November 26, 2024 • 40 mins
Grab your turkey leg and cranberry sauce, and let's talk about what we are thankful for!!!
Dr. Lauer and Dr. Jackson take a moment to discuss everything in education and their lives, that they are thankful for. They discuss camaraderie, hard work, moments where students show their gratitude for you, and macaroni and cheese! Grab a fork and dive in with us!
We will return next week with the conclusion of our three-episode arc covering exhaustion in education with, Exhaustion: The War Within.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome back to Educational Warfare. I'm Dr. Jordan Lauer and with me is my partner, the
(00:15):
man whose turkey is never dry and whose cranberry sauce would never come out of a can, Dr. Ryan
Jackson. Good morning, Ryan.
Hey, good morning, Dr. Jordan. Man, I appreciate that introduction. I'm just going to go on
record. This is full disclosure. I am not a turkey guy, man. I just can't do it, bro.
I'm not big on the turkey.
Hey, you know, I'm a various type of turkey guy. You know, I love fried. I'm also not
(00:38):
afraid to throw in a Thanksgiving ham there, but you know, why are we talking about Thanksgiving
food today, Ryan?
Oh, you know why? Because I mean, we are entering a very special week where not only do a lot
of educators have this week off, you know, you've been busting tail, working hard, you
get to this point and it's Thanksgiving week. So we're all about gratitude in this show.
(01:01):
We're all about talking about things we're grateful for, all those things that we appreciate,
especially through the lens of our educators.
You know, Thanksgiving is this week. Instead of doing episode three, exhaustion, the war
within like we plan, we wanted to take this time to talk about what we're thankful for
(01:22):
and what hopefully all educators are thankful for just because it is a positive thing. It
is a great thing. We're talking about in the show, the things that attack it and the things
that can make it difficult to work in and be in and feel successful. But at its core,
it is something to be thankful for. And we just want to talk about that today. So that
is our plan today. And then next week, we'll be back with our third and final episode in
(01:46):
the exhaustion arc, exhaustion, the war within and in between still email us. You can email
us at educationalwarfare.pod at gmail.com. You can also find us on X slash Twitter, whoever
you want to call it, at edu warfare. I'm on blue sky post and stuff as well. We'll hopefully
get an official educational warfare page set up on there. You know, and I, any of those,
(02:11):
if you want to message us, feel free. If you want to use the hashtag educational warfare
on a comment or again, email us. We'd love to hear from you. Send us some stuff you're
thankful for. We'll throw it into our last episode in this arc, just to give you guys
a little shout out and everything as well. So let's go ahead and get to it. Start talking
about the things we're thankful for, Ryan. Let's dive in, man. Come on. I'm excited.
(02:31):
It's a great episode. I too appreciate we are taking a brief pause, you know, from our
war within war at home. Three part series here. We will get back to that. But this week,
this episode is just dedicated to those things we are grateful for. And let's dig into some
of the psychology behind that mindset and why we need to keep that mindset in this episode
(02:55):
as well. I'm excited. Let's go. Let's dive in. All right. The first thing I'm thankful
for, we're thankful for is the camaraderie of teachers, right? And education, one of
the best parts of teaching is that camaraderie. It is that being together, you know, teaching
is unique in the way that you truly interact with the teachers around you. You know, every
(03:18):
single day we vent, we ask for help, we share strategies. We just look at each other without
saying a word when some kid does something silly in the hallway and just start chuckling
without ever needing to say anything. We create together and we all share the same clientele.
You know, even if you don't teach a kid, like you don't have the same kid in your class,
(03:39):
we all consider that kid ours. And we're working together with that. You know, the teacher
never just walks by a kid they don't teach, see them doing something silly, see them doing
something wrong, see them doing something good and don't doesn't say anything. You know,
that kid is theirs even though they don't have him in class. And that's a really cool
thing about teaching and education that I am thankful for.
You know, you know what I love about that? Like specifically, so, you know, you bring
(04:02):
together people from from for the most part, man, just various walks of life into the profession.
Okay, so you're bringing together this collective group of people into a building. They've got
various backgrounds, obviously different personalities, tastes, etc. But you all share the same students
(04:22):
for the most part. There's this collective thread that connects you all. So no matter
how different you are, and I mean, I've been in buildings, man, where I am the outlier,
like I'm the strange dude in this book, no matter how different you are, you share this
common ground of student and then there is no faster way to connect to incredibly different
(04:50):
people than give them a student who's just off the chain. Right? I mean, man, you're
talking about instant friendship, like through this connected shared experience. But but
yeah, it's having those people in the building, man, and those personalities and the friendships
and bonds, you know, that come out of that. I think if I was going to challenge you, dude,
(05:11):
dude, like I do sometimes, you know, my my empathy, my I wonder would be, you know, what
about those teachers, man, that you don't have a good team, right? Or you do feel like
you're in you're in isolation. I mean, I got to give a shout out to those two, because
they're out there. Oh, absolutely. Just feel like, man, I'm not connecting here, or I'm
(05:31):
the odd man out, or I'm brand new on a team of veterans. You know, it's just a lot to
that. But I don't want to paint it all as rose colored glasses. We do want to be mindful
and empathize with, you know, some of those teachers that are trying to find their way
even within a building. Yeah, I mean, then that's the thing. You do have those great
relationships at times and you're laughing, you know, before I go to those teachers who
(05:55):
are kind of struggling, I always think of a school like is kind of almost like the office,
the TV show, you know, you're all in there. And you're doing the same thing, you have
the same goal, but there's so many different personalities. You know, you have the goofy,
silly, sometimes younger ones or mid veterans, I'll call them, you know, 10, 15 years, then
(06:16):
but then you have that maybe you have the really young, very fastidious, like I have
to do this. Then you have the older ones who just kind of like Stanley, you say something
they're like, Mm hmm. You know, like, yeah, that's what we're doing. So it's that is a
great collection of personalities. But you know, for those teachers are struggling, you
know, there's it can be difficult because you when you want to reach out, you know,
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sometimes if you're maybe a talkative teacher, you just like to use that time in between
classes kind of recenter talk and you step out in the hall, either they're still in the
room or kind of busy or you're stepping out in the hall to say something real quick after
the second after the bell and doors already shut. So you just feel you're going from class
to class that can be difficult, you know, and with that, I say that, you know, everybody's
(06:59):
there doing that job. So there's always something to talk about. So just don't be afraid to
go out and put yourself out there and walk into that.
And I think it's a good place to just again, include that gratitude. I am grateful for
those types of teachers. I'm going to throw my wife into that mix, man. I've said it before.
She's a 19 year veteran. She's very social. She loves a good team. You know, she wants
(07:21):
collaboration. She's going to go out of her way to make others feel connected. It's going
to go out of her way to see somebody who may be working in isolation or who just not has
been officially welcomed into any kind of group or small group. I mean, she's going
to find that person, make that connection and be very intentional about making them
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feel welcomed warmly that they belong. And she's not unique. You know, big shout out
to those teachers in that respect that go out to make those connections, you know, not
unlike what they do with their students. They're also doing this with adults as well. Those
people, true game changers in a building, absolute game changer.
(08:06):
Yeah. And I love those people too, because sometimes, especially in a new building, it's
going to be kind of shocking considering I'm sitting here talking to all of the people
listening, but I can get, I could become scared to go out and talk to those teachers. Like
I don't want to be a bother. You know, so sometimes when I get to a new building, when
I've changed schools, I've got to sit in there and I'm like, Oh, I hope I want to go talk
(08:27):
to these teachers and everything. But then I'm a little worried about it. So I'll kind
of sit at my door and maybe not look like I'm super interested, not trying to. And those
type of teachers will come up and be like, Hey, how's it going? And just start a conversation.
And I'm thankful for that because, and that's as I've gotten older and been in this career
longer, now I've become one of those teachers. You know, I'll go up to a new teacher and
(08:48):
be like, Hey, what's up, man? Just talk to them. So I'm super thankful that because without
people like that, I may still be sitting at my door looking like the guy who's like, do
they want, does he want me to talk to them? You know, and those people kind of brought
me out. And the word that comes to mind here, man, is, is camaraderie. You know, I've got
a great friend, his name's Ryan Murphy, uh, currently a teacher at Nashville school of
the arts, man. This man was my mentor in 2008 and I still have a long standing, deep personal
(09:16):
friendship with him. The things we went through at Maplewood high school and just his journey
as a human being, as an artist, as a country musician, you know, just our friendship, man,
has been long lasting. And I look back on those early years of teaching, you know, with
his mentorship and friendship, just, just stuff I'll never forget, man. I'll hold that
(09:37):
deep in my heart. So that camaraderie that comes out of, you know, working in a school
setting, you know, certainly a public school environment, but I think all educational settings,
you know, has the ability to, you know, to, uh, develop this kind of camaraderie that
can be game changing for personal friendships and, you know, long standing connections.
(09:58):
Yeah. That's the camaraderie is so wonderful and it's so great. And while we're on teachers,
uh, just merging this in the camaraderie part, you know, teachers also have thankful for
this or some of the hardest workers I've ever met. It would cover this as exactly what
this arc that we're in the middle of right now is all about. You know, we're covering
exhaustion, teachers stay late. They work at home, they grade, they create new lessons
(10:21):
into the wee hours of the night and they go miles out of their way miles away from their
home to my, to maybe watch a single student in a tennis match or perform in a play or
go see the football team, do their one face out of 500 that maybe the players won't even
know that are there, but they are there because they want to be there. So I'm just thankful
for the work you all put into this career we've chosen these students who we've been
(10:47):
given and to each other working in that camaraderie you're talking about. Ryan, man, I love that
little bit that you threw in there, you know, about driving, you know, miles, sometimes
hours away for an event where you may be supporting one kid. It's so true. I saw it as a principal
and saw teachers do that. I certainly did it, you know, myself and it makes you just
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wonder like, wow, you know, the psychology behind that. I'm going to sacrifice so much
over here to support sometimes just this one person in their thing they're doing that will
not get publicized or promoted. That's what I was going to say. It's spotlighted. Most
of the time, nobody knows about it. There's no vanity in it. No ego. I mean, it's fascinating.
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You want to talk about something to be grateful for. There are people in this world that do
just that and we call them teachers. We call them educators. So very grateful for that.
And yes, the sacrifices they make, the ways they go out of their way to just support,
encourage, make others feel special. Truly something to be grateful for. All of us have
(12:01):
experienced that in some capacity. Yeah, it is. And you know, like you were saying, no
vanity in it. They don't brag. You know, they don't put out there, do a quick TikTok video
or they're walking, all right guys, walking out to my van to go see blah, blah, blah.
They just do it. There's in the crowd and then they can say the next time they see that
soon, even if they didn't get a chance to wave them down or give them a hug, which we
all try to do to let them know they're supported in the moment. But if it's big, crowd, you
(12:25):
may not get to that next day. The look in the kid's eye when the teacher is like, I
saw you perform. Oh yeah, dude, listen, you know, I kind of, I live by a certain creed,
man. You'll, you'll tell me what you believe, but you'll show me what you value. Right.
You'll tell me what you believe, but you will show me what you value. Now you're that kid.
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You look up, there's been no conversation, no mention necessarily. And you look up and
see your teacher supporting you in the crowd. Man, it does something to you. It unlocks
something in you. And to me, that is something to be truly grateful for. That goes way beyond
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the job description, way beyond the highlights of what we really talk about when we reference
teachers. You know, this is getting into the nitty gritty of how teachers really impact
students and get into that life changing window of conversation that we've mentioned before.
Yeah. Way beyond also what, like you said, is discussed about teachers, but what people
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know about them. You know, the media doesn't cover that, you know, and it's, it's always
something else in the classroom. So that that's a beautiful part of teaching. And you know,
you all are doing a great job with that. You know, we see it, which means others see it.
And especially as we were talking about the students see it. So great job on that everybody.
And it's a beautiful part of teaching. And one of the reasons we're both thankful for
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y'all. So let's jump in real quick to number two, Ryan. Yeah, man. Go ahead, man. I love
this one. I'm excited to talk about this one. This is just absolutely so true. He's a number
two. We are thankful how the work always changes and stays interesting. Yeah. You know, this
is, this one is near and dear to my heart. You know, offline, you and I were talking
(14:18):
about being an adrenaline junkie. Now I think for me, it was a little darker shade of that.
You know, I was truly stress addicted. And I found every bit that I wanted inside of
a public school building, certainly as an administrator, but but as a teacher as well,
you know, that just filled this intense need that I had for all those years. But the lighter
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side of that, it's always interesting. You know, that show, it's always sunny in Philadelphia.
And it's such a great show. Always interesting in a school building, very rarely a dull moment,
you know, in there. So just love that and grateful for that, that no matter what, when
you're walking in, you really have zero idea what could go down today. And that does keep
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things interesting. You know, they say variety is the spice of life. So I think the teaching
profession certainly gives us that. Yeah, I think teaching, education, being a teacher,
being a principal, anybody in a school building, it's the one job where, like you said, you
may have an idea of what you're planning on doing, but you have no idea what's going to
(15:28):
happen from the first bell to the last bell. You cannot plan out anything other than what
you're expecting to do in the classroom. You know, you might come in and there might be
10 kids coming up who are like, Hey, today we're dressing up like this. And they're all
hyper and stuff, or you might come in and there's a kid who's already doing something
crazy and you're like, well, I guess I'm spending the first 10 minutes taking care of this.
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You just don't know. So it can be exhausting. Yes, as we've been talking about, but it's
definitely never boring. And you know, one tier I never served at, my wife has, but I
never had this middle middle school. I've been a high school guy my entire career, but
my wife has done a couple of different stints in middle schools. And I just always remember
she would share, you know, at that age, they're either, you know, hanging on you one day,
(16:13):
you know, I love you, Ms. KJ, or they're cussing you the next, or sometimes within the same
day, you know, and it's just the same 10 minutes, you never know who I'm going to get, which
personality shows up today, especially when you're dealing with raging hormones and just
a brain that is rapidly developing, you know, it's just never a dull moment. You know, you
(16:38):
can't set your clock by it. You can't count on consistency unless that consistency is
it will never be consistent. It's always going to change. There's always going to be something
absolutely crazy that happens today. I just don't know where that's going to strike, but
I'm paying attention and waiting for it because that's the life of a teacher. That's the life
(17:00):
of an educator. It's always interesting. It is. Yeah. I taught seventh grade for four
years and I will tell you what, it's exactly what you're talking about. You never know
what you're going to get with the same students sometimes in the same time. And you know,
there's such an interesting group of seventh graders, eighth graders, they started to mature
a little bit with seventh graders. I'll tell you, you can feel amazing about yourself.
(17:22):
They just have no filter. So like, you're like, I look really nice today. I'm very professional.
It's a good outfit. You know, I like my fit. Right. And they'll walk up and there's kind
of look at you and you're looking at them like, good morning. And they're like, point
at your toes and then kind of up your outfit. They're like, what's going on here? Like,
what do you do into what's your goal today? Or why do you look like that? And you're like,
okay, well, I thought I felt gonna go cry in my room real quick. I'll come back out,
(17:44):
let y'all in. Out of the mouth of eggs. So they just have no filter and they're hilarious,
but you never know what you're gonna get every day. And that's interesting. Are you, you
know, let's, let's just hang on those four years you did in seventh grade, man. Are you
grateful for the smells that come with middle school? I'm grateful that now I'm pretty sure
I can go into any situation. The smell won't affect me. I think I'd say it's trained my
nose. Like if I walked into something where people are like, Oh my gosh, I'd be like,
(18:08):
no, you've never been in a middle school. Smell tutelage man has prepared you for any
environment you could walk into and smell will not be a May in the middle school. I'm
gonna say May and August, but usually may that moment when they don't have the heat
on anymore and they've yet to turn the air and it's like 85 outside. That's just a tropical
(18:28):
rainforest of scent that you will never forget. Like that's, you know, you're, you're, you're,
you're triggering a memory man. And, and, and since we're, we're still talking about
gratitude and being grateful. So I'm just going to be grateful for thinking back when
I was in middle school. So I'm going back to the nineties. Okay. This is, you know,
92, 90, 91, 92 I'm in middle school and I can remember man in August, you said August
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or may I can remember in August us being let out early a couple of times because it was
so hot. And you say that's weird though. Right. But our buildings did not have AC. So we didn't
have AC then, man. You're just, you're just raising the wind. Teachers have all the windows
out because it's so hot. I'm trying to imagine, man, my olfactory senses are not bringing
(19:17):
me back there in terms of memory, but I can only imagine being an adult teacher in a 1992
Evansville, Indiana middle school classroom that has no HVAC. That's just, yeah, man,
those people veterans, that's like world war two status. That's like veterans. I remember
(19:38):
the days before AC, your, your nostrils have no idea.
In August. Oh man. You're in a window. You're in a classroom with no windows. Like a choir
room with 58 kids. Anyway, just a fun trip down memory lane there, man. You know, we're,
there's things we're grateful for. And there's of course things in the profession that we
(20:00):
could see disappear tomorrow and we would be just fine with, but middle school smells,
man, I got to put it into a gratitude category because when you've been through it, you feel
like you can do it. I would like to personally apologize for being a middle schooler during
those days and maybe contributing to that. I tried, my mom tried to make me shower, but
you know, middle school boys, they're different thing. Also any of those veteran teachers
(20:22):
who were in the rooms in the nineties on those front lines, email us, educational warfare.pod.gmail.com.
Let us like the stories you have. I would love to share those cause I think that would
be hilarious for this.
Man. So, so true, man. I would love a whole thread just dedicated to, I was a teacher
(20:45):
in the nineties and we did not have AC in August. Tell us your stories, please.
I wonder how many, I'm going to say three at least that we get emails that they're like,
bro, a little bit of a Vicks vapor rub under the nostrils. That's how I made it through.
I wonder if that's like the trick.
That's it, man. I want to hear tools, tactics, strategies. I mean, I'm sure there's an unofficial
(21:09):
book on how to survive seventh grade body odor in a school with no AC. We want to hear
it. So please send those in for the mailbag issue. I'm, I'm, please. I want to hear it.
Wrapping up just that the work always changes, stays interesting. I'll tell you what, when
(21:30):
you think about that, how it is, it's variable. Like I said, you, you may teach like at this
time of the year, I teach the French revolution every year for 10 years, but so that they,
the career stays the same, the content stays the same, but again, you never know what's
going to happen and we're always tweaking and changing. And I think about that of how
(21:51):
it's so variable. And I'll tell you this, when I think about teaching, even though I
may be exhausted when I get home and what we've been talking about, when I compare it
to would it maybe like to work in an office, like in a cubicle? I don't know. I might go
crazy man. Like, and that's why you talked about being an adrenaline junkie. I don't
know if I could transition from what we do now to sitting in a cubicle where, you know,
(22:16):
I talked about the show, the office, a lot of times that show starts before anybody says
anything. It just pans back and shows that everybody working and all you can hear is
like the keyboard clicking and maybe a little fan noise and you know, Pam picking up the
phone and quietly going, Dunder Mifren, this is Pam. You know, and that, but it's so silent.
I would be going nuts. I know it's always made me wonder, you know, and I don't know
(22:38):
that there's been an official study on this. I'm certainly curious. The type of person
that can not only survive, but thrive in that kind of teacher setting, educational setting,
you know, versus the doldrums of just a dry static office experience. I mean, I'm sure
(22:59):
there's personalities that just need that. I need this kind of placid, just incredibly
quiet library-esque environment to do my thing, to be productive. And then there's, there's
those of us that just can't that need this other kind of environment that's incredibly
stimulating that is absolutely uncertain. We want that, you know, so the, the, the mindsets
(23:27):
and the personality types of the two, you know, and I'm going to specifically go to
things like ADHD. I would love to just see, you know, how many of our educators have been
touched on some part of the ADHD spectrum and where that falls because man, you have
to have a little something different in you to really be willing and excited about walking
(23:53):
into an uncertain environment each and every day. And you're right. There are these common
threads that we get, you know, our content, our curriculum, for the most part, we're seeing
the same people, but it's the situations that change daily and the implications of those
situations at times that change and make it, you know, so much anxious for us at times,
(24:16):
but truly never a dull moment. It keeps you on your toes. It does make the days fly by.
Certainly as an administrator, I mean, my day is just absolutely zipped by. Yeah, grateful
for that.
Yeah, they really do. They go fast. It's weird because they go fast, but then whenever you
(24:38):
have a day off, they go even faster. If you're like, you have to have a doctor's appointment
early in the morning, you get back to your house like 9 a.m. and then you're like, man,
all right, I'm just here to chill or take a little me day. And then you kind of sit
down and you watch a show and you're like, I'd already be through fifth period by now.
I've barely done anything at home, you know, just because you, it does fly by, but you
do so much in those hours.
(25:00):
Yeah, for sure. And look, you know, before we switch to topic three real quick, you know,
I'm grateful for second quarter. And let's see how many can kind of relate to this, but
I'm grateful for second quarter. You know, it's four quarters in a school year. The first
one's got all the adrenaline. It's back to school. We're excited. OK, but man, that one
(25:22):
starts to get a little arduous towards the end of that quarter as that excitement wears
off. You're into the slog of it now. And then you hit fall break. Oh, we need that fall
break. Sharpen that song. Then you come into second quarter. But second quarter is beautiful,
man. It's the shortest of the four quarters. You've got multiple breaks in there. It just
(25:44):
feels like it truly zips before you get to the dark ages, the tunnel of quarter three.
And you know, I'm talking about that barren landscape, man, where it's dark when you get
up and dark when you get home. I mean, quarter three, man, we're not there yet. So I'm just
(26:04):
asking for us to be grateful and to hold the sense of gratitude for quarter two. We love
you quarter two. You know, we're on a Thanksgiving break now and we'll be finishing you quarter
two before too long. But we just want to showcase our gratitude. Quarter two is amazing. It's
great with the breaks in there and the things that happen at quarter three. I call it nine
(26:26):
weeks of darkness because it just seems like that it's dark. You know, when you get up,
it's just getting light. When you get home, it is dark. And then there's almost no breaks
in there after January. You get one. It's just a march and you're just you see the light
at the tunnel that is spring break and you just reach for it the whole time. So right.
(26:46):
Right. But it's so elusive. That's like a mirage at times. Yeah. The only thing you
hope for is snow days and that that third quarter, man, it's like, OK, it is February.
I need a snow day. That's it. You know, my wife and I were talking about my wife and
I were talking about that the other night, man. You know, we've we've been in here in
Tennessee like I know you're here in Tennessee as well. And it seems like we've been going
(27:07):
like every other year with with good snows. At least, you know, last year we had a good
one. I think three years ago we had a good one and we were just really digging into that.
You don't get that good snow in quarter three. Oh, man. I don't know. You know, I'm a nerd,
man. I know you know this about me, but I'm really into like any speed runs right now.
OK, you know, I'm talking Mega Man 2, Ninja Gaiden, stuff like that. These old school
(27:30):
eight bit games, they do these speed runs on them. And if you don't get these certain
kind of, you know, random or glitches or whatever that's called, you don't get these certain
bumps and effects. It can really kill your time. And it just makes me think of being
in that third quarter. If you don't get that God sin snow dump. Oh, man. It makes that
(27:54):
dark realm just even darker. You know, I'm thinking February, bro, just mid February.
Man, let's think you're not in a relationship. Maybe you don't have a Valentine. So it's
even darker. Man, that's February. February third quarter as an educator is rough, which
is why we're grateful for second quarter. You're absolutely grateful for you. Second
(28:19):
quarter, how short you are, how many breaks you have as how much we love you. Second quarter
and keep shout out. Many thankful for those snow days. You are random, but you are beautiful.
So shout out and thank us. Yes. All right, let's get to reason. Absolutely grateful for
snow days. Let's get to reason number three. All right. Reason number three, we are thankful
(28:42):
the little moments. I think the most beautiful thing about teaching and education are those
little moments humanity that we can never plan for. And I'm not talking about when a
lesson really works or when students do well on a test. I talk about the moments of growth
that you see in those kids, either academically or emotionally. You know, when a kid shows
(29:03):
they trust you, you know, when the quiet kid gives you a homemade present around Christmas,
you know, they just walk up that one. You don't even really know. They just sit in your
class and they're kind of looking at you. They're a great kid. They'll come up and talk
to you a little bit. You talk to them, but there's none of this. You don't have like
that real strong relationship and they kind of quietly come up and hand you like a homemade
ornament and you just know they spent that time and they care about you and they they
(29:27):
were thinking about you and those little moments. There's nothing that's touching. You can really
replace those with. No, I would agree, man. That's that's that's that's special stuff
right there. That's to me, you know, that that just fills in the gaps. You know that
that's what that's the cohesion that that really pulls this thing together in terms
of that. Why? And again, these are things that aren't always celebrated or showcased.
(29:52):
You know, it could be as simple, dude, as a fist bump from a kid. And I know that's
I know that seems trivial, man, but especially as a principal dude where you deal with discipline
so much, you know, you're dealing with the intensity of the job and irate parents, all
of this. But then you're standing in the hall during a class change and a kid randomly,
(30:18):
maybe one that you connect with or don't connect with much extends the fist bump, bro. It's
just man, little moments like that. They truly do add up, bro, and they fill your cup. So
true. Love the little moments. Very grateful. You know, it's a beautiful little moment I
was thinking about when a kid, you know, when kids do it, it's great. You're trying to build
(30:40):
those relationships. But one of my favorites is when you hear about how a kid talks about
you from either principal or their actual parent. Like it's so cool when a principal
comes up to you and says, Hey, we had a meeting with this kid's parents and they just talked
about how much they come home and talk about you. You know, Dr. Lauer said this today and
(31:03):
he was jumping around acting like a pirate because we were talking about pirates and
AP euro and he like sword fought a guy while telling us all the stuff. And he just every
day has a story like that. And when a principal comes up and tells you that, and I know every
teacher listening out here has had one of those moments because we care and we do those
things and we build those relationships. But that is just something though that is better
than Hey, you got mostly fives on your observation, which non teachers. That means you did a really,
(31:29):
really, really awesome job. You know, that's, that's a professionally pleasing moment. But
when you find out that a kid takes what you're talking about and the way you've tried to
connect with them and wants to share that with their parents, remember we're talking,
you know, right now, middle school and high school, right? That's what we've taught middle
school, high school, digestion. Like those are those kids that don't, you know, it's
(31:50):
elementary kids.
That's right. No, that kind of affirmation has a multiplier effect and I would agree
100%. And you get a compliment from a high schooler, you know, or, or yeah, again, and
you get a compliment from a middle schooler, you know, affirming the work you're doing,
whether that's in terms of style approach, effectiveness, cool factor, you know, whatever
(32:14):
it is, whatever the compliment is, they're throwing you, man. You're right. Why is it
that that is so affirming? Jordan, you're right, dude. Why is it that that at times
means much more than an LOE? That's level of effectiveness. The teachers are constantly
chasing that level five status. But then you get that card note or second hand, you know,
(32:40):
compliment from someone that's like, man, you should have heard how this kid was talking
about you, man. You're really impacting that student. Dude, it is man, truly grateful for
that. Those kind of moments where you're hearing it now through someone else, how you've impacted
someone. Man, it is, dude. That's the kind of stuff that I think is just not talked about
(33:02):
enough and why we get into teaching and what sustains a lot of people, man, you know, through
just the drudgery of it all. You know, you get these little moments that sustain you
and pull you through is powerful. It is. And it's principals, any principals listening,
you know, I'm 100% sure you do this, but just to affirm what you're doing, let your teachers
(33:26):
know those stories. You know, don't I know you do if you're just if it kind of happens
in the moment, but you know, make an effort if you hear that to reach out to them, let
them know, not just hoping to bump into them, you know, email them or call them in or walk
down their room because it does. It is like a little bit of a boost to your battery. Kind
of sitting there like, who are I? I am ready for Thanksgiving break. I need that. And then
(33:50):
your principal comes in and says, Hey, we had a meeting with this parent. They were
just talking about you and how great you were. That just kind of goes like boop, boop, boop,
boop. All right. Yeah, let's go Thanksgiving break. What? I'm good. You know, and that's
important. I'll give you a I'll give you a timely case in point here. So, you know, last
week is the week leading into Thanksgiving break. So lots of excitement, you know, dress
(34:12):
up days, stuff like that. My wife works at a very large high school. Well, within their
culture of the high school, they had students writing notes to teachers. All right, so this
is an organized type of outreach. Students are just celebrating teachers that have had
some kind of impact on them. So essentially, you know who they're grateful for in the building.
(34:34):
And my wife, you know, ends up getting several of these cards. She's real excited about I'm
really this is the stuff that fills her cup, man. She loves this kind of affirmation from
kids. This is why she shows up. But within the several, she ends up getting a few cards,
a few affirmations from kids she's never had never had in class doesn't know personally,
(34:54):
you know, no no long standing relationship. She's never helped them out in a situation.
These are just people who are acknowledging her for how bright your smile is throughout
the day. Whenever I see you, you're always smiling. That was one of them. Every time
I walk by your classroom, you're greeting kids with a smile. She got another one. She
(35:15):
loves to participate in pep rallies. She got another one where this kid was like, I just
love your energy in the pep rallies. You really bring it. You're so much fun. I mean, just
those kind of comments, compliments from a teenager, a high school kid, but more importantly,
one who's never even met you directly. Man, that kind of stuff, those kind of moments,
(35:42):
man, those are what pull educators through it really is. I mean, that's the kind of stuff
that touches you in a way that I have to believe is unlike any other profession out there.
Yeah, that is such a cool thing that she got a card from somebody who didn't know her.
That's such an amazing feeling. And it's neat that schools do that. You know, we do understand
(36:03):
and I think every profession does some type of thing around this, especially this time
of year. But it the you know, when you get a card that says Becky in accounting thinks
you're amazing. That's beautiful. And it probably makes you feel good. But you know, getting
something like that from, again, a teenager who just doesn't they struggle to have those
emotional connections, you know, and you it's meaningful to us and sometimes they roll your
(36:25):
eyes, their eyes just so beautiful to get that from. So I'm so thankful for those little
moments. Those really make education beautiful. They make education something that does fill
our cup. Like you said, that just drives us. And you hope those moments all build up that
if you can affect a kid like that and they build up, you have made a difference in them.
(36:48):
Because if they're feeling that gratitude, you've touched their heart, you've helped
them grow in some way. And that will stay with them forever. And they may not, you know,
in 20 years, they may be like, Oh, I just thought about that goofy history teacher I
had. They may not exactly remember your name, but you helped imprint on them, you know,
that gratitude, that connection, and that helps us all grow. So I'm thankful for that.
(37:12):
And the final one here, Ryan, before we jump off, because I know all of us, if you're listening
this, you're probably smelling the turkey and the dressing and the yams. I love yams.
So before we jump off here, I just want to say I'm also thankful. And I know Dr. Jackson's
echoes this, but we're thankful for all of you for listening, for being a part of this.
(37:33):
If you've listened to our mailbag episodes, they're really cool because it's not just
random stuff. It's you guys reaching out to us and talking to us and commenting on the
things we're talking about and sharing strategies. I've had articles shared, I've had strategies
shared with that. And you know, Dr. Jackson, I both love looking at those and seeing them.
And so we're just so thankful for that. So make sure you know, the content episodes,
(37:57):
we're talking about exhaustion, those first three, those are awesome. Those mailbags,
we do go deeper. And I'm just so thankful for you guys for one listening for two emailing
in to be in a part of the conversation. You make this awesome to do and so fun. So thank
you for that.
Now it's touching, man. And definitely so true. Grateful for our listeners, you know,
grateful for all educators who've really committed to this work. And certainly those
(38:21):
who are tuning in to listen and share, you know, what we have to say. So thankful and
grateful for you for all of our listeners.
Yes. And also, of course, we both are thankful for our families, for our wives and kids,
for, you know, letting us do this and supporting us and, you know, giving us notes and stuff
for both being married to teachers. That's been really cool that they can be such a strong
(38:42):
part of this, not only supporting but, you know, editorializing like, Hey, talk about
this because I had this happen today. It's, it's beautiful. So thank you for our families
and kids as well. We love and appreciate you.
Yeah. And thank and I'm thankful for my wife's mac and cheese, man. That's on my mind right
now.
She's got breadcrumbs on top or no? She go breadcrumbs on top or no?
(39:04):
You know what? She does do a little breadcrumbs. Her, her, her magic is in the cheese, man.
She's got multi, multi various cheeses in there. She really puts her foot in. If you're
familiar with that expression, this is a, and that's a conversation for another day, man.
You may not be ready for that yet, but listen, the mac and cheese, man, I'm telling you,
I'll get you a, I'll get you a bowl.
(39:25):
I would say, give me a time. I will be over. We'll just, I'll be like, Hey, we got to talk
about the podcast real quick. We'll use that as the cover and I'll just be in the closet
or like shoveling some in and let y'all.
We'll only eat mac and cheese during that conversation.
That's great. Well, again, y'all, thank you so much and we hope you've enjoyed. We hope
you have a great Thanksgiving and next week we'll be back with our third episode in this
(39:48):
arc over exhaustion, the war within. We'll be talking about what exhaustion, the things
we've talked about, the exhaustion at work, how it follows you home. We're talking about
what it can do to you internally and how that can affect you for life, career, and just
overall how you feel. So that's next week. So be ready. Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving
(40:10):
for Dr. Jackson. Thank you for listening and thank you for being a part of the fight.
Welcome back to Educational Warfare. I'm Dr. Jordan Lauer and with me is my partner, the
(00:15):
man whose turkey is never dry and whose cranberry sauce would never come out of a can, Dr. Ryan
Jackson. Good morning, Ryan.
Hey, good morning, Dr. Jordan. Man, I appreciate that introduction. I'm just going to go on
record. This is full disclosure. I am not a turkey guy, man. I just can't do it, bro.
I'm not big on the turkey.
Hey, you know, I'm a various type of turkey guy. You know, I love fried. I'm also not
(00:38):
afraid to throw in a Thanksgiving ham there, but you know, why are we talking about Thanksgiving
food today, Ryan?
Oh, you know why? Because I mean, we are entering a very special week where not only do a lot
of educators have this week off, you know, you've been busting tail, working hard, you
get to this point and it's Thanksgiving week. So we're all about gratitude in this show.
(01:01):
We're all about talking about things we're grateful for, all those things that we appreciate,
especially through the lens of our educators.
You know, Thanksgiving is this week. Instead of doing episode three, exhaustion, the war
within like we plan, we wanted to take this time to talk about what we're thankful for
(01:22):
and what hopefully all educators are thankful for just because it is a positive thing. It
is a great thing. We're talking about in the show, the things that attack it and the things
that can make it difficult to work in and be in and feel successful. But at its core,
it is something to be thankful for. And we just want to talk about that today. So that
is our plan today. And then next week, we'll be back with our third and final episode in
(01:46):
the exhaustion arc, exhaustion, the war within and in between still email us. You can email
us at educationalwarfare.pod at gmail.com. You can also find us on X slash Twitter, whoever
you want to call it, at edu warfare. I'm on blue sky post and stuff as well. We'll hopefully
get an official educational warfare page set up on there. You know, and I, any of those,
(02:11):
if you want to message us, feel free. If you want to use the hashtag educational warfare
on a comment or again, email us. We'd love to hear from you. Send us some stuff you're
thankful for. We'll throw it into our last episode in this arc, just to give you guys
a little shout out and everything as well. So let's go ahead and get to it. Start talking
about the things we're thankful for, Ryan. Let's dive in, man. Come on. I'm excited.
(02:31):
It's a great episode. I too appreciate we are taking a brief pause, you know, from our
war within war at home. Three part series here. We will get back to that. But this week,
this episode is just dedicated to those things we are grateful for. And let's dig into some
of the psychology behind that mindset and why we need to keep that mindset in this episode
(02:55):
as well. I'm excited. Let's go. Let's dive in. All right. The first thing I'm thankful
for, we're thankful for is the camaraderie of teachers, right? And education, one of
the best parts of teaching is that camaraderie. It is that being together, you know, teaching
is unique in the way that you truly interact with the teachers around you. You know, every
(03:18):
single day we vent, we ask for help, we share strategies. We just look at each other without
saying a word when some kid does something silly in the hallway and just start chuckling
without ever needing to say anything. We create together and we all share the same clientele.
You know, even if you don't teach a kid, like you don't have the same kid in your class,
(03:39):
we all consider that kid ours. And we're working together with that. You know, the teacher
never just walks by a kid they don't teach, see them doing something silly, see them doing
something wrong, see them doing something good and don't doesn't say anything. You know,
that kid is theirs even though they don't have him in class. And that's a really cool
thing about teaching and education that I am thankful for.
You know, you know what I love about that? Like specifically, so, you know, you bring
(04:02):
together people from from for the most part, man, just various walks of life into the profession.
Okay, so you're bringing together this collective group of people into a building. They've got
various backgrounds, obviously different personalities, tastes, etc. But you all share the same students
(04:22):
for the most part. There's this collective thread that connects you all. So no matter
how different you are, and I mean, I've been in buildings, man, where I am the outlier,
like I'm the strange dude in this book, no matter how different you are, you share this
common ground of student and then there is no faster way to connect to incredibly different
(04:50):
people than give them a student who's just off the chain. Right? I mean, man, you're
talking about instant friendship, like through this connected shared experience. But but
yeah, it's having those people in the building, man, and those personalities and the friendships
and bonds, you know, that come out of that. I think if I was going to challenge you, dude,
(05:11):
dude, like I do sometimes, you know, my my empathy, my I wonder would be, you know, what
about those teachers, man, that you don't have a good team, right? Or you do feel like
you're in you're in isolation. I mean, I got to give a shout out to those two, because
they're out there. Oh, absolutely. Just feel like, man, I'm not connecting here, or I'm
(05:31):
the odd man out, or I'm brand new on a team of veterans. You know, it's just a lot to
that. But I don't want to paint it all as rose colored glasses. We do want to be mindful
and empathize with, you know, some of those teachers that are trying to find their way
even within a building. Yeah, I mean, then that's the thing. You do have those great
relationships at times and you're laughing, you know, before I go to those teachers who
(05:55):
are kind of struggling, I always think of a school like is kind of almost like the office,
the TV show, you know, you're all in there. And you're doing the same thing, you have
the same goal, but there's so many different personalities. You know, you have the goofy,
silly, sometimes younger ones or mid veterans, I'll call them, you know, 10, 15 years, then
(06:16):
but then you have that maybe you have the really young, very fastidious, like I have
to do this. Then you have the older ones who just kind of like Stanley, you say something
they're like, Mm hmm. You know, like, yeah, that's what we're doing. So it's that is a
great collection of personalities. But you know, for those teachers are struggling, you
know, there's it can be difficult because you when you want to reach out, you know,
(06:38):
sometimes if you're maybe a talkative teacher, you just like to use that time in between
classes kind of recenter talk and you step out in the hall, either they're still in the
room or kind of busy or you're stepping out in the hall to say something real quick after
the second after the bell and doors already shut. So you just feel you're going from class
to class that can be difficult, you know, and with that, I say that, you know, everybody's
(06:59):
there doing that job. So there's always something to talk about. So just don't be afraid to
go out and put yourself out there and walk into that.
And I think it's a good place to just again, include that gratitude. I am grateful for
those types of teachers. I'm going to throw my wife into that mix, man. I've said it before.
She's a 19 year veteran. She's very social. She loves a good team. You know, she wants
(07:21):
collaboration. She's going to go out of her way to make others feel connected. It's going
to go out of her way to see somebody who may be working in isolation or who just not has
been officially welcomed into any kind of group or small group. I mean, she's going
to find that person, make that connection and be very intentional about making them
(07:44):
feel welcomed warmly that they belong. And she's not unique. You know, big shout out
to those teachers in that respect that go out to make those connections, you know, not
unlike what they do with their students. They're also doing this with adults as well. Those
people, true game changers in a building, absolute game changer.
(08:06):
Yeah. And I love those people too, because sometimes, especially in a new building, it's
going to be kind of shocking considering I'm sitting here talking to all of the people
listening, but I can get, I could become scared to go out and talk to those teachers. Like
I don't want to be a bother. You know, so sometimes when I get to a new building, when
I've changed schools, I've got to sit in there and I'm like, Oh, I hope I want to go talk
(08:27):
to these teachers and everything. But then I'm a little worried about it. So I'll kind
of sit at my door and maybe not look like I'm super interested, not trying to. And those
type of teachers will come up and be like, Hey, how's it going? And just start a conversation.
And I'm thankful for that because, and that's as I've gotten older and been in this career
longer, now I've become one of those teachers. You know, I'll go up to a new teacher and
(08:48):
be like, Hey, what's up, man? Just talk to them. So I'm super thankful that because without
people like that, I may still be sitting at my door looking like the guy who's like, do
they want, does he want me to talk to them? You know, and those people kind of brought
me out. And the word that comes to mind here, man, is, is camaraderie. You know, I've got
a great friend, his name's Ryan Murphy, uh, currently a teacher at Nashville school of
the arts, man. This man was my mentor in 2008 and I still have a long standing, deep personal
(09:16):
friendship with him. The things we went through at Maplewood high school and just his journey
as a human being, as an artist, as a country musician, you know, just our friendship, man,
has been long lasting. And I look back on those early years of teaching, you know, with
his mentorship and friendship, just, just stuff I'll never forget, man. I'll hold that
(09:37):
deep in my heart. So that camaraderie that comes out of, you know, working in a school
setting, you know, certainly a public school environment, but I think all educational settings,
you know, has the ability to, you know, to, uh, develop this kind of camaraderie that
can be game changing for personal friendships and, you know, long standing connections.
(09:58):
Yeah. That's the camaraderie is so wonderful and it's so great. And while we're on teachers,
uh, just merging this in the camaraderie part, you know, teachers also have thankful for
this or some of the hardest workers I've ever met. It would cover this as exactly what
this arc that we're in the middle of right now is all about. You know, we're covering
exhaustion, teachers stay late. They work at home, they grade, they create new lessons
(10:21):
into the wee hours of the night and they go miles out of their way miles away from their
home to my, to maybe watch a single student in a tennis match or perform in a play or
go see the football team, do their one face out of 500 that maybe the players won't even
know that are there, but they are there because they want to be there. So I'm just thankful
for the work you all put into this career we've chosen these students who we've been
(10:47):
given and to each other working in that camaraderie you're talking about. Ryan, man, I love that
little bit that you threw in there, you know, about driving, you know, miles, sometimes
hours away for an event where you may be supporting one kid. It's so true. I saw it as a principal
and saw teachers do that. I certainly did it, you know, myself and it makes you just
(11:10):
wonder like, wow, you know, the psychology behind that. I'm going to sacrifice so much
over here to support sometimes just this one person in their thing they're doing that will
not get publicized or promoted. That's what I was going to say. It's spotlighted. Most
of the time, nobody knows about it. There's no vanity in it. No ego. I mean, it's fascinating.
(11:36):
You want to talk about something to be grateful for. There are people in this world that do
just that and we call them teachers. We call them educators. So very grateful for that.
And yes, the sacrifices they make, the ways they go out of their way to just support,
encourage, make others feel special. Truly something to be grateful for. All of us have
(12:01):
experienced that in some capacity. Yeah, it is. And you know, like you were saying, no
vanity in it. They don't brag. You know, they don't put out there, do a quick TikTok video
or they're walking, all right guys, walking out to my van to go see blah, blah, blah.
They just do it. There's in the crowd and then they can say the next time they see that
soon, even if they didn't get a chance to wave them down or give them a hug, which we
all try to do to let them know they're supported in the moment. But if it's big, crowd, you
(12:25):
may not get to that next day. The look in the kid's eye when the teacher is like, I
saw you perform. Oh yeah, dude, listen, you know, I kind of, I live by a certain creed,
man. You'll, you'll tell me what you believe, but you'll show me what you value. Right.
You'll tell me what you believe, but you will show me what you value. Now you're that kid.
(12:47):
You look up, there's been no conversation, no mention necessarily. And you look up and
see your teacher supporting you in the crowd. Man, it does something to you. It unlocks
something in you. And to me, that is something to be truly grateful for. That goes way beyond
(13:08):
the job description, way beyond the highlights of what we really talk about when we reference
teachers. You know, this is getting into the nitty gritty of how teachers really impact
students and get into that life changing window of conversation that we've mentioned before.
Yeah. Way beyond also what, like you said, is discussed about teachers, but what people
(13:33):
know about them. You know, the media doesn't cover that, you know, and it's, it's always
something else in the classroom. So that that's a beautiful part of teaching. And you know,
you all are doing a great job with that. You know, we see it, which means others see it.
And especially as we were talking about the students see it. So great job on that everybody.
And it's a beautiful part of teaching. And one of the reasons we're both thankful for
(13:54):
y'all. So let's jump in real quick to number two, Ryan. Yeah, man. Go ahead, man. I love
this one. I'm excited to talk about this one. This is just absolutely so true. He's a number
two. We are thankful how the work always changes and stays interesting. Yeah. You know, this
is, this one is near and dear to my heart. You know, offline, you and I were talking
(14:18):
about being an adrenaline junkie. Now I think for me, it was a little darker shade of that.
You know, I was truly stress addicted. And I found every bit that I wanted inside of
a public school building, certainly as an administrator, but but as a teacher as well,
you know, that just filled this intense need that I had for all those years. But the lighter
(14:42):
side of that, it's always interesting. You know, that show, it's always sunny in Philadelphia.
And it's such a great show. Always interesting in a school building, very rarely a dull moment,
you know, in there. So just love that and grateful for that, that no matter what, when
you're walking in, you really have zero idea what could go down today. And that does keep
(15:08):
things interesting. You know, they say variety is the spice of life. So I think the teaching
profession certainly gives us that. Yeah, I think teaching, education, being a teacher,
being a principal, anybody in a school building, it's the one job where, like you said, you
may have an idea of what you're planning on doing, but you have no idea what's going to
(15:28):
happen from the first bell to the last bell. You cannot plan out anything other than what
you're expecting to do in the classroom. You know, you might come in and there might be
10 kids coming up who are like, Hey, today we're dressing up like this. And they're all
hyper and stuff, or you might come in and there's a kid who's already doing something
crazy and you're like, well, I guess I'm spending the first 10 minutes taking care of this.
(15:49):
You just don't know. So it can be exhausting. Yes, as we've been talking about, but it's
definitely never boring. And you know, one tier I never served at, my wife has, but I
never had this middle middle school. I've been a high school guy my entire career, but
my wife has done a couple of different stints in middle schools. And I just always remember
she would share, you know, at that age, they're either, you know, hanging on you one day,
(16:13):
you know, I love you, Ms. KJ, or they're cussing you the next, or sometimes within the same
day, you know, and it's just the same 10 minutes, you never know who I'm going to get, which
personality shows up today, especially when you're dealing with raging hormones and just
a brain that is rapidly developing, you know, it's just never a dull moment. You know, you
(16:38):
can't set your clock by it. You can't count on consistency unless that consistency is
it will never be consistent. It's always going to change. There's always going to be something
absolutely crazy that happens today. I just don't know where that's going to strike, but
I'm paying attention and waiting for it because that's the life of a teacher. That's the life
(17:00):
of an educator. It's always interesting. It is. Yeah. I taught seventh grade for four
years and I will tell you what, it's exactly what you're talking about. You never know
what you're going to get with the same students sometimes in the same time. And you know,
there's such an interesting group of seventh graders, eighth graders, they started to mature
a little bit with seventh graders. I'll tell you, you can feel amazing about yourself.
(17:22):
They just have no filter. So like, you're like, I look really nice today. I'm very professional.
It's a good outfit. You know, I like my fit. Right. And they'll walk up and there's kind
of look at you and you're looking at them like, good morning. And they're like, point
at your toes and then kind of up your outfit. They're like, what's going on here? Like,
what do you do into what's your goal today? Or why do you look like that? And you're like,
okay, well, I thought I felt gonna go cry in my room real quick. I'll come back out,
(17:44):
let y'all in. Out of the mouth of eggs. So they just have no filter and they're hilarious,
but you never know what you're gonna get every day. And that's interesting. Are you, you
know, let's, let's just hang on those four years you did in seventh grade, man. Are you
grateful for the smells that come with middle school? I'm grateful that now I'm pretty sure
I can go into any situation. The smell won't affect me. I think I'd say it's trained my
nose. Like if I walked into something where people are like, Oh my gosh, I'd be like,
(18:08):
no, you've never been in a middle school. Smell tutelage man has prepared you for any
environment you could walk into and smell will not be a May in the middle school. I'm
gonna say May and August, but usually may that moment when they don't have the heat
on anymore and they've yet to turn the air and it's like 85 outside. That's just a tropical
(18:28):
rainforest of scent that you will never forget. Like that's, you know, you're, you're, you're,
you're triggering a memory man. And, and, and since we're, we're still talking about
gratitude and being grateful. So I'm just going to be grateful for thinking back when
I was in middle school. So I'm going back to the nineties. Okay. This is, you know,
92, 90, 91, 92 I'm in middle school and I can remember man in August, you said August
(18:54):
or may I can remember in August us being let out early a couple of times because it was
so hot. And you say that's weird though. Right. But our buildings did not have AC. So we didn't
have AC then, man. You're just, you're just raising the wind. Teachers have all the windows
out because it's so hot. I'm trying to imagine, man, my olfactory senses are not bringing
(19:17):
me back there in terms of memory, but I can only imagine being an adult teacher in a 1992
Evansville, Indiana middle school classroom that has no HVAC. That's just, yeah, man,
those people veterans, that's like world war two status. That's like veterans. I remember
(19:38):
the days before AC, your, your nostrils have no idea.
In August. Oh man. You're in a window. You're in a classroom with no windows. Like a choir
room with 58 kids. Anyway, just a fun trip down memory lane there, man. You know, we're,
there's things we're grateful for. And there's of course things in the profession that we
(20:00):
could see disappear tomorrow and we would be just fine with, but middle school smells,
man, I got to put it into a gratitude category because when you've been through it, you feel
like you can do it. I would like to personally apologize for being a middle schooler during
those days and maybe contributing to that. I tried, my mom tried to make me shower, but
you know, middle school boys, they're different thing. Also any of those veteran teachers
(20:22):
who were in the rooms in the nineties on those front lines, email us, educational warfare.pod.gmail.com.
Let us like the stories you have. I would love to share those cause I think that would
be hilarious for this.
Man. So, so true, man. I would love a whole thread just dedicated to, I was a teacher
(20:45):
in the nineties and we did not have AC in August. Tell us your stories, please.
I wonder how many, I'm going to say three at least that we get emails that they're like,
bro, a little bit of a Vicks vapor rub under the nostrils. That's how I made it through.
I wonder if that's like the trick.
That's it, man. I want to hear tools, tactics, strategies. I mean, I'm sure there's an unofficial
(21:09):
book on how to survive seventh grade body odor in a school with no AC. We want to hear
it. So please send those in for the mailbag issue. I'm, I'm, please. I want to hear it.
Wrapping up just that the work always changes, stays interesting. I'll tell you what, when
(21:30):
you think about that, how it is, it's variable. Like I said, you, you may teach like at this
time of the year, I teach the French revolution every year for 10 years, but so that they,
the career stays the same, the content stays the same, but again, you never know what's
going to happen and we're always tweaking and changing. And I think about that of how
(21:51):
it's so variable. And I'll tell you this, when I think about teaching, even though I
may be exhausted when I get home and what we've been talking about, when I compare it
to would it maybe like to work in an office, like in a cubicle? I don't know. I might go
crazy man. Like, and that's why you talked about being an adrenaline junkie. I don't
know if I could transition from what we do now to sitting in a cubicle where, you know,
(22:16):
I talked about the show, the office, a lot of times that show starts before anybody says
anything. It just pans back and shows that everybody working and all you can hear is
like the keyboard clicking and maybe a little fan noise and you know, Pam picking up the
phone and quietly going, Dunder Mifren, this is Pam. You know, and that, but it's so silent.
I would be going nuts. I know it's always made me wonder, you know, and I don't know
(22:38):
that there's been an official study on this. I'm certainly curious. The type of person
that can not only survive, but thrive in that kind of teacher setting, educational setting,
you know, versus the doldrums of just a dry static office experience. I mean, I'm sure
(22:59):
there's personalities that just need that. I need this kind of placid, just incredibly
quiet library-esque environment to do my thing, to be productive. And then there's, there's
those of us that just can't that need this other kind of environment that's incredibly
stimulating that is absolutely uncertain. We want that, you know, so the, the, the mindsets
(23:27):
and the personality types of the two, you know, and I'm going to specifically go to
things like ADHD. I would love to just see, you know, how many of our educators have been
touched on some part of the ADHD spectrum and where that falls because man, you have
to have a little something different in you to really be willing and excited about walking
(23:53):
into an uncertain environment each and every day. And you're right. There are these common
threads that we get, you know, our content, our curriculum, for the most part, we're seeing
the same people, but it's the situations that change daily and the implications of those
situations at times that change and make it, you know, so much anxious for us at times,
(24:16):
but truly never a dull moment. It keeps you on your toes. It does make the days fly by.
Certainly as an administrator, I mean, my day is just absolutely zipped by. Yeah, grateful
for that.
Yeah, they really do. They go fast. It's weird because they go fast, but then whenever you
(24:38):
have a day off, they go even faster. If you're like, you have to have a doctor's appointment
early in the morning, you get back to your house like 9 a.m. and then you're like, man,
all right, I'm just here to chill or take a little me day. And then you kind of sit
down and you watch a show and you're like, I'd already be through fifth period by now.
I've barely done anything at home, you know, just because you, it does fly by, but you
do so much in those hours.
(25:00):
Yeah, for sure. And look, you know, before we switch to topic three real quick, you know,
I'm grateful for second quarter. And let's see how many can kind of relate to this, but
I'm grateful for second quarter. You know, it's four quarters in a school year. The first
one's got all the adrenaline. It's back to school. We're excited. OK, but man, that one
(25:22):
starts to get a little arduous towards the end of that quarter as that excitement wears
off. You're into the slog of it now. And then you hit fall break. Oh, we need that fall
break. Sharpen that song. Then you come into second quarter. But second quarter is beautiful,
man. It's the shortest of the four quarters. You've got multiple breaks in there. It just
(25:44):
feels like it truly zips before you get to the dark ages, the tunnel of quarter three.
And you know, I'm talking about that barren landscape, man, where it's dark when you get
up and dark when you get home. I mean, quarter three, man, we're not there yet. So I'm just
(26:04):
asking for us to be grateful and to hold the sense of gratitude for quarter two. We love
you quarter two. You know, we're on a Thanksgiving break now and we'll be finishing you quarter
two before too long. But we just want to showcase our gratitude. Quarter two is amazing. It's
great with the breaks in there and the things that happen at quarter three. I call it nine
(26:26):
weeks of darkness because it just seems like that it's dark. You know, when you get up,
it's just getting light. When you get home, it is dark. And then there's almost no breaks
in there after January. You get one. It's just a march and you're just you see the light
at the tunnel that is spring break and you just reach for it the whole time. So right.
(26:46):
Right. But it's so elusive. That's like a mirage at times. Yeah. The only thing you
hope for is snow days and that that third quarter, man, it's like, OK, it is February.
I need a snow day. That's it. You know, my wife and I were talking about my wife and
I were talking about that the other night, man. You know, we've we've been in here in
Tennessee like I know you're here in Tennessee as well. And it seems like we've been going
(27:07):
like every other year with with good snows. At least, you know, last year we had a good
one. I think three years ago we had a good one and we were just really digging into that.
You don't get that good snow in quarter three. Oh, man. I don't know. You know, I'm a nerd,
man. I know you know this about me, but I'm really into like any speed runs right now.
OK, you know, I'm talking Mega Man 2, Ninja Gaiden, stuff like that. These old school
(27:30):
eight bit games, they do these speed runs on them. And if you don't get these certain
kind of, you know, random or glitches or whatever that's called, you don't get these certain
bumps and effects. It can really kill your time. And it just makes me think of being
in that third quarter. If you don't get that God sin snow dump. Oh, man. It makes that
(27:54):
dark realm just even darker. You know, I'm thinking February, bro, just mid February.
Man, let's think you're not in a relationship. Maybe you don't have a Valentine. So it's
even darker. Man, that's February. February third quarter as an educator is rough, which
is why we're grateful for second quarter. You're absolutely grateful for you. Second
(28:19):
quarter, how short you are, how many breaks you have as how much we love you. Second quarter
and keep shout out. Many thankful for those snow days. You are random, but you are beautiful.
So shout out and thank us. Yes. All right, let's get to reason. Absolutely grateful for
snow days. Let's get to reason number three. All right. Reason number three, we are thankful
(28:42):
the little moments. I think the most beautiful thing about teaching and education are those
little moments humanity that we can never plan for. And I'm not talking about when a
lesson really works or when students do well on a test. I talk about the moments of growth
that you see in those kids, either academically or emotionally. You know, when a kid shows
(29:03):
they trust you, you know, when the quiet kid gives you a homemade present around Christmas,
you know, they just walk up that one. You don't even really know. They just sit in your
class and they're kind of looking at you. They're a great kid. They'll come up and talk
to you a little bit. You talk to them, but there's none of this. You don't have like
that real strong relationship and they kind of quietly come up and hand you like a homemade
ornament and you just know they spent that time and they care about you and they they
(29:27):
were thinking about you and those little moments. There's nothing that's touching. You can really
replace those with. No, I would agree, man. That's that's that's that's special stuff
right there. That's to me, you know, that that just fills in the gaps. You know that
that's what that's the cohesion that that really pulls this thing together in terms
of that. Why? And again, these are things that aren't always celebrated or showcased.
(29:52):
You know, it could be as simple, dude, as a fist bump from a kid. And I know that's
I know that seems trivial, man, but especially as a principal dude where you deal with discipline
so much, you know, you're dealing with the intensity of the job and irate parents, all
of this. But then you're standing in the hall during a class change and a kid randomly,
(30:18):
maybe one that you connect with or don't connect with much extends the fist bump, bro. It's
just man, little moments like that. They truly do add up, bro, and they fill your cup. So
true. Love the little moments. Very grateful. You know, it's a beautiful little moment I
was thinking about when a kid, you know, when kids do it, it's great. You're trying to build
(30:40):
those relationships. But one of my favorites is when you hear about how a kid talks about
you from either principal or their actual parent. Like it's so cool when a principal
comes up to you and says, Hey, we had a meeting with this kid's parents and they just talked
about how much they come home and talk about you. You know, Dr. Lauer said this today and
(31:03):
he was jumping around acting like a pirate because we were talking about pirates and
AP euro and he like sword fought a guy while telling us all the stuff. And he just every
day has a story like that. And when a principal comes up and tells you that, and I know every
teacher listening out here has had one of those moments because we care and we do those
things and we build those relationships. But that is just something though that is better
than Hey, you got mostly fives on your observation, which non teachers. That means you did a really,
(31:29):
really, really awesome job. You know, that's, that's a professionally pleasing moment. But
when you find out that a kid takes what you're talking about and the way you've tried to
connect with them and wants to share that with their parents, remember we're talking,
you know, right now, middle school and high school, right? That's what we've taught middle
school, high school, digestion. Like those are those kids that don't, you know, it's
(31:50):
elementary kids.
That's right. No, that kind of affirmation has a multiplier effect and I would agree
100%. And you get a compliment from a high schooler, you know, or, or yeah, again, and
you get a compliment from a middle schooler, you know, affirming the work you're doing,
whether that's in terms of style approach, effectiveness, cool factor, you know, whatever
(32:14):
it is, whatever the compliment is, they're throwing you, man. You're right. Why is it
that that is so affirming? Jordan, you're right, dude. Why is it that that at times
means much more than an LOE? That's level of effectiveness. The teachers are constantly
chasing that level five status. But then you get that card note or second hand, you know,
(32:40):
compliment from someone that's like, man, you should have heard how this kid was talking
about you, man. You're really impacting that student. Dude, it is man, truly grateful for
that. Those kind of moments where you're hearing it now through someone else, how you've impacted
someone. Man, it is, dude. That's the kind of stuff that I think is just not talked about
(33:02):
enough and why we get into teaching and what sustains a lot of people, man, you know, through
just the drudgery of it all. You know, you get these little moments that sustain you
and pull you through is powerful. It is. And it's principals, any principals listening,
you know, I'm 100% sure you do this, but just to affirm what you're doing, let your teachers
(33:26):
know those stories. You know, don't I know you do if you're just if it kind of happens
in the moment, but you know, make an effort if you hear that to reach out to them, let
them know, not just hoping to bump into them, you know, email them or call them in or walk
down their room because it does. It is like a little bit of a boost to your battery. Kind
of sitting there like, who are I? I am ready for Thanksgiving break. I need that. And then
(33:50):
your principal comes in and says, Hey, we had a meeting with this parent. They were
just talking about you and how great you were. That just kind of goes like boop, boop, boop,
boop. All right. Yeah, let's go Thanksgiving break. What? I'm good. You know, and that's
important. I'll give you a I'll give you a timely case in point here. So, you know, last
week is the week leading into Thanksgiving break. So lots of excitement, you know, dress
(34:12):
up days, stuff like that. My wife works at a very large high school. Well, within their
culture of the high school, they had students writing notes to teachers. All right, so this
is an organized type of outreach. Students are just celebrating teachers that have had
some kind of impact on them. So essentially, you know who they're grateful for in the building.
(34:34):
And my wife, you know, ends up getting several of these cards. She's real excited about I'm
really this is the stuff that fills her cup, man. She loves this kind of affirmation from
kids. This is why she shows up. But within the several, she ends up getting a few cards,
a few affirmations from kids she's never had never had in class doesn't know personally,
(34:54):
you know, no no long standing relationship. She's never helped them out in a situation.
These are just people who are acknowledging her for how bright your smile is throughout
the day. Whenever I see you, you're always smiling. That was one of them. Every time
I walk by your classroom, you're greeting kids with a smile. She got another one. She
(35:15):
loves to participate in pep rallies. She got another one where this kid was like, I just
love your energy in the pep rallies. You really bring it. You're so much fun. I mean, just
those kind of comments, compliments from a teenager, a high school kid, but more importantly,
one who's never even met you directly. Man, that kind of stuff, those kind of moments,
(35:42):
man, those are what pull educators through it really is. I mean, that's the kind of stuff
that touches you in a way that I have to believe is unlike any other profession out there.
Yeah, that is such a cool thing that she got a card from somebody who didn't know her.
That's such an amazing feeling. And it's neat that schools do that. You know, we do understand
(36:03):
and I think every profession does some type of thing around this, especially this time
of year. But it the you know, when you get a card that says Becky in accounting thinks
you're amazing. That's beautiful. And it probably makes you feel good. But you know, getting
something like that from, again, a teenager who just doesn't they struggle to have those
emotional connections, you know, and you it's meaningful to us and sometimes they roll your
(36:25):
eyes, their eyes just so beautiful to get that from. So I'm so thankful for those little
moments. Those really make education beautiful. They make education something that does fill
our cup. Like you said, that just drives us. And you hope those moments all build up that
if you can affect a kid like that and they build up, you have made a difference in them.
(36:48):
Because if they're feeling that gratitude, you've touched their heart, you've helped
them grow in some way. And that will stay with them forever. And they may not, you know,
in 20 years, they may be like, Oh, I just thought about that goofy history teacher I
had. They may not exactly remember your name, but you helped imprint on them, you know,
that gratitude, that connection, and that helps us all grow. So I'm thankful for that.
(37:12):
And the final one here, Ryan, before we jump off, because I know all of us, if you're listening
this, you're probably smelling the turkey and the dressing and the yams. I love yams.
So before we jump off here, I just want to say I'm also thankful. And I know Dr. Jackson's
echoes this, but we're thankful for all of you for listening, for being a part of this.
(37:33):
If you've listened to our mailbag episodes, they're really cool because it's not just
random stuff. It's you guys reaching out to us and talking to us and commenting on the
things we're talking about and sharing strategies. I've had articles shared, I've had strategies
shared with that. And you know, Dr. Jackson, I both love looking at those and seeing them.
And so we're just so thankful for that. So make sure you know, the content episodes,
(37:57):
we're talking about exhaustion, those first three, those are awesome. Those mailbags,
we do go deeper. And I'm just so thankful for you guys for one listening for two emailing
in to be in a part of the conversation. You make this awesome to do and so fun. So thank
you for that.
Now it's touching, man. And definitely so true. Grateful for our listeners, you know,
grateful for all educators who've really committed to this work. And certainly those
(38:21):
who are tuning in to listen and share, you know, what we have to say. So thankful and
grateful for you for all of our listeners.
Yes. And also, of course, we both are thankful for our families, for our wives and kids,
for, you know, letting us do this and supporting us and, you know, giving us notes and stuff
for both being married to teachers. That's been really cool that they can be such a strong
(38:42):
part of this, not only supporting but, you know, editorializing like, Hey, talk about
this because I had this happen today. It's, it's beautiful. So thank you for our families
and kids as well. We love and appreciate you.
Yeah. And thank and I'm thankful for my wife's mac and cheese, man. That's on my mind right
now.
She's got breadcrumbs on top or no? She go breadcrumbs on top or no?
(39:04):
You know what? She does do a little breadcrumbs. Her, her, her magic is in the cheese, man.
She's got multi, multi various cheeses in there. She really puts her foot in. If you're
familiar with that expression, this is a, and that's a conversation for another day, man.
You may not be ready for that yet, but listen, the mac and cheese, man, I'm telling you,
I'll get you a, I'll get you a bowl.
(39:25):
I would say, give me a time. I will be over. We'll just, I'll be like, Hey, we got to talk
about the podcast real quick. We'll use that as the cover and I'll just be in the closet
or like shoveling some in and let y'all.
We'll only eat mac and cheese during that conversation.
That's great. Well, again, y'all, thank you so much and we hope you've enjoyed. We hope
you have a great Thanksgiving and next week we'll be back with our third episode in this
(39:48):
arc over exhaustion, the war within. We'll be talking about what exhaustion, the things
we've talked about, the exhaustion at work, how it follows you home. We're talking about
what it can do to you internally and how that can affect you for life, career, and just
overall how you feel. So that's next week. So be ready. Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving
(40:10):
for Dr. Jackson. Thank you for listening and thank you for being a part of the fight.
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