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In schools, optimism often feels like part of the job description. We greet students with smiles even when we’re exhausted. We reassure families while juggling a hundred unseen challenges. We push through hard days, telling ourselves, Tomorrow will be better. Often, it is. Relentless optimism fuels hope, creativity, and perseverance. It helps teachers believe in students when they can’t yet believe in themselves. It keeps classrooms warm, safe, and forward-moving. When optimi

“I think the success of my work stems from being truthful.” ~Catherine O'Hara There’s a quiet kind of power in honesty. The kind that builds trust, deepens relationships, and creates work that actually matters. In leadership, education, and life, truth isn’t always the easiest path, but it’s almost always the one that lasts. When we lead with authenticity, we give others permission to do the same. That’s where real growth begins. #ThoughtfulThursday #AuthenticLeadership #Trut

Lessons from Puppies There is something quietly powerful about watching a puppy experience the world. Everything is new. Every leaf is worth investigating. Every person is a potential friend. Puppies don’t rush through moments, they live in them. They remind us what it looks like to be fully present, unapologetically curious, and open to joy. In a world that rewards speed and productivity, puppies model a different way of being. They pause. They notice. They rest when they’re

Stop Calling Grown Women “Kiddo” I am 55 years old. I’ve worked since I was 16. I spent 34 years in education, most of them in leadership roles. I’ve presented in rooms filled with thousands of people. I’ve earned a doctorate. I’ve been published. I’ve led districts, built programs, managed teams, and navigated crises. Across my entire career (from my twenties to this very day), men I have worked for and alongside have called me “kiddo.” Not once. Not occasionally. Consistent

In a profession built on standards, pacing guides, learning targets, and measurable outcomes, the idea of provoking uncertainty can feel counterintuitive. We are trained to plan for clarity, anticipate misconceptions, scaffold understanding, and ensure students “get it.” Structure matters. Purpose matters. Intentionality matters. So does discomfort. Growth doesn’t happen in certainty. Growth happens when certainty is disrupted. Some of the most powerful learning moments I’ve

“A good answer is worth reinventing from scratch, again and again.” ~ Richard Powers In education and leadership, the goal isn’t to find one perfect solution and cling to it forever. The real work is in returning to our questions. Reflecting, refining, and responding to new learners, new contexts, and new challenges. What worked yesterday may need to be reimagined today, not because it failed, but because growth demands responsiveness. Strong leaders and educators don’t just

In times when negativity feels constant and reality feels heavy, mindfulness is not about looking away. It’s about seeing clearly. Strong leaders don’t ignore what’s happening around them. They ground themselves enough to respond with intention rather than react in emotion. Awareness allows us to recognize hard truths. Calm allows us to think critically, speak thoughtfully, and act responsibly. Without mindfulness, we get swept up in noise, fear, and division. With it, we cre

School board members who are also parents hold a uniquely powerful place in our school communities. At their best, they model the highest ideals of public service, demonstrating integrity, accountability, stewardship, and a commitment to students rather than self-interest. These board members understand the gravity of their role. They know that leadership is not about access or advantage. It is about trust, ethical governance, and the public good. The board members who serve

For years, the phrase “21st Century Skills” has been championed like a breakthrough revelation; as if collaboration, creativity, empathy, or problem-solving suddenly emerged in the year 2000. I have never embraced the term. In fact, I’ve challenged it every time it was presented as something new, shiny, or revolutionary. We are now 26% of the way into this century, and the truth still stands: The most essential learning skills are not bound to a century. They are (and always

“When you need to innovate, you need collaboration.” ~Marissa Mayer Innovation is rarely born in isolation. The most powerful ideas emerge when diverse perspectives come together. When voices are welcomed, challenged, and amplified. Collaboration is not about agreement; it’s about collective thinking. It’s about creating spaces where curiosity thrives, risk is encouraged, and failure is seen as feedback. In schools, in leadership, and in life, progress happens when we stop gu

Sometimes you need to give the control to someone else. That’s what a coach is for. She made the top 20 at Nationals. They pulled for position. She pulled 20. Last to go. Almost an hour to sit with the weight of it. I handed her over. Lipstick. Hairspray. A deep breath. I walked away. I went to the stands and trusted someone else to do what they do best; to coach. To ground her. To steady her nerves. To help her set her mindset when mine was spinning. As a parent, this is har

Dreaming of a Better World What if we allowed ourselves to dream a little bigger today? Not in the abstract, pie-in-the-sky way but in the quiet, intentional way that starts with noticing. Noticing how we speak to others. How we listen. How we show up when it’s hard. How we choose compassion even when it’s inconvenient. Dreaming of a better world doesn’t require grand gestures. It begins in ordinary moments: Choosing curiosity over judgment Extending grace instead of assumpti

There was a middle school student who struggled deeply with executive functioning. Not ability, not intelligence, but organization, follow-through, and managing materials. A team of caring teachers stepped in as a coordinated support system. They helped the student track assignments, gather needed materials, and use time intentionally so work didn’t disappear into the backpack void. One of those teachers also saw the student later in the day during study hall. Rather than let

I once entered a classroom for an unannounced observation, following the principles of the Danielson Framework. It was day four or five of a literature project. Students were everywhere, on the floor, at tables, clustered around whiteboards. Drafting skits that represented different moments from the novel they’d been studying. Instead of interrupting, I quietly sat at the teacher’s desk. Her plan book was open, goals and objectives clearly outlined. A stack of graded work wai

“If you hit a wrong note, it’s the next note you play that determines if it’s good or bad.” — Miles Davis Leadership, teaching, parenting, living, none of it is mistake-free. We will misstep. We will say the wrong thing, make the wrong call, miss the moment. That’s not failure. That’s being human. What defines us isn’t the “wrong note.” It’s what we do next. Do we pause and listen? Do we adjust our rhythm? Do we learn and lean forward? Or do we freeze, defend, and replay the

Limiting Interruptions In a world that rewards immediacy, interruptions have become the background noise of our days. Notifications, drop-ins, emails, “quick questions”; each one feels small, but together they fracture our attention and quietly drain our energy. We move from task to task without ever fully arriving in any of them. Mindfulness invites us to notice what pulls us away from presence. Not to judge it, just to see it. Awareness is the first step to reclaiming our f

In education, we often talk about collaboration as a core value, teamwork, shared vision, and collective efficacy. Schools also operate within systems shaped by competition: rankings, test scores, college acceptances, grants, awards, and scarce resources. The tension between these forces can either fracture a learning community or fuel innovation and growth. The difference lies in how leaders frame (and model) the line between competition and collaboration. Competition, when

In highly effective classrooms, learning doesn’t always look quiet or teacher-directed. When students are genuinely engaged, you may see movement, collaboration, laughter, experimentation, and curiosity unfolding in real time. To an untrained eye, it may appear unstructured, but in reality, it is purposeful, intentional, and grounded in shared routines and ownership. I learned this lesson early in my career. One Friday, while teaching 4th grade, we were reading a chapter book

Finding and Using Our Voice in Leadership “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” ~Madeleine Albright In educational leadership, our voices are shaped over time. Through experience, reflection, missteps, courageous conversations, and moments when we chose to speak up even when it felt uncomfortable. Finding our voice is not about volume or authority; it is about clarity, purpose, integrity, and alignment with our

Easing Back Into the Rhythm Coming back after a holiday break can feel strangely exhausting. We step out of rest, out of slower mornings, out of unstructured time, and suddenly the calendar fills, the inbox grows, and the pace quickens. It’s easy to feel like we should snap right back into full productivity, as if the pause never happened. Transitions take energy. Re-entry is a process. Today’s mindfulness is about honoring the in-between space. The place where rest and routi