Teachers Ed with Edward DeShazer

Edward DeShazer

The Teachers Ed Podcast is where real educators get real about the work. Hosted by Edward DeShazer, an award-winning school leader who was once expelled from school 3x, each episode dives into the heart of school culture, climate, and relationships. From honest conversations about burnout to practical tools for building stronger classrooms and campuses, Edward brings humor, truth, and lived experience to every episode. This isn’t theory, it’s real talk for teachers and leaders who want to build better schools without losing themselves in the process. Subscribe now and visit www.EdwardDeShazer.org to discover more ways Edward can support and uplift your school community. Your work matters—let's grow together!

  1. 11/23/2025

    From Silos To Strong School Teams

    Ever feel like your team works in the same building but on different islands? We unpack how schools move from silos to strong, connected teams that share the load and multiply results. If you care about culture, teacher wellness, and student success, this conversation gives you clear next steps without the fluff. We start by naming why collaboration feels so hard: relentless workloads, unclear roles, and a lack of psychological safety. Proximity isn’t partnership. We explore how fear shuts down creativity, why celebrating solo stars can erode trust, and how connection before correction unlocks honest feedback and shared problem solving. You’ll hear a vivid story about Belgian horses that shows what happens when people pull in sync: two trained together can move far more than the sum of their parts. That’s the promise of a diverse team built on respect—strategists, dreamers, challengers, nurturers, optimizers, motivators, and analyzers working in rhythm. Then we get practical. We outline five steps to make collaboration real: protect time within the school day, model vulnerability so asking for help is safe, clarify roles and goals to remove friction, celebrate team wins loudly to reinforce the right behaviors, and address conflict early so it strengthens trust instead of cracking culture. Along the way, we share language you can use with your staff and simple structures that make collaboration sustainable, not another meeting. We also preview what’s ahead: building deeper trust, repairing broken teams, and managing difficult personalities with respect and accountability. If you’re a passionate educator who’s tired and wants to see your school pull more weight together, this one’s for you. Listen, share it with a colleague, and tell us where your team gets stuck. Subscribe for Part 2 next week, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and help more educators find tools that lift the load. www.EdwardDeShazer.org

    20 min
  2. 10/26/2025

    Gossip Isn’t PD, But It Trains Your Culture

    Culture isn’t a mystery; it’s a mirror that shows what leaders allow and what leaders do. We unpack a practical path to stop guessing about your school’s culture and start measuring it with the same rigor you bring to test scores and attendance. Using our Building Bridges Blueprint, we walk through four connected pillars—leadership and communication, collaboration and teamwork, staff wellness and morale, and growth and recognition—and show how each one can strengthen (or shake) the entire school. You’ll hear why relying on vibes undermines retention, performance, and student success, and how a short staff culture audit can surface the truth fast. We share clear, ready-to-use survey prompts that reveal whether people feel informed, heard, connected, and recognized. Then we translate the data into action: tighten expectations and follow-through, carve out time for cross-team connection, reduce low-value tasks to protect energy, and celebrate wins publicly and consistently. Recognition is free, but consistency is what makes it powerful. We also name the quiet habits that corrode culture—ignoring gossip, avoiding tough conversations, and mistaking slogans for strategy—and replace them with steady leadership moves that build trust. When you gather feedback, share the results, and act visibly, morale rises and the work gets lighter. That’s how culture drives every number you track. Ready to lead on purpose? Send your culture survey before the month ends, grab the free audit by emailing ed at edwarddesher.org or messaging on Instagram, and tell us where you’ll start. If this helped, subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a quick review so more educators can find it. www.EdwardDeShazer.org

    19 min
5
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

The Teachers Ed Podcast is where real educators get real about the work. Hosted by Edward DeShazer, an award-winning school leader who was once expelled from school 3x, each episode dives into the heart of school culture, climate, and relationships. From honest conversations about burnout to practical tools for building stronger classrooms and campuses, Edward brings humor, truth, and lived experience to every episode. This isn’t theory, it’s real talk for teachers and leaders who want to build better schools without losing themselves in the process. Subscribe now and visit www.EdwardDeShazer.org to discover more ways Edward can support and uplift your school community. Your work matters—let's grow together!