The Future of Education Starts with Great Workplaces
A conversation on Trending in Ed that pulls no punches – and offers a way forward.
In a recent episode of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer sat down with our founder, Nate Eklund, for a candid conversation about what it takes to make schools better places to work, and why that’s at the heart of making schools better places for learning.
They dive into the real stuff: job design, workplace environments, relationships, systems, organizational culture, teacher pay, and why schools that want to keep educators should treat educators like people with jobs, not martyrs with master’s degrees.
And yes, it’s funny. Like, “let’s laugh so we don’t rage quit” funny. But it’s also packed with clear-eyed truth and practical solutions.
Burnout is a Design Flaw Not a Personal Failure
Nate didn’t set out to become the burnout guy. He was a high school English teacher who loved the work, loved his students, and somehow didn’t burn out. But he watched too many brilliant and committed colleagues disappear under the weight of unsustainable systems.
That observation turned into a research grant, a book, a decade of consulting, and eventually Vital Network, which exists for one reason: to help schools become great places to work.
Not great in a “we got donuts in the lounge” kind of way. Great in a “we redesigned the workday and gave staff real power” kind of way.
“Put Your Mask on First” – But Make It Real
We’ve all heard the metaphor: educators should take care of themselves before helping others. But Nate points out what that looks like.
Picture it: You’re 30,000 feet in the air, the plane is shaking, the oxygen masks drop, and you have to calmly put yours on while your panicked child must wait for you to take care of yourself first. The reality of the metaphor is far from cute and shows how difficult it can feel to tend to the adults in schools so that they can take care of students. That’s the principal experience in 2025.
Vital’s work starts here: by helping schools actually make space for care, not just talk about it at back-to-school PD or end of year barbeques.
What Works
In the episode, Nate shares hopeful news: this work can work. In places like North Dakota, where Vital’s multi-year pilot is taking aim at burnout, educators are experiencing these types of impacts:
Rethinking decision-making so teachers aren’t just “consulted,” they’re driving change
Streamlining meetings and professional development so people can get their time (and dignity) back
Gathering data that measures how educators are doing, not just how students performed on the last test
And it’s working. Educators are reporting more connection, more clarity, and even more hope.
You Can’t Pay Your Way Out of a Bad Culture
Of course compensation matters. No one’s arguing that teachers should be paid in granola bars and thank-you notes. Pay has always mattered and always will.
But Nate puts it plainly: salary can’t fix a toxic environment. You can give someone $80k a year, but if they feel devalued, micromanaged, and invisible, that’s not a job – it’s a trap with benefits.
Vital helps schools think about the full experience: not only pay but also voice, time, respect, care, and growth. The things that make people stay.
The Real Test: Would You Recommend this Job?
This might be the most heartbreaking and galvanizing moment in the whole episode. When educators are asked if they believe in the work, most say yes. When asked if they’re good at what they do? Yes again. But when asked if they’d recommend the job to a young person?
The bottom falls out.
That’s the change Vital is working toward: flipping that answer from “run away” to “join us.”
Not a Pep Talk. A Blueprint.
The Trending in Education episode is sharp, honest, and funny. It’s also deeply affirming for anyone who has ever felt alone in the burnout spiral or questioned whether things could change.
They can. We’re making it happen.
🎧 Check out the episode on Trending in Education here here.
Because building a sustainable profession shouldn’t feel revolutionary.