Dave Burgess on Passion, Creativity & the Heart of Teaching
What if teaching could feel like a bold act of creativity every day?
In this powerful Why Edify Podcast episode, Jeremy Jorgensen sits down with legendary educator and author of Teach Like a Pirate, Dave Burgess.
Together, they explore the transformative role of passion, personal authenticity, and creativity in the classroom. Dave shares vulnerable insights about criticism, why he doesn't give traditional homework, and how living fully outside the classroom fuels powerful learning inside it.
You’ll hear:
- Why student engagement is more than a buzzword
- How reflective teaching makes lessons unforgettable
- The importance of honoring your identity and outside passions
- Practical earned wisdom on handling parent conflict and burnout
- Educators, leaders, and lifelong learners—this conversation is a rally cry to teach boldly, live authentically, and create meaningful impact.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Passionate Teaching
05:45 Trolling and Teaching Philosophy
10:28 Amplifying Voices in Education
14:56 Earned Wisdom from Experience
19:18 Creative Alchemy in Teaching
23:47 Engaging Students Through Personal Connections
28:24 Community and Professional Development
32:50 Final Thoughts and Recommendations
📬 Get Involved:
✉️ Sign up for the Friday Five Newsletter for Teachers:
https://www.jeremyajorgensen.com/newsletter
💪 Take the 30-Day Educator Challenge (Mind, Body & Spirit):
☕ Support Why Edify:
https://buymeacoffee.com/whyedify
👕 Shop Why Edify Gear:
https://www.bonfire.com/store/why-edify/
🌐 Connect with Jeremy Jorgensen:
👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/why_edify/
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-jorgensen321/
👉 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/why-edify.bsky.social
👉 Website: https://www.jeremyajorgensen.com/
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!