.

00:30:09.878 --> 00:30:14.558
You know, so often we see challenges that kids have and we're just like, well, they can't do it.

00:30:14.798 --> 00:30:16.878
And it's like, if that's the mentality we have, you're right,

00:30:16.878 --> 00:30:18.638
because we're the ones that have to help them do it.

00:30:18.678 --> 00:30:23.898
And if we don't believe it, can they won't. You know, so I really dig into some

00:30:23.898 --> 00:30:28.138
of the incredible coaches and teachers that I have that when I get the opportunity

00:30:28.138 --> 00:30:32.058
to speak at schools and speak at events and in front of students that I always

00:30:32.058 --> 00:30:35.358
highlight because it's especially now,

00:30:35.358 --> 00:30:38.058
it's so important for teachers to know that.

00:30:38.806 --> 00:30:43.466
There's hope for the kids that you're working with and you can make a difference.

00:30:43.806 --> 00:30:48.086
Even if you have 25 kids in a class, you may not reach all 25,

00:30:48.126 --> 00:30:51.046
but what if you just reach one of them and change that one kid's life?

00:30:51.186 --> 00:30:54.646
So I like to say I'm an example of what can happen when you change one.

00:30:55.086 --> 00:30:59.986
These teachers changed my life and now I'm a school leader changing other people's lives.

00:31:00.026 --> 00:31:02.846
And that would never have happened had they just given up

00:31:02.846 --> 00:31:06.686
on me like many of my teachers before them had done what

00:31:06.686 --> 00:31:09.686
what flipped the switch for you i mean you mentioned

00:31:09.686 --> 00:31:12.566
about it like getting expelled and stuff like i'm not you know was

00:31:12.566 --> 00:31:16.646
there was there a particular moment or teacher or year that you were like you

00:31:16.646 --> 00:31:21.366
know what i gotta get my s together you know i gotta get my stuff together and

00:31:21.366 --> 00:31:25.586
yeah figure out that i need to do a b and c if i want to you know i'm either

00:31:25.586 --> 00:31:29.446
going to go one path or the other like what was the switch that that flipped

00:31:29.446 --> 00:31:31.126
that made you kind of change course.

00:31:32.106 --> 00:31:36.346
Yeah. So I was expelled for the last time as a freshman in high school.

00:31:36.346 --> 00:31:38.746
And I had a freshman Brit lit teacher, Ms.

00:31:38.846 --> 00:31:43.206
Davis, that she showed up to, and I didn't know this till after the fact,

00:31:43.306 --> 00:31:46.806
she showed up to my expulsion hearing and like really went to bat for me.

00:31:47.046 --> 00:31:48.586
You know, she, I was not there.

00:31:49.686 --> 00:31:53.226
She was a seasoned teacher. She had been there for a long time and,

00:31:54.191 --> 00:31:57.011
you know, because of her influence, it was a newer principal.

00:31:57.271 --> 00:32:00.311
They were like, okay, like, we'll give this kid another chance.

00:32:00.311 --> 00:32:03.371
And then when I started, when I came back as a sophomore to my high school,

00:32:03.411 --> 00:32:04.431
I started playing sports.

00:32:04.551 --> 00:32:08.391
I played sports as a kid, but, um, when I started playing sports,

00:32:08.551 --> 00:32:13.231
it, so it helped me surround myself with better friends, um, better influences.

00:32:13.271 --> 00:32:15.311
And it really gave me something to look forward to.

00:32:15.431 --> 00:32:17.651
I think some kids show up to school with nothing to look forward to.

00:32:17.911 --> 00:32:20.191
Like I'm not good at school. My teachers don't like me.

00:32:20.491 --> 00:32:25.071
Like this is awful. where for me, at first it was like, if I get good grades, I get to play sports.

00:32:25.191 --> 00:32:29.291
So that was my carrot that was always dangling. Like I need X amount of grades

00:32:29.291 --> 00:32:32.191
to be on a football field, to be on a basketball court, to run track.

00:32:32.871 --> 00:32:36.971
Uh, but Ms. Davis is like that special educator that really,

00:32:37.151 --> 00:32:40.391
really, um, showed me love and believed in me.

00:32:40.511 --> 00:32:44.771
And I think because I was a special education student, when I misbehaved,

00:32:44.991 --> 00:32:50.411
a lot of teachers, um, they really like made it, It was like a crutch.

00:32:50.471 --> 00:32:52.491
Like, well, he's a special education, so he's emotionally disturbed.

00:32:52.591 --> 00:32:53.771
This is what he's supposed to be doing.

00:32:54.111 --> 00:32:57.311
Where Ms. Davis was like, this is not how you're going to act in my class.

00:32:57.311 --> 00:32:58.551
You are better than this.

00:32:58.791 --> 00:33:03.311
Like, I have better expectations. And it was really one of the first times where

00:33:03.311 --> 00:33:08.431
a teacher didn't excuse my behavior because of a title and a label that I had.

00:33:08.591 --> 00:33:12.171
So I talk a lot about her. I talk about football with my football coaches.

00:33:12.411 --> 00:33:17.191
And my other book called The Secret Sauce Talks, there's some parallel stories

00:33:17.191 --> 00:33:19.791
where that book is more about classroom and school culture.

00:33:19.811 --> 00:33:22.711
Literature uh the believing gap is strictly the

00:33:22.711 --> 00:33:25.871
simple fact of like there's science behind what happens

00:33:25.871 --> 00:33:28.791
when people believe there was a study that was done

00:33:28.791 --> 00:33:31.671
uh where a teacher had a classroom

00:33:31.671 --> 00:33:35.971
full of students and they were told you know these 12 students have been tested

00:33:35.971 --> 00:33:40.111
and they're on track to be like the smartest kids ever and these 12 students

00:33:40.111 --> 00:33:44.791
are very average when in fact there was no test ever done at the end of the

00:33:44.791 --> 00:33:49.091
experiment the 12 students that the teacher was told were on track.

00:33:50.231 --> 00:33:52.991
Exceeded the other ones because the teacher looked at them differently,

00:33:53.211 --> 00:33:53.891
viewed them differently.

00:33:54.211 --> 00:33:57.571
Those probably subtle things that they were doing to set them up for success

00:33:57.571 --> 00:33:59.631
because they expected them to be successful.

00:34:00.091 --> 00:34:07.231
So there's something in our mindset as educators that we have to believe that our kids are capable.

00:34:07.391 --> 00:34:10.031
We have to believe that our co-workers are capable and we have to believe that

00:34:10.031 --> 00:34:12.871
we're capable of doing really phenomenal things.

00:34:12.991 --> 00:34:16.211
And I think that is something that has been kind of beaten and sucked out of

00:34:16.211 --> 00:34:20.751
educators over the last three or four years because just because of everything

00:34:20.751 --> 00:34:21.911
that's going on in education.

00:34:24.471 --> 00:34:27.411
Wow. Damn. I've been, I've been. Seriously. That's, that's sorry.

00:34:27.771 --> 00:34:31.371
No, no, please. I've just, I'm kind of, it's an awesome story.

00:34:31.631 --> 00:34:36.471
Really. I, I, I, and I, I appreciate how much, you know, and how genuine you

00:34:36.471 --> 00:34:37.991
are in, in talking about it.

00:34:38.131 --> 00:34:41.191
Like, like, yeah, these are the, especially when you talk about like,

00:34:42.051 --> 00:34:44.091
when you were talking about like where the teachers would be like,

00:34:44.151 --> 00:34:45.391
yeah, well, he's, he's emotionally disturbed.

00:34:45.531 --> 00:34:48.571
This is how he's supposed to act. Like, yeah, Yeah.

00:34:49.402 --> 00:34:51.922
I'm not saying I've done that, but there are times where you're like,

00:34:51.982 --> 00:34:56.122
yeah, well, you know, they're having, they're, they're, they have extreme ADHD

00:34:56.122 --> 00:34:58.982
because of whatever reason, like they're not able to manage their behavior.

00:34:59.162 --> 00:35:02.482
But, well, maybe they are, but we're just not giving them the necessary tools

00:35:02.482 --> 00:35:03.722
that they need in order to do that.

00:35:04.222 --> 00:35:07.982
And maybe that's what Ms. Davis gave you. That's a great, that's awesome.

00:35:08.162 --> 00:35:12.582
It really is a great story. I've been taking a series of courses,

00:35:13.082 --> 00:35:19.402
like of trainings through our school district from a doctor out of California, Dr.

00:35:19.542 --> 00:35:24.462
Elizabeth Deneby. And she has a podcast and she's written lots of different,

00:35:24.662 --> 00:35:25.782
she's done lots of different studies.

00:35:25.982 --> 00:35:29.162
And her book is called Teaching While White.

00:35:29.162 --> 00:35:36.202
And a lot of what she does is specifically, you know, looks at,

00:35:36.322 --> 00:35:39.862
you know, the number of teachers who are white compared to the number of,

00:35:40.042 --> 00:35:42.122
you know, students of color that they're working with.

00:35:42.362 --> 00:35:49.582
And a lot of it is the bias in questioning when working with students of color.

00:35:50.082 --> 00:35:57.602
And there have been so many things that, you know, are so profound of the ways that you speak.

00:35:57.722 --> 00:36:01.182
And it's similar to what you said about, you know, your expectations.

00:36:01.322 --> 00:36:06.062
And sometimes it's, you know, like I have twins, and there's always that,

00:36:06.162 --> 00:36:08.762
you know, one twin is, which one's the bad one, you know?

00:36:08.862 --> 00:36:13.162
And I always was like very against, I'm not going to do that.

00:36:13.182 --> 00:36:17.282
Because if you are saying, Oh, you're the funny one, and you're the smart one,

00:36:17.362 --> 00:36:22.262
they sort of fill those characters that have been created for them.

00:36:22.702 --> 00:36:28.362
And so I think it is like that, that moment, you know, of just really like recognizing

00:36:28.362 --> 00:36:31.782
whether it's race, questioning, intelligence, behavior.

00:36:32.342 --> 00:36:37.042
And I think teachers, especially because they've been so under fire the last

00:36:37.042 --> 00:36:38.942
few years, they're extra sensitive,

00:36:38.942 --> 00:36:42.802
you know, but kind of having like an open mind and open heart to,

00:36:43.502 --> 00:36:47.362
yeah, you know, there, there are certainly times when, you know,

00:36:47.462 --> 00:36:52.722
someone will say, I never like to listen to, you know, oh, let me tell you about those kids.

00:36:52.842 --> 00:36:55.962
I had them last year. I'm like, no, no, thank you.

00:36:56.582 --> 00:37:00.662
Absolutely not. You know, we've even talked about the kid that you see in October

00:37:00.662 --> 00:37:05.022
is not the kid you see in January, you know, because they're just changing so much.

00:37:05.962 --> 00:37:10.702
So yeah, So, so I love that. I love the believement gap because that is unique.

00:37:10.822 --> 00:37:13.782
Everyone needs someone that is going to champion them.

00:37:13.942 --> 00:37:17.242
And I've, I've also went in the opposite direction in my career where like I've

00:37:17.242 --> 00:37:19.802
called a, taught a kid in the seventh grade and I went to their eighth grade

00:37:19.802 --> 00:37:20.722
teacher and be like, Hey, look.

00:37:22.278 --> 00:37:27.718
You're going to see this, but I'm telling you, if you approach it in this manner,

00:37:27.998 --> 00:37:32.158
you're going to get a student that's in your room that's going to not only be

00:37:32.158 --> 00:37:34.498
successful, but thrive in that environment.

00:37:34.498 --> 00:37:35.898
You've got to look past some of

00:37:35.898 --> 00:37:40.038
those quirky things that they might do or behavior issues that they have.

00:37:40.098 --> 00:37:44.218
And if you reach them on that level, they're going to be a shining star in your

00:37:44.218 --> 00:37:46.718
classroom. Sometimes you need to do that as well.

00:37:47.798 --> 00:37:51.858
Give people a heads up. you know, cause I'm sure, listen, man,

00:37:51.978 --> 00:37:54.858
I'm, you know, I don't, I don't, you know, I'm sure there were some teachers

00:37:54.858 --> 00:37:57.718
that, you know, they're like, Oh, that kid's back here in the sophomore.

00:37:57.918 --> 00:38:01.098
Like, you know, I don't mean that. You know, you know what I mean?

00:38:01.138 --> 00:38:07.138
Like, well, I mean, even your teacher, I I've been in that position before, right there.

00:38:07.278 --> 00:38:10.778
I've been a miss Davis and your colleagues are not happy, happy with her.

00:38:10.918 --> 00:38:13.298
I'm sure that there were colleagues that were not happy for her.

00:38:13.958 --> 00:38:16.258
Uh, with her for standing up for you. Yeah.

00:38:16.478 --> 00:38:19.678
And she did it anyway, which is, you know remarkable

00:38:19.678 --> 00:38:22.458
yeah it's brave you know there's a

00:38:22.458 --> 00:38:25.778
young man uh you know a few years ago that jamie um

00:38:25.778 --> 00:38:28.618
in her classroom made a very good relationship with and

00:38:28.618 --> 00:38:31.378
i i only had him for a brief period of time but i would always

00:38:31.378 --> 00:38:34.258
talk to him you know just because he was he was he was just

00:38:34.258 --> 00:38:37.098
very smart but he was incredibly impulsive he's a

00:38:37.098 --> 00:38:39.838
teenage boy okay but there are

00:38:39.838 --> 00:38:42.758
times when like i know that he

00:38:42.758 --> 00:38:45.518
had conversations with with jamie that were

00:38:45.518 --> 00:38:48.358
not like a normal conversation where he

00:38:48.358 --> 00:38:51.258
showed compassion where he listened to her where like

00:38:51.258 --> 00:38:54.618
he was respectful and kind and like at

00:38:54.618 --> 00:38:57.218
one point i said i was like you know like i know that you know

00:38:57.218 --> 00:38:59.898
because we were you know we're good friends and he knew that i was like

00:38:59.898 --> 00:39:02.818
hey like i just want to tell you i just want to say thank you because like she needed

00:39:02.818 --> 00:39:06.958
that in that moment she needed that conversation and she was she got it from

00:39:06.958 --> 00:39:10.698
a 13 year old boy but all the other people that like this kid and that kid like

00:39:10.698 --> 00:39:14.578
you're not seeing him for what he is like you're you're you're letting that

00:39:14.578 --> 00:39:21.098
impulsive teenage boy behavior get the best of missing out on a child that you know has a.

00:39:21.856 --> 00:39:25.376
You know, some interesting situations at home, but we need to like put that

00:39:25.376 --> 00:39:28.636
behind us and give this kid, you know, a little bit of grace and compassion.

00:39:28.776 --> 00:39:33.256
And also, you know, like everyone is not for everyone in every situation,

00:39:33.256 --> 00:39:37.796
but certainly don't block someone that's reaching them.

00:39:37.916 --> 00:39:41.576
You know what I mean? Like, don't try to make it, you know, don't, don't hinder it.

00:39:41.876 --> 00:39:46.356
So you have, you seem to have like a lot of series of talks and things like that.

00:39:46.396 --> 00:39:50.376
And I see you have some things cooking up for summer 2025. Are those in person?

00:39:50.916 --> 00:39:52.676
Are those going to be offered virtually?

00:39:54.196 --> 00:39:57.316
Yeah. So this summer, I will be at a few conferences.

00:39:57.476 --> 00:40:00.336
I do partner with Innovative School Summit. Those are all in person.

00:40:00.336 --> 00:40:03.896
So I'll actually be in Orlando in March.

00:40:04.396 --> 00:40:09.416
I'll be in Nashville and Vegas with them in the summer. And I'll be working

00:40:09.416 --> 00:40:11.676
with Elevate Your Classroom, which is a K to three.

00:40:12.156 --> 00:40:17.576
I'll be doing a leadership courses with them in, I'll be in St.

00:40:17.756 --> 00:40:22.036
Paul and Nashville, I believe is the other city.

00:40:22.236 --> 00:40:26.176
So yeah, I love to spend time at conferences, A, because I get the opportunity

00:40:26.176 --> 00:40:27.996
to reach teachers from all over.

00:40:28.736 --> 00:40:33.216
But then I get to connect with a lot of other presenters and speakers and I

00:40:33.216 --> 00:40:37.276
sit in their sessions and I'm taking notes and learning, you know, I'm learning myself.

00:40:37.536 --> 00:40:40.656
So yeah, that's usually how I spend my summers doing a lot of conferences and

00:40:40.656 --> 00:40:44.436
then I'll do some consulting and speaking at some schools if they have sessions

00:40:44.436 --> 00:40:50.476
going on or when they do their welcome backs. I do a lot of keynote in the fall for schools.

00:40:51.545 --> 00:40:57.445
Yeah. No. And do you have any kind of, uh, I know you've said you've been like working it out.

00:40:57.565 --> 00:41:01.765
Do you have any kind of, uh, ideas to when the idea of like coffee in the morning

00:41:01.765 --> 00:41:05.685
is, uh, going to drop or when you might start doing that in case our listeners

00:41:05.685 --> 00:41:06.745
might want to look into it.

00:41:07.165 --> 00:41:13.405
Like mid-April to get it back going. So I'm just trying to have a consistent line.

00:41:13.405 --> 00:41:17.085
So I have it every Saturday because it's not really, I didn't want to create

00:41:17.085 --> 00:41:19.505
this community where people are going to be looking for me because then I'm

00:41:19.505 --> 00:41:22.625
going to burn out and then I'm going to need a community own that I got to find to.

00:41:22.845 --> 00:41:26.865
So I'm trying to really build it out where every Saturday morning, it was 30 minutes.

00:41:27.105 --> 00:41:31.005
We've done two of them. And the nice part is then the recordings get put back

00:41:31.005 --> 00:41:34.245
in our community. So if people miss it, they can always go back and see it.

00:41:34.665 --> 00:41:38.445
So doing monthly one hour events with two speakers and then every Saturday.

00:41:38.865 --> 00:41:42.565
Um, but I just want to really create that consistent thing where educators can

00:41:42.565 --> 00:41:47.325
know like 8am central on a Saturday, I can have my cup of coffee,

00:41:47.365 --> 00:41:51.045
my cup of tea, or I could be in the car or if I can't make it and we got things

00:41:51.045 --> 00:41:53.485
going on, I'm able to circle back and listen to it later.

00:41:53.645 --> 00:41:56.125
So I would like to say by like mid April.

00:41:56.445 --> 00:41:59.405
Um, cause I had to have, I I'll be, um.

00:41:59.825 --> 00:42:02.625
A lot of traveling trips where I'm going to be doing some work coming up

00:42:02.625 --> 00:42:05.265
so um i've been in touch with people but i would say like

00:42:05.265 --> 00:42:07.945
mid-april um that'll be going in yeah in the

00:42:07.945 --> 00:42:10.785
community right now is free and it'll honestly probably

00:42:10.785 --> 00:42:16.265
be free until school starts back uh we have like 170 members right now um and

00:42:16.265 --> 00:42:20.805
my goal is to grow to 10 000 members that's awesome i set when i started it

00:42:20.805 --> 00:42:25.405
because i just know the need yeah um it's yeah it was just gonna be a subscription

00:42:25.405 --> 00:42:29.305
base where it's we've talked to like $4.99 or $7.99 a month,

00:42:29.505 --> 00:42:33.345
something like a cup of coffee price that gets you these resources.

00:42:33.345 --> 00:42:36.425
It gets you other people that when you had a rough day, you can be like,

00:42:36.505 --> 00:42:38.345
hey, today was awful. Does anyone have any advice?

00:42:38.645 --> 00:42:42.085
And their advice actually makes sense. It's not just like, how could it be bad?

00:42:42.185 --> 00:42:45.445
You work with four-year-olds. You don't do anything. You just play with kids.

00:42:46.825 --> 00:42:50.305
The lack of empathy from a lot of people's communities. So it's like really

00:42:50.305 --> 00:42:56.485
creating this network where people understand, but it's also not those negative

00:42:56.485 --> 00:42:58.125
teachers that Jamie was talking about.

00:42:58.225 --> 00:43:01.185
There are people that are like, hey, today was tough and that's okay.

00:43:01.565 --> 00:43:02.805
Let's try it again tomorrow.

00:43:03.765 --> 00:43:08.105
There's a couple of teachers in every building that just suck the life out of schools.

00:43:08.425 --> 00:43:12.005
I don't want those teachers in this community. I want the people that...

00:43:12.005 --> 00:43:17.085
Life can still be difficult, but we can still lift each other up and be as positive

00:43:17.085 --> 00:43:21.605
as we can, but giving them resources that they can then take and be like,

00:43:21.645 --> 00:43:22.785
okay, I'm struggling with stress.

00:43:22.965 --> 00:43:26.445
Here's some things that I can try to do. Here are some resources.

00:43:26.605 --> 00:43:31.045
And here's a video that, you know, where I had someone speak and it's like,

00:43:31.085 --> 00:43:35.505
these are tips that you can do to help you starting now.

00:43:35.705 --> 00:43:40.765
And I think that's the thing is like giving people actionable things in a community

00:43:40.765 --> 00:43:45.045
at a very free right now, you know, because teachers need it.

00:43:45.649 --> 00:43:48.989
And that's where teachers that I've talked to, it's like, I'm in a room,

00:43:49.189 --> 00:43:52.349
I'm in a school with a thousand kids and 50 people.

00:43:52.529 --> 00:43:55.829
And I feel alone. Like that's an awful feeling that a lot of teachers are feeling

00:43:55.829 --> 00:43:59.189
right now. And that's kind of where this thought came from.

00:43:59.709 --> 00:44:02.829
And can you, uh, would you mind plugging the website again? Let's get that out

00:44:02.829 --> 00:44:05.709
there. So if any of our listeners want to want to sign up, please do.

00:44:06.589 --> 00:44:11.109
Yeah. It's www.bewellteacher.com. And there is a,

00:44:11.129 --> 00:44:14.289
you just click and start your membership and uh right

00:44:14.289 --> 00:44:17.129
now what you can do is when you go in uh there's like

00:44:17.129 --> 00:44:20.029
a checklist there's habits all there's some courses that

00:44:20.029 --> 00:44:23.389
are already built out for people that they can go through um and

00:44:23.389 --> 00:44:26.189
then there'll just be updates coming of when the live events because that's what

00:44:26.189 --> 00:44:29.089
i learned early on is people like the read

00:44:29.089 --> 00:44:32.169
they're like the resources are okay but we love the live events where

00:44:32.169 --> 00:44:35.209
we can log in and it's all done via

00:44:35.209 --> 00:44:37.869
zoom webinar which the best part of what that is you don't

00:44:37.869 --> 00:44:41.409
have to put your makeup on you don't have to have clothes

00:44:41.409 --> 00:44:44.329
on you can show up as is with your camera off

00:44:44.329 --> 00:44:47.229
and it's just going to be the person speaking on screen so there's

00:44:47.229 --> 00:44:51.949
really no commitment to the viewer other than just opening your phone or computer

00:44:51.949 --> 00:44:55.909
up and listening so that's we did it that way intentionally because we're trying

00:44:55.909 --> 00:44:59.029
to eliminate barriers where people are like well i don't really want to turn

00:44:59.029 --> 00:45:01.809
my camera on and do that so like you don't have to do any of that you just have

00:45:01.809 --> 00:45:05.729
to show up um and if you can't show up the recordings uh as we finish them,

00:45:05.849 --> 00:45:07.129
get dropped right back in the community.

00:45:08.149 --> 00:45:12.829
Awesome. And everything is linked from your Instagram. So it's super easy.

00:45:12.829 --> 00:45:16.609
If you didn't get a chance or you're driving and you can't write down the email

00:45:16.609 --> 00:45:21.409
address, everything is linked through Edward DeShazer on Instagram.

00:45:21.669 --> 00:45:22.909
You can get there really easily.

00:45:23.429 --> 00:45:28.189
Edward DeShazer, we appreciate you. And Joe, I appreciate you.

00:45:28.429 --> 00:45:33.469
I I cannot wait to have some coffee with some, you know, Midwesterners,

00:45:33.509 --> 00:45:34.889
as it were. That would be great.

00:45:35.149 --> 00:45:40.749
And we look forward to all of the great things that you have planned to help

00:45:40.749 --> 00:45:43.329
the teacher community, which is what we are all about.

00:45:43.689 --> 00:45:46.089
Yep. I appreciate you both. This is a great conversation today.

00:45:46.329 --> 00:45:47.629
Ed, thanks a lot for joining us.

00:45:48.389 --> 00:45:52.689
And we will see everyone on the Balancing Act podcast on our next episode.

00:45:52.400 --> 00:46:09.520
Music.

00:45:53.009 --> 00:45:54.909
Bye. Thanks for having me.

00:45:56.349 --> 00:46:07.929
Thank you. We'll be right back.

00:46:14.689 --> 00:46:16.109
We'll see you next time.

00:46:19.280 --> 00:46:32.830
Music.