From Struggling Student to Inspirational Educator w/ Edward DeShazer
Mar 31, 2024
Edward DeShazer
I never imagined that a single microphone at my kitchen table would evolve into a nationwide beacon for educators and students, but that's the power of transformation—one I've experienced firsthand. From a student grappling with suspensions and expulsions to an educational leader with 18 years under my belt, my journey echoes the triumph over adversity and the pivotal role teachers play in reshaping lives. Join Edward Eshazer on the Teachers Ed podcast as we celebrate this fresh chapter, dedicated to amplifying the voices of resilience and success within the educational community.
This episode promises a treasure trove of practical tips, stirring messages, and effective strategies for educators striving to connect with every type of student. Whether you're reaching out to a C student fighting to stay afloat or recognizing the potential in a B minus scholar who often goes unnoticed, your mission matters. Together, we'll explore the multifaceted world of education, rejoicing in the victories and confronting the hurdles with passion and proficiency. Don't miss the chance to be part of a movement that empowers educators to make a real difference, one remarkable story at a time.
I never imagined that a single microphone at my kitchen table would evolve into a nationwide beacon for educators and students, but that's the power of transformation—one I've experienced firsthand. From a student grappling with suspensions and expulsions to an educational leader with 18 years under my belt, my journey echoes the triumph over adversity and the pivotal role teachers play in reshaping lives. Join Edward Eshazer on the Teachers Ed podcast as we celebrate this fresh chapter, dedicated to amplifying the voices of resilience and success within the educational community.
This episode promises a treasure trove of practical tips, stirring messages, and effective strategies for educators striving to connect with every type of student. Whether you're reaching out to a C student fighting to stay afloat or recognizing the potential in a B minus scholar who often goes unnoticed, your mission matters. Together, we'll explore the multifaceted world of education, rejoicing in the victories and confronting the hurdles with passion and proficiency. Don't miss the chance to be part of a movement that empowers educators to make a real difference, one remarkable story at a time.
www.EdwardDeShazer.org
Speaker 1:
Welcome to the Teachers Ed Podcast, a place where the best and brightest in education come to learn, to be inspired, to connect and to grow. I'm your host, edward Eshazer, and I want to welcome you back as I relaunch the Teachers Ed podcast. For those that are new here, for those that are unfamiliar with me, let me just share a little bit about myself. I am Edward DeShazer. I am out of Milwaukee, wisconsin. I have been in education for 18 years. I have been in educational leadership. For the last eight been the executive director of a K-8 school in Milwaukee, wisconsin Shout out to Greater Holy Temple Christian Academy for those watching on YouTube rocking the new yellow GHTCA hoodie. I've been at the same school for all 18 years. I've been a teacher, have done enrollment. Now I am in leadership. Outside of that, I also am very fortunate where I'm able to travel the country speaking to teachers, to admins, to students, doing workshops with parents, all of the above. So it's just an honor to have a platform, an honor to share my story and bring on some expiring guests on the Teachers Ed podcast. But all those things are cool. I've won awards in leadership. I've won awards as a motivational speaker, but I was the student that you struggled with the most.
Speaker 1:
In school I was suspended for the first time in third grade. I was suspended over 30 times. From third grade into high school I was expelled three times. I punched a principal. In high school I spent time in jail. I was in and out of alternative schools. I was a special education student. I went to a school in Milwaukee it was a day treatment program for students. I had challenges, but my life changed when some special educators decided to look at me as more than just a special education student. They looked at me as a special student that was in education and from that moment on in high school. It's not that I didn't have problems, but my problems were resolved a lot differently. So this is why, when people ask, why do you care so much to pour back into educators? And it's because if it was not for all of those incredible educators at Nicolet High School that gave me third, fourth and fifth chances, I would not be where I am today. I've won awards and those would not have happened had these educators not given me a second chance. I was a student that would have been one of those statistics, one of those that would have been dead or in jail. And how do I know? Because a lot of my friends that I spent a lot of my time with in middle school are dead or in jail.
Speaker 1:
So it's an absolute honor to be in the position that I'm in. But it's an honor and I'm grateful for the opportunity that I get through the podcast, through the work that I do daily as a school administrator and through the work that I do in other schools doing PDs and doing keynotes and all those things, because I'm not supposed to be here. So I do not take this gift and these opportunities lightly, because I know where I could be. So shout out to those incredible educators that I worked with as a student, because ultimately, you changed a lot the life of one student and now it's my job to go out and inspire and help change the lives of students across the country. So thank you all for that. That's a little bit about me, so you understand who you're tuning into. I've been in education for 18 years, so the perspective that I bring to the table is not only that of someone who has implemented successful systems in education, but someone who has struggled as a student in education. So I'm not someone who was a straight A student, so I understand what it was like to be disconnected in a classroom. I was disconnected in a classroom. I understand what it was like to feel like teachers were giving up on you, because I was a student that teachers gave up on. So my job is to make sure that I give you all the tools, all the tips, all the inspiration that you need to connect with all of your students, not even just your hard to read students, because sometimes it's those students that are that B minus and just show up to school and just do what they're expected that we forget about the most.
Speaker 1:
So, and a little bit about the Teachers Ed podcast the Teachers Ed podcast was actually started with a single microphone at my kitchen table during COVID. I was hearing all the challenges and struggles of my friends and my coworkers in education. So I decided to start a podcast where I could just speak life back into the teachers because, as anyone in education knows, we speak death into our teachers. Society speaks death and bad will into our teachers. Parents a lot of parents now are speaking that into our teachers. So I was trying to be a beacon of hope, a beacon of light, so teachers can understand there is hope out there, like that kid that, eddie DeShazer, that you're struggling with. There is hope out there. We just got to continue to be consistent. We just have to continue to build meaningful connections and those seeds that we plant, they may not grow and sprout while that student is sitting in our classroom, but down the road the work that we do will show with the students. So the podcast was started then. It's been a little inconsistent over the years, but I am back with the bandwidth to do this consistently.
Speaker 1:
So every single Sunday, start your morning. These will be uploaded on YouTube on Sunday mornings and by Sunday night the podcast will be dropped on all of your favorite podcast platforms. So please make sure to check those out. The other series we got is the Not so Sunday Scaries. That is a series a two, three-minute video series where I'm going to be giving teachers just some mental health and wellness tips so we can be intentional with our care.
Speaker 1:
My ultimate goal was for us, as educators, to take back Sundays. You see those memes where it's the Sunday Scaries and you're slamming your laptop closed, and I think we deserve better than that. We can't be scared of Sundays because we have anxiety getting back to work on Monday. We have to take back control of our Sunday, so my goal is to make Sunday something that we can somewhat look forward to, where I got some exciting guests, some impactful, some incredible thought leaders in education, some experts in literacy, experts in communication, experts in restorative practices, experts in health and wellness.
Speaker 1:
I'm trying to bring you the best guests that I can find, not just in Milwaukee but across the world. So I'm excited to bring you guests. I'm excited to give you all a space each Sunday where you can hear some vulnerable stories, learn about some best practices, so we can show up on Monday and feel refreshed and not feel beat up and worn down through the weekend. So I'm excited. I appreciate you for tuning in. If you have not, please like, please subscribe, please share this with some other educators so we can really get in front of as many people as possible. We'll be here every Sunday, so stay tuned. Next week, our first guest is Jake Daggett. I'm excited. One of the best literacy experts in the world. He's going to be on, so make sure you tune in, make sure you like, make sure you subscribe, make sure you share.
Speaker 1:
And let me give a shout out to our sponsor Be Well Teacher Box. Bewellteachercom. Be Well Teacher Box is a gift box for educators to help them focus on their mental wellbeing. The box that's going out it has candles, it has shower steamers, it has coffee, a free t-shirt, some lotion, some two books for educators. But if you use Code Teacher Zed you can get that box for $7 off. They are shipping now. Bewellteachercom. Code Teacher Zed all one word and order your box today. I'm your host, edward DeShazer. I look forward to seeing you every single Sunday. Make sure you're listening on your favorite podcast. Make sure you're watching this on YouTube. For those who are watching on YouTube. I appreciate you for tuning in. We'll see you next Sunday. You.