Crossing the Educational Finish Line w/ Edward DeShazer

Feeling that end-of-year academic fatigue setting in? Let's shake it off together! I'm Edward DeShazer, and in this heartening episode, we unravel the mystery behind the waning motivation as summer beckons and share a treasure chest of strategies to reignite the passion for learning. From the magic of outdoor lessons to the simple joy of brain breaks, we explore how to harness the excitement of upcoming festivities to keep students laser-focused. And for my fellow educators, I've got your back with pearls of wisdom on streamlining workloads and prioritizing well-being, ensuring we all cross the finish line with sanity intact!

As we prepare for our final bow of the school year, the emphasis is on inclusivity and appreciation for every member of the educational community. This episode isn't just about strategies and tips; it's a celebration of the connections we've made and the growth we've witnessed. Join me in reflecting on the unique contributions of parents, the importance of setting attainable goals, and the art of delegation. Together, let's make these last weeks a reflection of our dedication to education and connection, and set the stage for a well-earned break. So grab a cup of something comforting, find your coziest chair, and let's send off the school year on a note of triumph and togetherness.

www.EdwardDeShazer.org

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:14

Welcome to the Teacher's Ed Podcast, a place where the best and brightest in education come to learn, to inspire, to connect and grow. I am your host, edward DeShazer, and we are at the final stretch of the school year. As I shared before, this is a stretch that can be pretty difficult for educators because we get to the point where a lot of our students are lacking the motivation, whether intrinsic or extrinsic motivation, to really get across the finish line. A lot of us are lacking the motivation. It's starting to get nice out and we're just, you know, it's that final push that can be very difficult. So I kind of want to spend this episode going through and helping us really understand the lack of motivation, where some of that stuff may be coming from and how we can address it, not only with our students but with ourselves, so we can finish these last few weeks strong, because I do think the last few weeks of school is where and I don't think that I am not someone that thinks we, you know we need to go bell to bell and teach with so much rigor and you know all these things that you just hear people throw these words around so often but I do think that towards the end of the school year we waste a lot of time that could be used to just keep students engaged, to refine some of the work that we've done over the year and to really maybe refresh some concepts and then send them off in the summer with just a little bit extra.

Speaker 1: 1:58

So a couple of factors that I've seen just over the years when working with students is one of the factors for lack of motivation is. Number one is fatigue. I mean, we are feeling it as educators and it's no different for the students. You know, after a long school year, students are experiencing mental and physical fatigue. You, you know, especially when we get those high school students. They've had reports and exams and all of these things that they've been getting done and they're worn out, and it in a state like Wisconsin. For those that are listening and don't know, I'm in the state of Wisconsin and the seasons throughout the school year are very drastic to where this time of year? For example, today it's 70 degrees here. It's much more difficult if I were a student to feel like I wanted to work. You know, I am done all my work for the year. It's starting to get nice out in a place like Wisconsin. You know all these assignments, all these tests. You know if you're in sports track, seasons are just wrapping up and it can lead to big burnout for our students.

Speaker 1: 3:13

The second factor that we often see is we have some upcoming events, and whether that is summer break, whether that is, you know, for me as a student I had football camps, whether it's AU tournaments, whether it's prom or graduation for some of our older students, or, you know, eighth grade trip or a fifth grade trip, or you know, you're taking your family. You know whatever is going on, our students are distracted because they can see the finish line is right there, but they can also see the events that are coming over the summer. And then the last one I think the one that most teachers are like should be the first one, but these aren't in any particular order, I'm just kind of going in an order is the lack of immediate consequences. You know, towards the end of the year, the immediacy of consequences for academic diminish. It's like my grades are already done. What are you going to fail me? I've already done all the work, you know. So that is something that has students put very average effort in towards um the end of the year. But there are some ways that I think we can work through these as educators. And this is not going to be a long episode. I'm going to go through these three and I I'll go through two or three for teachers and then we're going to get y'all on your way this beautiful Sunday. But one of the things that I would encourage educators to do when working with your students to really cross that finish line and motivate your unmotivated students towards the end of the year is number one when we're talking about fatigue and burnout. Students towards the end of the year is number one when we're talking about fatigue and burnout.

Speaker 1: 4:46

I think this is that time of year where we have to do more interactive, more hands-on. Let's consider breaking the routine and doing some lessons outside. You know, if you're doing group reading, why not allow them to be outside and doing that group reading and getting some fresh air and finishing up the year, doing more project-based learning and getting students to move around in the classroom and engage differently with the material that we've been giving them all year and these type of activities our kids are antsy. Imagine being you. Don't even have to imagine this is us as educators as well. Like you're sitting in the classroom. It's 75 and sunny outside and your teacher is sitting at the board. Us, our teacher is sitting at the board. Us, our teacher is sitting at the board and we're trying to teach them and all they could think about is man, I wish I was outside. So why not take the classroom outside? Let them get some fresh air. Give your students more brain breaks. You already know I'm a big proponent of getting kids moving around. Give your students more brain breaks. You already know I'm a big proponent of getting kids moving around. Give your students more brain breaks, and some of them, it's like you know what. We're going to go outside for five minutes. We're going to walk around or take them out and do the actual activity. So that is one way that it not only helps the fatigue and the burnout for our students, but it helps it for us too to be able to get outside, do some activities and just get some fresh air.

Speaker 1: 6:08

The next one is that I mentioned is upcoming events. How can we? Because our kids are thinking about them. That's what's on their mind regardless. But how can we engage our students with the events that are coming up and applying it to some of the work that we're doing.

Speaker 1: 6:23

An example that I would probably use is you're a high school math teacher and your kid's prom is passed by now. But one of the things that you could do or have promised coming up or you have family vacation is let's look at the travel and look at the expenses and teach our students the math behind it. Even if you have younger students, you can teach them how to add. You know, a flight is $250. We know they're not $250 right now, but a flight is, you know, $250. A hotel room is $175. Food for you, your mom, your dad, your sibling is $10 a person. That's now you got multiplication four times 10. So there's easy ways that we can do things that will get our kids engaged, because it's like oh, now I'm thinking and working on something that I am excited about, but then I'm still doing math and they don't even realize it. So there's multiple ways that you can do stuff like that. Don't even realize it. So there's multiple ways that you can do stuff like that just to ensure that. How can we get the activities our kids are thinking about involved in the curriculum that we are doing? Sorry for the interruption.

Speaker 1: 7:34

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Speaker 1: 8:13

Now back to the episode. The last one that I discussed is lack of immediate consequences. This one can be so difficult because a lot of the students already know like hey, I had all B's, like I've already done all the work, there's not much left that you can do. Or some kids are like what we have some students in some schools that are just like what you're going to suspend me. There's two weeks left for school. You know there's little simple things that we can do to even wrap up with, you know, student of the week in the classroom, or putting the work that they're doing, the projects that they're working on, on the board outside the classroom and finding little short-term goals and milestones that we can link to tangible rewards or recognition for our students. It could be. You know, hey, if we all get all of X, y and Z done this week, we're going to have a little pizza party At the end of the week. You have the pizza party, which is also a nice break for you. It's a great way to feel like you are celebrating the end of the school year with your students, versus you know they're leaving and it's sad. It's a great way to celebrate the accomplishments of your students.

Speaker 1: 9:18

And some of the lack of motivation for the educators because this is a podcast for educators Like we can work on talk about the tips for the teachers, but the lack of motivation for the teachers in the school, the exhaustion in the school. I would encourage educators to focus on your most critical tasks. And what is that? You know if it is getting your grades done. If it is, you know, any final assessments, packing together the students portfolio, portfolios, you know. But other things that you can have your students help like. For some teachers, they got to pack their classroom up every year. Why not? So you don't have to feel so overwhelmed. Allow your students to help you with that. It's their classroom too. They get the the to help you put it away and it's less things that you have to do.

Speaker 1: 10:11

So I think the main thing that I would encourage an educator listening today, or if you are like man, I'm just exhausted make a list. I have a list in my phone. I'm big on using the resources in my phone and in my iPhone notes I have a list, or not, my iPhone notes. On my iPhone there's a like a little reminders, little reminders tab and in there I put my list down of and I can check like, hey, are my grades done? Are is this done? But I think making sure you prioritize the ones that are most important so you're not doing the little stuff like oh, I got to get the bulletin board down, I got to do this, I got to get these things Like, have your students help you where you can. Maybe there's another coworker that's not as busy that could potentially help you as well. But I think making sure that we are prioritizing what's most important now and then the little bit of time we have with some of our students, delegate some of those little things that they can help you do. Whether it's packing up your reading books, packing up whatever stuff that you have to do, allow them to help you. Kids love to help. Kids love to have jobs in the classroom. So give them one final job where they can help you and take some of the things off of your plate.

Speaker 1: 11:26

One of the other things that teachers at this time of year tend to struggle with is the administrative overload. So you know we talked about the grade books. You know whether it's getting out communication to your parents any end of the year, administrative deals, whether it's your promotional paperwork, your you know theios, whatever that stuff is. That has to be done by a certain point. Like I know at our school, we have a certain deadline where teachers have to turn all these things in. It's critical that you just say, hey, you know what, 15 minutes here, 15 minutes there. I'm going to strictly focus on that and this is not just a tip that's great for the end of the year, this is a tip that is great for the entire year. Like, let's make sure that we set aside specific time that can be dedicated solely to these administrative tasks, because then it doesn't feel overwhelming when we're just kind of going through the motions.

Speaker 1: 12:21

If you are just going through the motions in your classroom, you will never find time, because as an educator, there will never be enough time to do everything that you need to do. So let's make sure that we make time for the things that we have to do. I'm going to say that again there will never, as an educator, there will never be enough time for the things that you need to do. So we have to make time for the things that we have to do. So let's make sure we prioritize that time and set that time aside when we can specifically say you know what, these 15 minutes I'm gonna hammer out these last grades, these 15 minutes I'm gonna do my last end of the year. You know, administrative duties, whatever those things are. Let's make sure we set aside specific time that's blocked off, that we're not gonna allow anything to overflow in. So, come those last couple days of school or come those few days after school, you are not overwhelmed doing things that could have already been done. At that point you're just packing up your car, moving yourself wherever you have to do or doing any of the little things that you're able to do, because you've done all of the big things.

Speaker 1: 13:18

And the last thing that I often know and hear that teachers struggle with is the emotional transition when students are leaving. You know so it takes. We know, as educators, as we've spent, you know, 180 days working with students and we're saying goodbye to students that we've seen if you're an eighth grade teacher, saying bye to students that you've watched grow up as an administrator. For me, I'm watching students leave our school this year that have been with us for 10 years. We have formed some incredible bonds. For some of them they are anchors in my life, as I'm so used to seeing them walk in the door every single day and at times that can lead to a decrease in motivation because it's like man, the faster we get to the end of the year, the faster I'm not going to see these kids again, and that's okay to have that feeling. But I think, a great way in eighth grade you do it. In high school you do it where you. You know you have these big rituals and celebrations that allow you to culminate your school year. But why not do that in third grade? Why not do that in fourth grade?

Speaker 1: 14:25

You know there's some activities that I have done before I encourage educators to do. One of them is this is one that I would encourage you to do with your students, and I would do this sooner than later, a start, stop and continue page. It doesn't have to be. I actually have a worksheet that does this, but does not have to be. I actually have a worksheet that does this, but does not have to be a worksheet. You can do this on a notebook. Have them write down start, leave some space, stop, leave some space, continue, leave some space, have them do this twice.

Speaker 1: 14:55

There's two things that they can do as we're getting ready to transition and start, stop and continue. What is the first time through? What is one thing that they need to start as they get ready for the next year and a lot of this is geared towards, you know, upper elementary, middle school, high school students what is one thing that they need to start doing better for themselves, to be better prepared for whatever the next step is, whatever it's fourth grade, fifth grade, ninth grade, whatever that next grade is what is one thing they need to start looking at? Stop. What is one thing they need to stop doing Like? What is the one thing that I continue to do as a student all year this year that really hindered my growth, whether it was talking to my classmates, being distracted, whatever that looks like and then, what is the one thing that they've done so well. Continue. So stop, start, continue. What is one thing they need to stop doing as they're transitioning to the next grade? What is one thing they need to start doing better and what is one thing they need to continue doing? Great. So that's a great way for our students to reflect on the things that have happened in the classroom, the things that have worked, the things that didn't work for themselves, and then the things that they can now do better and plan for for the next year. The second time through. I would encourage them to do one for you, through. I would encourage them to do one for you.

Speaker 1: 16:09

What is one thing that you know, mrs Smith, that I want Mrs Smith to start doing? You know, maybe it's getting the work back to me faster, maybe it's more verbal praise in the classroom. So having them do these, so those same three things for you as an educator, and have them give that to you, this is a great way for you to get feedback that won't hurt your feel, won't hurt your feelings. So what is a great thing that miss? What is one thing that I would like miss Smith to start doing? You know, maybe it's giving the feedback doing whatever, whatever that may look like. What is one thing is as I remember I'm writing this to the student what is one thing that I want my teacher to stop doing? Maybe it's hey, the lesson on whatever felt long and it wasn't engaging.

Speaker 1: 16:53

And then, what is one thing that Ms Smith needs to continue doing? What is the thing that my teacher is doing great that they need to do for the next class? This is just an incredible way to get feedback from your students so they can have a clear, so you can have a clear, so you can have a clear understanding. It's like we need to know what worked and what didn't work. We have a good idea from our perspective what worked, what didn't work, but our students may give you a perspective of you know what. Something that we thought worked well did not work well for a lot of our students. And that's where you're able to get that a safe way for them to give you feedback, where you can take it and read it after they're gone and reflect on it and really look at what we're doing.

Speaker 1: 17:30

And, administrators, I would encourage you we're going to be doing this at our school with our staff, because I need to know what for them, what are their start, stop and continues, and for the leadership, from the teacher's perspective to the admins. What are the things that, as administration, we need to start doing? What are the things we need to stop doing and what are the things we need to continue doing? How we have to get feedback from the people that we serve, whether we are teachers serving students or whether we are an admin serving your teachers and staff. We need to find these things out so that we can better prepare the next year for how we can better serve the people that we are serving.

Speaker 1: 18:11

You know we got a few weeks left of school. Some are graduating, some are going through prom, teachers are tired, some are questioning if they're going to continue to do what they're doing. I'm not here to tell you to continue to teach if you're burnt out, but what I am going to continue to say is teaching is if you feel that teaching is your purpose, I would encourage you to continue to be intentional with everything that you do. Don't continue to put things on your plate that shouldn't be on your plate. Stop saying yes to people in the classroom or your administrator, or your family or your friends when you know that you're in a season where you just have to say no, because we all know there's a teacher shortage. There's not some brand new wave of teachers that are coming in. So we have to make sure that, if this is what we are going to continue to do as educators, we have to be intentional so we can be the best us, so we can continue to push forward for our students. Administrators, we have to continue to make sure that we are supporting our teachers the best we can continue to making the environment that they are in feel safe, caring, loving, supportive, in a spot where they can thrive and be true to themselves. Our teachers it, our admins deserve it. Our students deserve it.

Speaker 1: 19:30

I appreciate you all for tuning in Next week's episode I'm excited about. I have a friend of mine who is a superintendent, who is going to be sharing some incredible game with you all, so I'm looking forward to that. If you have not, as I always say, make sure you like, make sure you subscribe, make sure you download, make sure you share this with someone else. Share this with a friend, share this with a colleague, share this with whoever in education that you think could benefit from this. Go back If this is your first time listening. Go back and find another episode. These kicked back off a couple months back. There's even episodes that go all the way back to 2020. For those that don't know, this started in 2020 because of COVID and it's taken. I've taken a lot of breaks, but now I'm consistently. Now I personally have the bandwidth to consistently do this, so I'm excited to continue to pour into you all. Every Sunday, new episode comes out every Sunday Like, subscribe, share, do all that stuff. If you don't follow me on Instagram, please connect with me there.

Speaker 1: 20:26

Edward at Edward DeShazer, I look forward to continue to serving you all. I look forward to continue to pouring into you. If you ever can leave a comment, shoot me an email with if there's a topic or a guest that you think should be on here. I'm always looking for other dynamic thought leaders in the space of education who want to get on here and share. If it's a principal, if it's an educator, you could be a paraprofessional.

Speaker 1: 20:46

Don't think, because you're not a superintendent or because you're not an executive director, you're not some administrative position that you don't have something to give. If you're a parent and you're listening to this, you're like. You know what? There's some dynamic things I've done. I would love to have you on Email me at ed at edwarddeshazerorg, and I would love to schedule time to have you come on and record. I will see you all next week, sunday. Until then, take care, make sure we are going through these three tips, because we got to push through this last week. The best we can have a great weekend. Rest of the Sunday and we'll see you next week. You.