Greater Holy Temple Christian Academy (GHTCA) was the vision of his late uncle Elder Joe R. DeShazer and brought to life by his father, Pastor James Edward DeShazer. However, after his father’s passing, Edward DeShazer stepped up and continued the legacy.
His dad became the symbol of life of the school when he tirelessly dedicated his life to it. In 2003, he opened the school as a way to serve the economically disadvantaged population. He saw the school as an opportunity to give back and spent most of his life touching the lives of the children and making a difference.
Last June 6, 2020, his passing was the hardest for those who saw the man as the heartbeat who kept the school alive. Being by his father’s side at the school since 2006 and seeing how important this school was for him, Edward has made it his purpose to fulfill the vision and mission of his father and his uncle by serving the city of Milwaukee and its children.
Starting as a gym teacher at GHTCA, he was asked to transition into 7th grade because there was a class that the teacher was struggling to teach. He helped turn the class around by building meaningful relationships with the students. After doing so, he transitioned his experience within the school from doing IT work and helping the school develop their technology program to working in admissions and event coordinating for the school. He did this until his dad had a stroke in 2013 when the school board named him as assistant executive director. In 2015, his dad suffered another stroke and heart attack, and he became the executive director.
Since he has completely taken over and made it his mission to make his father proud, GHTCA’s State Report Card score has risen by over 16% and is one of the higher-performing schools in Milwaukee that serve over a 95% disadvantaged population. When the school opened in 2003, it had 57 students. Today, the school currently educates more than 600 students each year.
Edward is also on the Executive Committee for the Closing the Achievement Gap Consortium (CAGC). The CAGC is a collection of over 35 public and private school systems in Southeastern Wisconsin who have united together to create a high impact professional learning community. They are focused on creating greater equity in their schools. With over 50,000 students, school leaders are determined to ensure that social justice rings throughout every classroom and hallway in the 38 member school systems.
As a certified trainer and presenter for Restorative Practices and Teacher Motivation, he has been to countless workshops and has traveled the country to immerse himself in restorative certifications, training, and workshops so he can bring all of these techniques together to help schools improve their school community, one child at a time. These restorative practice programs have helped reduce exclusionary punitive discipline practices in schools, which in turn improve the sense of community and help improve academic performance while also narrowing the glaring racial gap in school systems.
During the school year, he runs his weekly podcast Teacher’s Ed Podcast to motivate teachers and share his tips and techniques.
The most incarcerated zip code in the country, 53206, is where Edward carries out his mission. As he carries on the legacy, there is so much that he wants to do to change lives and keep the spirit of his dad’s selfless mission to the community alive.
Learn more about Edward DeShazer and follow him on Instagram.
