EPISODE 026: Surrendering Control - Why a Passionate Teacher Let Go of the Education System

In this week’s episode, a teacher and marching percussion instructor turned technology and sales employee, Trey Cokeroft, dives deep within to share what it was like pouring his heart and soul into teaching and then what it was like to go through a self discovery process and realize he had to let it go to have more of the life he wanted. 

In this candid conversation, Trey explains why he left the classroom even though education is sacred and how leaving the classroom was one of the hardest decisions he’s ever made.  

We explore themes of impact - impact on consciousness, understanding, connection, students, and self. This episode is packed with tips on how to let go of control and surrender to outcomes beyond your control. 

Plus, Trey tells us what we can do to start supporting our teachers more and encourage them to stay for our children’s futures.

LISTEN

HIGHLIGHTS

• Who is Trey as a person - self discovery.

• Appreciating yourself as a person.

• “I can’t be in control of what other people think.”

• “You have to learn to love other people. And before you can truly do that, you have to love yourself.”

• Learning to let go and the difficulty of letting go.

• Teaching marching percussion since 2003. 

• Teaching in the classroom since 2012. 

• Defining the impact in a job.

• “I have to meet them where they’re at and take them where they want to go.”

• How music has influenced Trey’s life.

• How Trey feels when he’s teaching marching percussion.

• Identifying and finding the feeling that puts you in the clouds - when you’re doing what you’re meant to do.

• What does drumming do to your brain. 

• Creating neural pathways while learning. 

• Creating a podcast and deciding to stop. 

• “You can always make more money. You can’t make more time.”

• How to let go.

• “One of the hardest things to do is to surrender to the outcome of whatever’s going on…”

• How people like to be in control and handle change.

• Being authentic with yourself. 

• Building trust in yourself and gaining confidence. 

• The exact moment Trey knew he was going to be a teacher. 

• The winding path to how Trey finally went into teaching as a career. 

• The importance of a support system.

• What is the main reason to have a job.

• Teacher salaries.

• Why Trey left teaching.

• What is good compensation.

• Why are teacher’s striking.

• “Teachers just want to make enough money to not have a second job.”

• The first thing to do to change the education system. 

• Seek to understand.

• Seeing the impact on students.