Finding quality teacher seems to be difficult in many school districts. There is indeed a teacher shortage. But why?

We also cover some reasons (in our opinion) and also discuss:

The male teacher shortage

The black male shortage

The struggles of the teacher salary

We would love your feedback. If you have suggestions, or want to give feedback, please email us at:

Alex Banayan learned a secret: There is always a third door to get to your success. His journey, which went from winning "The Price Is Right," to interviewing Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Lady Gaga (to name just a few).

But his message to students and teachers is worth the listen.

Please pay particular attention to his offer to school districts. Pass this one along.

You can find his book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. But his website https://thirddoorbook.com/ has all the info you need to find out more.

Also, you can win a signed copy if you drop us an email at:

Excuses are the biggest reason you don't get your goals achieved. But why do believe in our excuses?

Because we need someone to call us out on our confirmation biases.

Today Jamal Crook and I talk standardized testing.

Is this a necessary evil? Or just plain evil.

For the sake of this podcast we frame it as an all-or-nothing.

Option 1: NO TESTING EVER.

Option 2: Standardized Tests to gauge progress.

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Indiana Gov Eric Holcomb wants to encourage and foster young entrepreneurs. That is why he asked the Indiana Economic Development Corp, and Ball State University to host and grow the state-wide pitch competition, Innovate WithIN.

With $10,000 cash and tuition to any state of Indiana college, the excitement is there. But what happens after the competition?

Go to www.innovatewithin.org for more information.

Why (and how) you should set your kids up for failure.

Dead serious.

In this episode, Jamal and I talk about what we see in education, what possibly needs to be done, and the differences between suburban and urban schools.

Lorenzo Gomez III began working in customer service as a teenager, more eager to earn experience than a paycheck. As a produce clerk in a grocery store, he realized job satisfaction was more than having his picture displayed above the cilantro bin. Driven to advance his work life with little college experience, Lorenzo utilized valuable lessons from his entry-level jobs to catapult him into high-impact positions. Having gained insight throughout his career journey, he advises young adults that fulfilling work and career advancement come from learning from others, understanding how business really works, and knowing how to thrive in any work environment.

Serving as CEO of Geekdom, the largest coworking space in Texas, and as cofounder of the 80/20 Foundation, a philanthropic organization, he puts best practices to use, collaborating with a diverse network of professionals to fortify growth of a tech district in downtown San Antonio--an ecosystem he helped create. As a tenacious team player and technologist with a passion for entrepreneurship, Lorenzo is paying it forward by sharing his on-the-job experiences so that young adults can learn and understand how complex business principles can be observed and applied in the most unlikely places.

The next time your student says they "want to be an influencer," please tell them this...

New Friday Segment!

Each Friday Jamal Crook (@JamalCrook) and I host a segment called "Crucial Conversations."

This was designed to have a time and space to talk education, culture, politics, and NOT get angry (crazy thought, huh?).

We are looking for future topics and guests!

Please drop us a message on Facebook.com/startedup and give us some suggestions or names!

Please subscribe & share with your friends if this brings you value.