In episode 38 of Building the Bridge, author, educator, and consultant Mike Anderson shares his insights on self-care for teachers and parents, drawing upon his book, The Well-Balanced Teacher, and his “Beat Teacher Burnout” online institute.

Mike and Dr. Oliver had such a productive conversation with so much left to address that he has returned for a second conversation. The discussion continues by addressing the unrealistic expectations educators often set for themselves before transitioning into topics related to student expectations and motivation. Dr. Oliver chats with Mike about his latest book, Tackling the Motivation Crisis: How to Activate Student Learning Without Behavior Charts, Pizza Parties, or Other Hard-to-Quit Incentive Systems

In this episode, we learn how to set realistic and tangible goals, how to approach (and avoid) unrealistic expectations for our children just as we must do for ourselves, and why incentive and reward systems don’t always work. We’ll also identify six intrinsic motivators that we can build upon to bolster the success of our students. 

Subscribe to edCircuit to stay up to date on all of our shows, podcasts, news, and thought leadership articles.

 

  • edCircuit is a mission-based organization entirely focused on the K-20 EdTech Industry and emPowering the voices that can provide guidance and expertise in facilitating the appropriate usage of digital technology in education. Our goal is to elevate the voices of today’s innovative thought leaders and edtech experts. Subscribe to receive notifications in your inbox

    View all posts
  • Mike Anderson is an educational consultant who leads great learning throughout the United States and beyond. He is an award winning teacher and the author of many books. You can follow him on Twitter at @balancedteacher. To explore more resources about homework, explore Mike’s Pinterest board,Rethinking Homework.

    View all posts
  • Wendy Oliver: Author

    With more than 20 years of experience in digital education, Dr. Wendy Oliver, a highly qualified Tennessee teacher and administrator, thrives when implementing innovative learning models and creating amazing learning experiences for students. Throughout her career, Wendy has had the opportunity to develop and pioneer a district, TN’s state-wide, and international digital learning programs. She served as the Chief Learning Architect for Arizona State University’s digital charter network of schools and recently launched a network of private, for-profit schools. Wendy created Oliver’s Frameworks for Blended and Online Instruction, and subsequently, a software that allows teacher to self-assess their knowledge of instruction in each respective environment, a software that has been implemented in multiple districts and states.

    View all posts
EdCircuit Staff and Mike Anderson and Wendy Oliver

edCircuit is a mission-based organization entirely focused on the K-20 EdTech Industry and emPowering the voices that can provide guidance and expertise in facilitating the appropriate usage of digital technology in education. Our goal is to elevate the voices of today’s innovative thought leaders and edtech experts. Subscribe to receive notifications in your inbox

Recent Posts

Open Educational Resources in Today’s Classrooms

Open Educational Resources (OER) are no longer a niche idea in education. They have become…

3 days ago

Professional Development: The Power of Evolving Practice

Professional development has always been the heartbeat of the school year. It is where teachers…

4 days ago

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in Education Today

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in education refers to any data—direct or indirect—that can identify a…

5 days ago

Safer Ed: Learning From Near Misses

Safer Ed begins with the moments schools rarely discuss—the near misses that almost become incidents,…

5 days ago

How Classroom Design Shapes Student Learning

Classroom design throughout most of the 20th century followed a model of control, with straight…

6 days ago

CES 2026 and the Quiet Evolution of EdTech

CES 2026, held each January in Las Vegas, offers a glimpse into where technology is…

1 week ago