Episode 123: Prioritizing Teacher Wellness with Rae Hughart of Teachers Deserve It
Rae Hughart is an innovative educator, speaker, and advocate for teacher wellness and professional growth. As the founder of Teachers Deserve It, she is on a mission to empower educators with sustainable strategies that enhance student success while prioritizing teacher well-being. With a background in classroom teaching, curriculum design, and leadership, Rae specializes in helping educators reclaim their time, build strong professional networks, and implement creative, effective teaching strategies.
Rae and I discussed the importance of sustainable teaching practices and wellness, which is the focus of Teachers Deserve It’s mission. She also reveals that making time to enjoy something as simple as a drink with friends has a bigger impact on a teacher’s work than what’s seen on the surface. You’ll come away from this one prioritizing your happiness because you’ll know it’s best for everyone if you’re happy.
Topics Discussed:
How standing up during student-teacher conferencing increases its efficiency
Small, daily improvements in a teacher’s life can have a huge impact
Using your community to reach your goals
Resources mentioned:
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Read the transcript for this episode:
Welcome to Educator Forever, where we empower teachers to innovate education. Join us each week to hear stories of teachers expanding their impacts beyond the classroom and explore ways to reimagine teaching and learning.
Rae Hughart is an innovative educator, speaker and advocate for teacher wellness and professional growth. As the founder of teachers deserve it, she is on a mission to empower educators with sustainable strategies that enhance student success while prioritizing teacher well being with a background in classroom, teaching, curriculum design and leadership. Rae specializes in helping educators reclaim their time, build strong professional networks and implement creative, effective teaching strategies. She was a sought after speaker, podcast host and course creator dedicated to making teaching both impactful and fulfilling. Welcome Rae. So nice to have you here with us.
Rae Hughart
So excited to be here. Thanks for the opportunity.
Lily Jones
Absolutely so whatever direction you want to take this, but tell us about your journey as an educator.
Rae Hughart
Oh, gosh, how much time do we have?
Lily Jones
As much as you need.
Rae Hughart
I have loved being an educator, but it was definitely not what I thought I was going to do with my life. I started out being a, you know, silly kid that hated school, a typical, typical narrative. But I was actually diagnosed SLD in reading, writing and math, so I just wanted to get anything dealing with school done as fast as possible. Go figure. Of course, later on, I go into education thanks to a great dance teacher. And long story short, I just fell in love with the opportunities that education has within it and the lack of opportunities education has within it. And now I get to, you know, happily be in this field in an effort to hopefully make it a little bit better every single day.
Lily Jones
Yes, absolutely I relate to that. I mean, I didn't really know what I was getting into when I became a teacher, and I was like, Oh, it consumes my entire life.
Rae Hughart
Yeah, I used to be proud of that. I used to be so proud to be like educator, like, education is a lifestyle, and I love that I'm working so hard, and it's literally who I am and what I it's what I do and who I am, and I live and eat and breathe education. And I think recently, like within the last decade, I've realized how harmful that can be, and how we need to find some way to find the sustainable way to make this field possible for educators right finding the most efficient and effective ways for teachers to enjoy their profession, but also escape their profession, all while not limiting student success. So it's a balance.
Lily Jones
Yes, and I think that it's cultural, right, like, if we're in schools where everybody's kind of wearing this badge of honor that I worked so hard, or I spent so many hours here, or whatever it might be, we get so wrapped up in that as, like, the vision of success. And I think the other piece that you said that I really relate to is, like the identity piece that I think many of us feel like, Oh, we're teachers, like, that's who we are, which is true, but it's not all of who you are.
Rae Hughart
Completely. And I do believe it's also a phase of life, you know, I was or, you know, graduated college. I had, it was me and my cat. You know, it was like, I love being an educator. And then when you start to build in other elements of life you might want, I don't know, like a family or a pet that can't, you know, go to the bathroom by itself, like, maybe you want a dog instead of a cat or something in between. It's just funny how different phases of your life, ask for different requirements of who you are as a human being. And I don't want that to be limited, because I chose to be a teacher. I want. I want everything. I want to eat my cake and just enjoy every part of life.
Lily Jones
And I think having that flexibility is key to that in different seasons we need and want different things. And I didn't see being a classroom teacher as being flexible, and so I left when my daughter was born, because I was like, I just don't understand. I know people like, hats off to you, who teach all the time, who have many children, but I was like, Okay, I have this tiny baby at home, and I want to be able to not only be with her, but also like, give her my energy. And being a kindergarten teacher, like all of my little kid emotional energy was spent in the classroom.
Rae Hughart
Of course.
Lily Jones
And so being able to, like, meld it, you know, and like, take different paths is so important,
Rae Hughart
Yeah. And I think that that's something that we don't teach very well in education, which is why I've loved this new journey I'm on. Is I think there's so many conversations that educators should be privy to, but but don't necessarily have that exposure. And if we can give any educator, whether you're teaching kindergarten all the way through, you know, high school or even higher ed, if we can give access to more sustainable, efficient and effective strategies, that don't mean you have to overhaul your entire system, but like a mini, mini, teeny, teeny, tiny, minor adjustment that will help you in the long run is a huge win. I mean, a silly one that I always go to is educators can be more efficient, effective in their student teacher conferencing by simply standing up. Up like, statistically, it's showing a 33% better efficiency. So that's enormous, but all you have to do is, like, stand up. Like, rather than sit down at the kidney table. So like, that little strategy isn't going to overwhelm a teacher versus saying, Hey, you want to, you want to build a more sustainable life? Could you change everything you're doing tomorrow?
Lily Jones
Exactly, yeah, it feels overwhelming, right? Like yes, everyone's gonna say, Yes, I want a more sustainable career. Or yes, I would like to not feel exhausted. But then thinking about how you actually do it is where it becomes overwhelming, or it becomes like another task to add to the pile,
Rae Hughart
And sometimes even saying, Oh yeah, I want a new strategy that step alone is hard, so don't make the second step and third step even harder. I need an easy, simple place that I can go. I need really accessible tools, and then I need a place to like, ask questions, because we know that getting information once and then just assuming it will run perfect is just so unrealistic. So like, when an educator hears a strategy like, you can be 33% more effective in your conferences by standing up. The next thing is Okay, so where do I stand up? Or where do I put my stuff if I'm standing up I don't have a table? Or, like, those types of silly questions are so good, and you need to have somebody to ask them to.
Lily Jones
So going along with that, can you tell us about Teachers Deserve It. like why did you launch it? What is it?
Rae Hughart
This is such a passion project. I have to admit, I am flabbergasted by how successful it's been and kind of where we're going with it, because I've never thought that this was going to be something I was going to do. I was a teacher for over a decade in middle school, and then I worked in academia for a bit at Illinois State University, and then I moved my career into supporting educators. I was the face and part owner of a team that did education consulting, and it was beautiful, and it grew and, you know, we did 10 plus years of of success, and as the policy started going into place, I started to realize, you know, I we're missing something here, like we have a really active teacher community, and we're not, we're not doing the good work anymore. And how do I get back to the good work, rather than it becoming, I don't know, very businessy or, you know, I was like, very good or something, yeah, disconnected. That's a great term. And so anyway, I parted ways from them in 2024 and my intention was to go get a job somewhere. I was like, I could go teach. I was excited to, you know, get involved in maybe something in my community. I looked at other education jobs and other companies doing incredible work. And finally, I just had somebody in my life that was like, why don't you go out on your own? And I was like, oh, that's exactly what I know I don't want to do. Like, that's perfect. That's one thing I know for sure I'm not going to do. And then, of course, a few weeks later, I ended up making some great contacts with some old friends who were very brilliant in their in their, you know, professional careers, and they were like, what if we all just supported one another and made something really powerful happen in a space that you care so much about, you know, education. So I took some inspiration from the second book I wrote, which was called Teachers Deserve It. It came out in 2020 and I ran with the concept and said, Let's play with the idea until we find a reason not to. And now we are about a month into the launch. We have a Learning Hub. We have a blog -- a very active blog.We have our own podcast, and it's just been so fun to support educators in a way that feels so authentic and connected.
Lily Jones
That's great. And I love that focus on, like, authenticity and what you really felt called to do. You know, I think again, going back to what we were even just saying of classroom teachers and being in different seasons of our lives, and like, ideally, constantly evolving and learning new things, giving yourself permission at every stage to think about, like, what's working, what feels aligned to what I want to do, and what doesn't. And I love that you in that moment were like, actually, maybe not, but maybe actually, yes.
Rae Hughart
I Really believe that if we have the right people around us, we can do anything. And at the time, I was like, like, I don't know anything about business, right? I don't want to, I don't want anything to do with numbers. I don't know. And so when these people came into my life and kind of voluntarily said, Wait, but I have that skill. I can help in this way. And then somebody else comes in and they're like, Ooh, I have a different skill, and I can add in this way. And then finally, I'm like, well, then I just get to be the educator. I get to be the one that connects with our community, I get to be the one that shares what I'm passionate about, which is sustainable teaching practices in a way that educators can easily consume. And I'm like, well, then now it sounds like the dream job, you know?
Lily Jones
And everything's possible, right? Like, I think that's an interesting mindset to think about, too, even for people. Who might not have these different people in their lives who are coming in and offering to help, but even thinking about starting a business, you know you don't necessarily need to be able to do everything yourself. And sure they're going to be some things that like don't feel great, but you can ask for help, and maybe you do have people in your community or in your network that could pitch in and help you. But I think sometimes we can just feel so overwhelmed because you think you have to do everything and you actually don't.
Rae Hughart
Yeah, it's so interesting. Now, I actually just had a meeting before you, and I got to have this conversation with an educator I communicated with, I connected with them on Instagram, and really cool guy, he's kind of looking for a mentor. And I'm like, I don't know what I have to offer, but I will share anything and everything I have to help. And I think that that's, you know, in this mindset of education, we're constantly paying things forward. So, you know, you may not have somebody in your life that wants to handle finances, but guess what guys like I do, so I'd love to make an introduction! Or, you know, you might be an expert in ELA, and somebody might come to me and say, Oh, I really wish I had an expert in that. Can be like, Oh, I'll connect you. So, you know, I think living a life where you constantly are looking for the next guy to connect to the next person is, is just a fun way to to live, I think.
Lily Jones
And it starts with putting out what you want to do, like out there for people to hear, right? Because I feel like so often I work with teachers who have great ideas, and they're like, I want to start this thing, but I haven't told anyone about it. And so once you start talking about it, then people can come and be like, hey, I want to help with this. Or, Oh, let me connect you with this person. But sometimes the only thing you need to do is just start talking about it, and that makes it more real, and it makes people kind of come in and be ready to help.
Rae Hughart
Well and Lily, I'm sure you do it every single day with your podcast. I mean, you're talking to educators constantly. You're constantly getting ideas so you're able to present yourself with a very safe space, warm demeanor. People can share things with you, and then you can make those connections. It's amazing what one conversation can do for somebody who has a dream and just doesn't know how to go get it yet.
Lily Jones
Absolutely. So let's talk about kind of the focus of Teachers Deserve It. And I know there's lots of ways that you're helping teachers, but I'm particularly interested in teacher wellness and how teachers can start shifting their mindset to when it comes to prioritizing themselves without guilt.
Rae Hughart
So when Teachers Deserve It was coming about, and we were creating this concept to see if it was something that worked in our space of education, if it was something needed. The biggest connection we were finding is my expertise is really in instructional practices, and how can we make the classroom more efficient and effective? And when we start doing that, when we start creating sustainable routines and and, you know, allowing the educator to find happiness in their in their job, without getting burnt out, we are connected so deeply to wellness, because that allows substitutes to be eager to come into our room because it's well managed. That allows parents to get more educated and what the teacher is doing because they have sustainable practices and they can have those conversations that allows the teacher to be able to go home and sustain a strong family, you know, connection. So as far as wellness, I think the opportunity to have good health in life comes down to making the space for it, and that gets to be a big space I get to operate in.
Lily Jones
Yeah, it's all part of an ecosystem, right? Like it all depends on all the parts depend on each other. And so I think, thinking about teacher wellness, I appreciate that focus too on like, it's the stuff that happens in the classroom too. It's not just when you leave the classroom. I'm like, going and meeting a friend or getting a massage, you're exercising, like all of that is important, but it's not totally separate.
Rae Hughart
It can't be separate. I think that's actually a huge gap we have in some conversations that are happening in wellness is, you know, we can talk about how to have a good morning routine. We can talk about what to put into your body, but if you don't have the capacity to consume it, if it's overwhelming to hear about something you have to do because you're already inundated with tasks, or you don't even have a minute to yourself, how are you going to find 15 minutes to go do yoga? Then we're really missing the mark here. So the opportunity to go get drinks with a friend as an educator is such a luxury, and we need to have all educators previewed to that luxury by making the job sustainable so that they can say, You know what, it's 430 I am going to leave right now, even though I have a little bit more on my to do list, and I'm going to go get drinks with my friend Lily. And that is something we need to teach educators how to do. It's not to it's not doing it. To just, like, be a bad teacher, right? Like, oh, your lesson plans not done. Oh, well, you know, we want your lesson plan done, and we want you to go up the drink with your friend.
Lily Jones
And it's good for kids to see too, right? Like, when we think about what we want to model for the next generation, like, I certainly hope it's not being frazzled and overworking and putting yourself last.
Rae Hughart
Absolutely. I mean, and we all know those educators. We follow them on social media, or we work with them, and they look like they have their life together. It's a It's inspiring, you know, and educators that are in a healthy wellness space are able to give more to their students. You're doing yourself a favor, but you're also doing your students a favor. That when a student is sharing about a new pet they got, or, you know, sharing about a tough conversation they had with their parents, you can actually be fully present. And isn't that such a blessing to be able to look someone in the eye and give them your full attention, because you have the capacity to handle that.
Lily Jones
And so for teachers who maybe are feeling overwhelmed, what advice would you give them?
Rae Hughart
I would say the first step, if you are feeling overwhelmed, is obviously to acknowledge it, and then the second step is to start seeking out what type of support is going to resonate the most with you. For me, I hate reading. It's just I've written two books and I still hate reading. It's not my thing. I know I struggle with it. If any of you reach out to me and like, send me an email if it's longer than three sentences, I'm having it audio read to me because I just hate reading is such a struggle for me in my life. So I wouldn't turn to a book. It wouldn't be something that would best support me, but a podcast would be a great way, you know, for me to get started. Or an online course that has little sections broken up would be really helpful for me. So I think the first step is to find your outlet for, you know, your health and wellness. And I think it's just about doing a little bit every day. I'm sure. Have you heard about the 1% concept? I'm not, probably not even saying it correctly, but it was this thing I saw online recently that I'm applying to my life currently, where it seems overwhelming to do something sometimes. So what if you just did 1% so my house is so messy I don't even I don't even know where to get started. Okay, what in this room can I enhance at least 1% right? I can go fold one towel. I can go wash one dish, I can unload one thing from the dishwasher, and maybe that means that you end up doing the whole task, because it's right there, and you already got started. And sometimes getting started is the hardest part, or maybe you only did the one and that's still one step closer to where you were before Exactly. I think finding your 1% in this space on a daily basis can be really helpful. Sometimes you'll be in a space where you can consume more and, you know, find maybe four strategies you're going to go implement to make your life more sustainable. But sometimes it might just be 1% and that's okay.
Lily Jones
I think that's so powerful too, because it doesn't have to be a complete transformation, which feels completely overwhelming, right? Like, okay, I have to, like, revamp everything, and I'm planning my day reminds me of, like, New Year's resolution style vibe, you know? It's just like, I'm going for it, and then it's not sustainable. So those small tweaks.
Rae Hughart
Yeah those small tweaks are huge, and I think that actually really stemmed from what work I was doing versus what work I am now. Where before, I used to train a lot on this, like mastery framework, and it was amazing. Like, I use this mastery framework most of my teaching career. It literally changed my life. I am such a big advocate, but 99% of the educators that I was connecting with weren't ready for that step, because it did require you to literally overhaul every element that you currently believe in and do as a teacher, like it was a massive lift, and it was not easy. Like a huge part of it was hours of work ahead of time, and that's just not realistic for most people, versus now the work we're doing is okay, maybe you want to get to that point, but how do we break this up into, like, teeny, teeny, teeny, tiny pieces? Because that way, either whether you do one of them, three of them, or all 36 of them, it's getting you in the right direction. And I think that's a huge part.
Lily Jones
And that connects to your approach to PD, too. I know you're into bite sized PD, and can you tell us, like, what that is and why you think traditional PD is not working.
Rae Hughart
You know, professional development is so interesting. I think there's so many ways so there's so many misconceptions of professional development. And most of us, when we think of professional development, is just sitting, somebody's talking at us, and then we leave with maybe an exciting idea. Maybe we leave inspired, but then we have to go do the work to implement it. It's never something that seems easy, so a huge element of teachers deserve it is that bite sized. PD, we have a subscription model in our courses. We originally launched with five. Five courses in our Learning Hub, and they were all focused on teachers getting their time back, which was really valuable. So they're all time saving tips, all on five different areas of instruction, five different areas of your life as a teacher. And we got great feedback. So Lily, I made the mistake that then I emailed the community and said, Hey, we're planning our February bundle. You know, what do you want it to be on? And we gave them two options. We're like, do we want? Like, teachers deserve strong leadership skills, or do we want teachers deserve creativity? Kind of like, summarize what the two would be. And we got 1000s of responses. And it literally was 45% wanted one and 55% I was like, Oh my god. So of course, in February, we are launching both bundles. It's eight courses, and we are launching them in February. And the whole concept of these is you log on or you throw on your headphones while you're driving in the car or whatever you're doing, and they're all bite sized, three to five minute videos building into a course, you get this huge download packet with every template we could possibly imagine you might need. And it's all just little tiny concepts to enhance your practice,
Lily Jones
Cool, so manageable. And also that seems exciting, right? Like, if it's like, oh, somebody gives me all these little things, it's great, right? If somebody gives me a mountain of things to do, it's overwhelming.
Rae Hughart
Yes, and it's all about doing the work as the process continues. Right? Nobody wants to sit and watch like a two hour video and then have homework. So if we have one concept that we're introducing in a quick three minute video, then we want you to go do that task right off the bat, or maybe we've already done the task like 90% of the way for you by giving you a template. And then we're always accessible. So it's throw in an email and send it directly to me, or, you know, try it out with a friend and let us know what works. So we really want it to be fun. We want it to be interactive, and we want it to be so manageable. You know, you can do this while mixing, you know, mac and cheese at home, late at night, whatever you need to do.
Lily Jones
Yes, that's great. It can kind of flex with people too, right? Like they can watch one, they could watch many, they could binge it. And so having that flexibility,
Rae Hughart
That's the best part. We all find ourselves scrolling on social media with these quick videos. We want that same model. If you only get to one video, you are awesome. You did one thing for yourself, and that's amazing. Hopefully you pick up a little idea. Maybe it gives you a reflection moment. That's awesome. Maybe you have more time when you watch three videos that total, like 15 minutes, and then, whoa, we could have a big celebration, 15 minutes of learning in that day. That's so exciting, so lots that you're able to get here.
Lily Jones
Fantastic. And so I know it's been kind of new. Starting teachers deserve it, but I would love to hear what you've learned about yourself through the process.
Rae Hughart
Oh, gosh, oodles. Honestly, I think there's been a number of things I've learned about myself. One thing specifically that seems to stick out is I always find myself believing that I can't accomplish what I want to I was, you know, as I said previously, I was a student with a learning disability. I, I've, you know, done a TED talk on this topic. I, I kind of had a list of things I wanted to accomplish. In life, like a bucket list, and I made a point to do them all before I turned 30, and it was all in this mindset of, like, I'm constantly in this mode of trying to silence the voice in my head that says, Well, you're not smart enough to do that. And it's been amazing, surrounded by really good people and seeing the impact of this company only, you know, four weeks in to be like, wow, we really did launch a movement. And people really do believe in the concept of, you know, that Teachers Deserve It. We have this t shirt that we sell that says you deserve it, because you do. And it's so cool to see educators actually getting fueled by this research and finding success with it. And if, and if any educator out there is finding more time to go get drinks with friends like that, is the dream. That's literally the dream. So I love it
Lily Jones
Amazing. That's so inspirational. And I love focusing on the movement part too. I think if you're building a movement that feels really aligned to your beliefs or what you want to create in the world, it all kind of falls into place, you know, becomes less of like a giant checklist or a to do list or even a goal, right? Like it's more of a commitment that you can really see through.
Rae Hughart
That was something beautiful about the book that I really liked that obviously started the Teachers Deserve It movement. But Teachers Deserve It is a book you can grab on Amazon anywhere. I wrote it with my friend Adam Welcome, and every single chapter has a big like statement. It's like teachers deserve something right. Teachers deserve respect. Teachers deserve to wear jeans. Teachers deserve. Anything. And the chapters are so beautifully constructed, which really actually led to how we constructed this whole business. Because the chapter first begins with why you deserve that, like, why you deserve respect. There's 1000 reasons why you deserve respect. Here's a huge list of them, and then it's complaining, like, Yeah, and you don't have them, isn't that terrible. It's really highlighting how unfortunate it is that a lot of teachers don't feel respected, and then the last part of the chapter of every chapter says, But you're the first person that's going to start to change this so people don't respect people that they don't know. So how can we get your voice out there more? How can we encourage you to hang your degrees in your classroom to prove that you're well educated? Right? I have so many educators that win awards that never put them up in their classroom, but they're huge teaching awards. So it's kind of this, this movement of you don't have to make it all work by shouting in a megaphone, but are you making steps every day to ensure that you have what you want to go for. And it's exciting to see teachers taking on this small challenge of, you know, hanging up their master's degree most educators have to do like 120 professional development hours every 40 or four years. And yet, most parents think that our teachers are uneducated. Well, let's start by making sure they know how much work we had to go through to be, you know, in this field.
Lily Jones
And I appreciate what that too like, but the focus on the systemic also, you know, like, there are whole systems that, I believe, tell teachers they're not enough and don't set teachers up for success. And so getting teachers to see. And this is a lot of our work at educator forever too, like getting teachers to unpack all these things that we've started to believe about ourselves. So maybe it is that we don't have enough training, right? Or have enough education, which is not true. But unpacking it and realizing it, and then having that suggestion of, like, Yeah, put your degree up! Share about it! You know, like it doesn't have to be that way.
Rae Hughart
Well, and some educators won't put their degree up, and that's just one example. But how I dare anybody walk around your school building tomorrow, most principals, I would say, like 80% of principals, have their degree up in their office. And I bet you not one teacher in your building has a certificate award up in their classroom, and if you find one that is not like the school related, like, it can't be like the football trophy from last year, that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about like, the educational background, the degree or certification that shows the expertise.
Lily Jones
Yeah, that's a great suggestion, absolutely. And so thinking about educators who might want to start their own thing, or who might be wanting to move beyond the classroom, what advice would you give them?
Rae Hughart
Oh, gosh. Contact somebody who's doing it, like me, like anyone that you're contacting here on the pod. You know, I would love to have a conversation. I'd love to help some side work I did before I was full time with Teachers Deserve it. And, you know, still trying to figure out what I was doing. Was doing, you know, startup business development, marketing. For people, I love this stuff. I do it now, like, for free all the time. So call me, call someone, start having the conversations. That's the first step anytime you're looking to do anything.
Lily Jones
Great advice. And for folks who are interested in learning more about you or connecting with you or teachers deserve it. Can you tell them where to find you?
Rae Hughart
Yeah, I'd be honored. Friends. Feel free to connect with me anywhere on social media My name at Rae Hughart, and then, more importantly, go follow Teachers Deserve It on all social media platforms, head to teachersdeserveit.com. You can find our blogs there. We put out like six blogs this week alone. We have a super active podcast that is, you know, fun, and always based on those blogs. So it's kind of a twofer there. And then we have some great sponsors that are a part of it as well. So go get some freebies. And then we always have our Learning Hub, which has the course bundles and everything else. That's where you'll see the brand new courses coming at in February and who knows what March will bring. Get excited.
Lily Jones
Awesome. Well, thanks so much, Rae.
Rae Hughart
Thank you again.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai