Tim Cavey Shares Earned Wisdom: Teachers on Fire, Parkinson's Law, and Fun

Every person has a story that teaches valuable lessons. Tim Cavey shares the value of fun in the classroom, keeping firm boundaries, and the importance of having a growth mindset.

He hosts the Teachers' on Fire YouTube channel. This was my first podcast interview. He is a champion of teachers and education.

Tell us a little about yourself, including your experience in education and anything else you’d like to share.

Based in Vancouver, Canada, I’m an elementary vice-principal, technology teacher, and the host of the Teachers on Fire YouTube channel.

In 2019, I completed a Master's in Educational Leadership degree that re-ignited my fire for teaching and put me on a new path of learning, professional reflection, and content creation. I’m a firm believer in the growth mindset and advocate often for the kinds of informal professional learning found on social media and on blogs, podcasts, and Youtube.

When I’m not teaching, creating content, or spending time with my family, you'll find me hiking local mountains, flying my drone, or paddleboarding in the chilly waters of the Pacific Northwest.

What have you learned from a colleague that has made you a better teacher?

In my earlier years of teaching, I was so committed to curriculum and content (and demonstrating my competence as a teacher) that I was reluctant to lean hard into fun. But fun is incredibly important, especially in the middle grades. It builds trust, strengthens relationships, makes students feel safe, and takes down barriers to learning.

When you become a parent, you also realize that parents value fun teachers and fun classrooms, too. Parents want their children to enjoy their school experience and like their teacher.

Look for opportunities to have fun in whatever it is that you’re teaching, even when connections to curricular objectives are a little thin.

What “earned wisdom” do you have that other teachers can benefit from?

New teachers need to beware of Parkinson’s Law: work will expand to fill whatever time you allot to it. If you tell yourself that you won’t leave the school building until all your lesson planning is done and assignments are graded, you’ll tend to put in three hours on work that could have taken two or even one in a pinch.

Remember that our work is literally infinite. Draw firm time boundaries and save your sanity.

What personal or professional development book (or both) would you recommend? Why?

The most powerful book I’ve read on this education journey is Mindset by Carol Dweck. I can say without exaggeration that it changed my life.

Once you embrace the fact that with repetition of any task or creative work comes increasing confidence and competence, you’ll no longer be afraid of learning in any area. It’s a privilege to pass this on to our students, too.

On a related note, never ever stand at the front of a classroom and say “I’m not an artist” or “I’m not a Math person.” Those messages reinforce the fixed mindset and teach students that some people simply cannot learn certain skills.

What is your favorite song on your morning commute to work?

I absolutely never listen to music. It’s almost always conversational content - usually on YouTube.

Feel free to add anything else that you think would be helpful to educators.

One of the things I want to focus more on this year is learning and mastering the vast array of AI tools created specifically for teachers. Chat GPT and Gemini are, but I’m interested to learn more about how AI-for-teachers tools can save teachers time while improving student outcomes.

If you enjoyed this article, you will like exploring the Why Edify Wisdom archive. You'll find more educators sharing their stories. PD the way it should be.

Maybe you’re interested in sharing some of your “earned wisdom.” If so, let’s get in touch. I look forward to sharing your story with the Why Edify community.

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