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The Invisible Paycheck with Josh Tovar

/ 01:19:09/E326
Show Title: The Invisible Paycheck with Josh Tovar

Power Quote: As teachers, we get an invisible paycheck that others don’t get

Show Notes
Key Outcomes
Josh Tovar and Frederick discuss the intersection of personal trauma and professional leadership in education. Tovar emphasizes the importance of empathy over sympathy, the value of "invisible paychecks" (emotional impact on students), and the necessity of maintaining high energy and self-care to support marginalized students.

Educational Philosophy and Impact
  • Student Connection: Tovar focuses on supporting "broken kids," including immigrants and students with severe trauma, drawing from his own experience as an immigrant and a former alcoholic.
  • Empathy vs. Sympathy: Empathy leads to maintaining high expectations for students, whereas sympathy often leads to lowering them 2.
  • The "Invisible Paycheck": The spiritual reward of knowing a teacher's presence fundamentally changed a student's life, which Tovar values over financial gain.
  • Instructional Rounds: Tovar's campus achieved nearly 400 instructional rounds in September, following a previous year's record of 4,100 rounds.
Personal Resilience and Wellness
  • Daily Routine: Tovar maintains a disciplined morning regimen including workouts 6-7 times per week and listening to professional development podcasts to ensure he brings "A-game" energy to his scholars.
  • Stoicism and Positivity: To counteract a naturally "cactus-like" or stoic exterior shaped by past trauma, Tovar intentionally projects over-positivity to avoid appearing unapproachable.
  • Mortality and Health: Both Tovar and Frederick reflect on the importance of prioritizing physical and mental health as they age to remain active for their families and professions.
Leadership Strategies
  • Thermostat vs. Thermometer: The mindset shift from merely reflecting the room's energy (thermometer) to actively setting the energy level (thermostat).
  • "Judo" Approach: Using compassion and connection to redirect a student's negativity rather than meeting it with aggression ("karate").
  • Intentional Support: Tovar practices "sending flowers" by sending supportive texts to colleagues and peers to combat the isolation and lack of loyalty often felt in the teaching profession.

Topic Outline
Guest Bio: Josh Tovar is the proud son of Jesus and Virginia Tovar who immigrated from Cd. Juarez, Mexico.  Josh has been in education for 34 years and worked at all grade levels (elementary to college graduate courses). He has been able to support different schools and establish a culture which helped turned around a campus medical program, increased a high school 3 letter grades in 3 years and currently ensures EB students’ from all around the world graduate.

Warmup questions:
  • We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?
  • Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do?

Interview questions:
  • Anyone who knows you is inspired in your presence. The energetic positivity you exude is palpable and motivates us to be our best. Yet the reality is, it’s a hard world right now, so I wanted to dig into the ways you stay focused and positive. Let’s look at three elements:
    • What do you do at the beginning of the day to get ready to be Josh Tovar?
    • What things do you do throughout the day to sustain your attitude and energy?
    • At the end of a difficult day, what do you do to lay the foundation for getting up tomorrow and doing it all over again?
  • We’ve been together at NCMLE each of the past three years but not really had much conversation together. I think you reached out about something you heard on one of my podcasts and in our interactions, I shared a challenging situation in my personal life, and from that moment on you began checking in on me. Nothing fancy, just, “Hey, how are you doing?” I want you to know how much that has meant to me. My suspicion is that you are very intentional about “touching” people and pouring into them when they are in need. I’d like you to share how you think about this and how you are intentional in supporting others.

Closing questions:
  • What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?
  • If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?
  • Where can people learn more about you and your work…

Big Takeaways
  • The invisible paycheck
  • Does it come down to will?


Special thanks to the amazing Ranford Almond for the great music on the show. Please support Ranford and the show by checking out his music!

Closing Points
  • Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.
  • You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/
  • I love hearing from you. If you have comments or questions, or are interested in having me speak at your school or conference, email me at frederick@frederickbuskey.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.
  • If you are tired of spending time putting out fires and would rather invest time supporting and growing teachers, consider reading my book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose. The book is available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html 
  • Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.
  • Remember the secret to good leadership:
    • Be intentional in choosing how you will show up for others
    • Be fully present
    • Ask reflective questions
    • And then just listen
    • Don’t overcomplicate it, the value is in the listening.
  • Have a great rest of the week!
  • Cheers!

Frederick’s Links:
The Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

Sponsor Messages and Links

Kaleidoscope AdventuresI’d like to thank Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help you organize class trips, but Kaleidoscope helps you organize adventures – because isn’t that what student trips should be? Kaleidscope is a full-service tour company offering a range of adventure opportunities and they excel at customizing trips based on your unique context, needs, and goals. Kaleidoscope offers exceptional travel experiences for students (and their group leaders). Thinking about student travel? Reach out to Kaleidoscope using the link in the show notes.

IXLEveryone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions.
And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit ixl.com/assistant to get started.

digiCOACHThe team at digiCOACH wants to know: How are your classroom walkthroughs going this school year?

Are they leading to meaningful feedback and coaching, or are they becoming one more thing on an already full plate?

digiCOACH helps school leaders make walkthroughs faster, more focused, and more meaningful. Capture what you see to identify trends, provide timely feedback, and align your walkthroughs and coaching to the instructional priorities that matter most at your campus.

Ready to make more out of the time you spend in classrooms?
Visit digiCOACH.com.

And tell them you heard about digiCOACH on The Assistant Principal Podcast to take advantage of an exclusive offer.


The Invisible Paycheck with Josh Tovar

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