Teachers Ed with Edward DeShazer

Teaching Beyond Burnout

• Edward DeShazer

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Coming back strong with renewed purpose, this relaunch episode delivers exactly what tired educators need to hear before starting another school year. Edward DeShazer speaks directly to the heart of education's biggest challenge: the unsustainable expectation that teachers and leaders should sacrifice their wellbeing for their students.

Drawing from over two decades in education and his experience transforming a one-star school into a four-star institution, DeShazer shares what really makes the difference in schools – not fancy technology or perfect lesson plans, but the people who show up every day. "The people are our greatest asset," he emphasizes, challenging the data-obsessed approach that dominates many educational spaces.

The conversation takes a remarkably personal turn when DeShazer opens up about his own two-year sobriety journey. With disarming honesty, he connects his experience to the broader struggle many educators face: "We have to stop acting like being overwhelmed is just part of this job. That is not normal. That is not sustainable." His vulnerability creates space for listeners to acknowledge their own struggles – whether with burnout, anxiety, or the feeling that something just isn't right. The message resonates clearly: asking for help isn't weakness; it's wisdom.

As August anxiety settles in for educators everywhere, DeShazer offers practical permission to breathe, to start softly, and to prioritize wellbeing over perfection. "You don't have to come out of the gate sprinting," he assures listeners, "Taking time for yourself isn't lazy, it's wise." His insights on building authentic school culture – defined not by pizza parties but by how people feel when they come to work – provide a blueprint for the intentional year ahead.

Ready to lead with heart and grow with purpose? Subscribe, leave a review, and join a community of educators who believe that taking care of themselves isn't selfish – it's essential to the sacred work of shaping young lives.

www.EdwardDeShazer.org

Speaker 1:

If you're an educator, that's passionate, but you're tired and you're burnt out and you're wondering what to do next, this is the show for you. We're going to learn together, we're going to recharge together and we're going to grow together so you can be the best you and serve your students and your community to the best of your ability.

Speaker 2:

What's going on pod Welcome back. What's going on pod. Welcome back to. That Was Memphis. Welcome back to the Teachers' Ed Podcast. I'm your host, edward DeShazer. Teachers' Ed Podcast is the place where the best and brightest in education come to be inspired, to connect, to learn and to grow. Before we dive in, I want to remind you if you are enjoying this show, if you've been listening for a while and you do not, please take a second to subscribe. Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and if you're watching on YouTube, go ahead and hit that little thumbs up button. If you're listening on a podcast, you can't see it, but I'm pointing down. I think that's where it's going to be at, but hit that thumbs up button and subscribe to the channel. It helps more educators find this podcast and join this amazing community.

Speaker 2:

Today's episode is a little bit different. This is a relaunch. We are starting fresh. My day ones have been rocking with me. You know I haven't been doing episodes in a bit, but we are starting fresh with more intention, more honesty and I don't even say more honesty because I try to keep it as real as I can but a bigger mission Bringing on more guests. We're trying to really move onto the YouTube platform. I sound like a 70-year-old the YouTube platform because I don't know and understand it so much that I say the YouTube and put that in front of it. But we're trying to be bigger there because I want you to be able to see the incredible guests that we have on and not just hear their voices. But today's episode I'm sorry to let you down, it is just me and I am going to spend my time talking directly to you. So if you are new here, welcome to the Teachers Ed podcast, and if you've been with me since day one, thank you for rocking with me. Thank you for showing up here week after week. I appreciate you more than you know. So for those that don't know me, why don't you reintroduce myself or introduce myself?

Speaker 2:

My name is Edward DeSager, I am a school leader, I am a speaker, I am a consultant, I am an author and I'm just an advocate for education and I'm the executive director of a K-8 school in Milwaukee, wisconsin. Shout out to GHTCA and my team there, and under my leadership, we took that school from one star to four star. And I say we because we have a phenomenal team, our team, from every single person that's a part of it, and there's people that are not there anymore, that were very, very important to our school, going from one star to four stars, so I can never take credit for that. I was just a person that was leading the ship, as they were doing all the hard work, so shout out to them. But we did that, and we did not do that by focusing solely on test scores and data points. We did it by focusing on the people. The people are our greatest asset.

Speaker 2:

I've been in education for over 20 years, starting year 21 here shortly. I've seen the good, I've seen the bad and I've seen everything in between. I don't think there's anything that I have not seen in education. I've been in the classrooms where lights flicker and ceilings are leaking, and I've been in schools where the tech is top tier. In both of those cases, the biggest difference maker is always the educator in the room.

Speaker 2:

I started this podcast during COVID because I know educators needed to feel seen. I know educators were tired. I know they were like what's going on, and I wanted to create a space where teachers and principals and school staff could feel seen, heard and supported Because, let's be real education is one of the hardest professions out there, and too often we're expected to carry the weight of the world with a smile on our face and no time to breathe. This podcast is my way of saying that I see you, it's my way of saying that you matter and it's my way of letting you know that we got your back. Let's talk about summer. Summer was wild, you know, and really one of the best ways possible.

Speaker 2:

I had the honor of leading leadership trainings in St Paul, minnesota, and Austin, texas. In Nashville, tennessee. I also had the honor of doing some breakout sessions in Las Vegas, more breakout sessions in Nashville, and it was just such an incredible group of educators that I had the opportunity to connect with, not only share my story, but I get to hear their stories and connect with them. And every city was different, but the energy, the heart of the people, it was all the same. I met school leaders who were hungry to change their buildings, teachers who were looking for strategies to bring life back to their classrooms and some entire teams just trying to figure out how to make this year better than the last. And here's what I saw across the board.

Speaker 2:

Number one we're not waiting on a system to save us Newsflash. This system ain't going to save us. There's some challenges out there. There's money being frozen, there's leadership that is wavering and it's tough from state to state. But we are not waiting on a system to save us. We are not waiting for perfect conditions, but we are building culture, we're building community where we stand with what we have, and it's powerful when you operate where your feet are at. But I also saw that people are tired and this is during the summertime not just like oh, I'm tired, but they are worn out, not just physically but emotionally, mentally, and some of us are just spiritually worn down. There's a shift that's happening. Educators are no longer pretending like burnout is normal, but we're saying we need to do this work differently.

Speaker 2:

And that just kind of leads me right into something that has been a deeply personal journey of mine, and that is my sobriety. I have now been sober for over two years two years and a little over two months, to be exact for over two years two years and a little over two months, to be exact and, if I'm being honest, it's difficult, but it's one of the most important journeys that I've been on, because there was a time when alcohol was my way of numbing out. You know I wasn't drinking every day. I wasn't drinking a lot, to be honest, I wasn't, because I knew there was times where I was doing all that and falling apart, but it's how I escaped. It's how I coped with stress. It's how I coped with the pressure and the expectations of being a school leader.

Speaker 2:

But the truth of the matter is you can only run from yourself for so long. Getting sober forced me to sit with stuff that I used to avoid. It forced me to navigate things I didn't want to feel, but it also gave me clarity. It gave me strength. It gave me to show up, gave me strength. It gave me to show up. It gave me the ability to show up, not just for my school and for my family, but for me and I share this because I know there's someone listening that could be struggling too, and maybe their struggle is not alcohol. Maybe that struggle is with anxiety, maybe that struggle is with depression, with stress, or maybe that struggle is with anxiety. Maybe that struggle is with depression, with stress, or maybe that struggle is just feeling like something is off and you cannot quite put a finger on what that is.

Speaker 2:

But I want you to know that you are not alone, you are not weak, and there is no shame in saying that. I need help. If you're watching on YouTube, my cat just jumped all over my back, so this is why you got to watch on YouTube, because these dudes just run the house. They do what they want. But let me say this really clear for the people that are in the back we have to stop acting like being overwhelmed is just part of this job. That is not normal. That is not sustainable. You being exhausted every single day does not make you a hero. It makes you human.

Speaker 2:

We keep saying do it for the kids, don't forget your why, but what about doing it for you? Fire in their students? A drained principal can't lead with vision. If we really care about our kids, we have to start caring about ourselves too, and that starts with checking in not just on the data, but on your own well-being. That was something that I had to do a deep check on. So if you need rest, I need you to take it. If you need support, I need you to ask for it. You need support. I need you to ask for it. If you need to say no, I need you to say it, because your mental health matters so much more than that lesson plan. It matters so much more than that state assessment. It matters so much more than everything else that is going on under that building.

Speaker 2:

But here we are. It's August. That means the back-to-school emails, the back-to-school sales, open houses, new staff, new students, orientations and, let's be honest, that means new stress. I have talked to so many educators over the past few weeks and almost all of them are carrying some level of anxiety right now, and I get it. You're trying to savor that last cookout of the summer, but in the same breath, you're also making these mental checklists, you're making those seating charts and you're planning that supply order in your head. But let me say this directly right to you Breathe, take a deep breath. You are going to be okay. You've done hard things before and you're going to do this too. You don't have to start the school year perfect. You just have to start with intention and you have to give grace, not just for your students, but I need you to give grace to yourself.

Speaker 2:

August is a wild month for educators. There's people that are back in school already. You're trying to be present in summer mode, but your brain is already back in the classroom, back in your office, back in the school building. You know you're at brunch thinking about bulletin boards. You know you're laying in bed visualizing how to introduce those procedures. Like that anxiety is real and I want you to know that feeling that anxiety is normal. But I want you to remember this you don't have to come out of the gate sprinting, being and getting well being that's not being rest. Getting rest can still be productive. Taking time for yourself isn't lazy, it's wise. You're not behind. You're preparing and guess what? Your energy matters more than that seating chart that's going to be on the wall. How you show up feeling on day one is more important than where every pencil bin is labeled or having all the names on the little plates for the kids when they walk on their desk. So slow down, breathe deep and give yourself permission to start softly.

Speaker 2:

I want to take a second and just kind of lean into school culture. I know we'll talk about that in a few episodes. I talk with other people. I have a toolkit the building bridge is. That is a toolkit for educators who are building school culture. That was all the workshops I worked on, just getting us being intentional, but I know that school culture has really become this buzzword, but let me break it down as plain and simple as I can for you.

Speaker 2:

Culture is how people feel when they come to work. Culture is the tone in the morning announcements. It is how staff meetings feel. It is whether people feel safe to speak up. It is whether mistakes are met with support or met with shame. Culture is not just pizza on Fridays. It's not just that casual dress down jean day. Culture is built every single day in the way that we treat people. If you are a leader, your job is to create a culture where people don't just survive but they thrive, and if you're a teacher, you are shaping classroom culture that is going to stick with your students for years. Culture is everything, and if we want better outcomes in our school, we have to start with culture, and I'll go more into this in future episodes.

Speaker 2:

But as I get ready to wrap up this relaunch episode, I want to speak directly to every educator that is listening. You are doing sacred work and I know it doesn't always feel like that when you're covering a class for the third time in a week, or when you're digging through a box of broken headphones, or when you're getting cussed out by a student. But you are planting seeds every single day. You are helping students shape how they see themselves. You are helping how they move in the world. You are helping how they build confidence. You're helping how they build compassion, you're helping how they build character, and that's powerful.

Speaker 2:

So, as this school year begins, I want you to remember that you are more than your role. You are more than that teacher. You're not just that teacher. You're more than that principal. You're not just that principal. You are a whole human being and you deserve joy. You deserve support and, most importantly, you deserve peace. I want us to make this year the most intentional one yet, and if anything in this episode spoke to you, do me a favor, share with a colleague. Shoot them the link post on your story. Let's keep building the teacher's ed community of educators who want to lead with heart, who want to grow with purpose.

Speaker 2:

So, thank you. Thank you as you get ready to head back to school. Some of you are listening to this and you're like we're already back in school. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please, as I wrap this up, make sure you subscribe, make sure you leave a review, connect with me on Instagram at Edward DeShazer. If you also need any of my resources, please, you can head. Learn more. You can learn more about me. You can head to wwwedwarddeshazerorg. This is the Teacher's Ed Podcast. Thanks for riding with me. Thanks for joining, welcome back and let's make this the best year yet. Talk to you soon.