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A Single Candle “Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.” ~ Anne Frank This quote reminds us that light doesn’t need to be loud to be powerful. A single candle doesn’t erase the darkness; it coexists with it, giving shape, meaning, and contrast to what surrounds it. In moments when the world feels heavy or uncertain, mindfulness isn’t about fixing everything; it’s about noticing where light already exists and allowing it to matter. Let yourself be t

My first year teaching Pre-K was in a resource-constrained community. In addition to early childhood education, our work extended far beyond the classroom. We helped connect families to housing support, food access, and medical services. The role was never limited to instruction; it was about care, stability, and trust. Around the holidays, I expected absolutely nothing from families. I gave gifts to them. They owed me nothing. It was Christmas, 1992. On the last day of class

There are moments in the school year when teachers are expected to be everywhere and everything: joyful, creative, generous, festive, responsive, and engaged, at work and at home. This stretch of the calendar often coincides with winter, family obligations, financial pressure, and emotional fatigue. Here’s the truth we rarely name: you cannot give 110% to everything without paying for it later. This week’s reminder is permission-based and protective: Some things only need you

“Science is not the truth. Science is finding the truth. When science changes its opinion, it didn’t lie to you. It learned more.” ~ Brené Brown This quote is a reminder that growth is not inconsistent. It ’s integrity. Learning requires humility, curiosity, and the courage to revise what we once believed when new evidence emerges. Changing your mind is not a failure of conviction; it’s a commitment to truth. In leadership, education, and life, this matters deeply. When we a

We were at Sesame Place, sitting in the theater, watching the Mr. Noodle/Elmo show. My daughter was six, shy, soft-cheeked, and uncertain about things that involved bright lights and an audience. When Mr. Noodle scanned the crowd for a helper and pointed at her, she immediately buried her head in my armpit. He paused. The moment hung there, an invitation slowly slipping away as his hand drifted toward another child. Something in me knew: this was one of those moments. The kin

The Practice of Staying We spend so much time pursuing the next goal that we forget to pause upon arrival. The new feeling of "goodness" quickly becomes the new normal, and what once felt meaningful fades into momentum. Mindfulness asks us to linger. To savor the moment we worked for. To let ourselves feel, “I’m here and this matters.” This week, resist the rush to move on. Sit with what you’ve reached, even briefly. Arrival is not a pause in the journey; it’s part of the pra

Hope is not a Strategy There comes a point in every leader’s journey when we realize that hope alone cannot close the gap between intention and impact. Hope is vital. It fuels our optimism, steadies us in uncertainty, and keeps us connected to why the work matters. Hope without a plan becomes a wish, not a lever for change. Innovation begins the moment we recognize that hope must be paired with action, that belief must be matched with design, and that momentum grows only wh

The 12 Gifts of Learning (That Never Come in a Box) You don’t need lights, snow, or candles to know this time of year brings reflection, connection, and possibility. With all the focus on gifts, let’s celebrate the intangible gifts we teach and nurture every day. Across grade levels, content areas, and communities. On the first day of learning, we explored and found: A chance to be seen authentically. On the second day of learning, we explored and found: Two kinds of courage

My daughter was auditioning for the Spring High School Musical. The schedule was clear: acting and singing one afternoon, the dance audition two days later. Easy enough to remember. The morning of the dance audition, I casually reminded her. She rolled her eyes with a very teenage, “I KNOWWWWW.” (Translation: Mom, please, I am fully competent and also deeply annoyed you believe otherwise.) That afternoon, my phone rang at work. Hysterical sobbing. She had gotten on the bus on

When College Kids Come Home “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” ~Charles Dickens There’s a special kind of glow when college kids walk back through the door for winter break. The house shifts; more shoes in the entryway, more laughter in the kitchen, more stories to catch up on. Even if they're exhausted, even if they sleep until noon, there's a quiet joy in havi

Noticing the Cold The cold slows us down, and that’s not always a bad thing. Instead of fighting it, notice it. Feel the crisp air, the quiet, the contrast that makes warmth comforting. Questions to Ask Yourself How does my body react when I step into the cold? Where do I find warmth in my day (people, spaces, or moments)? When things feel “cold” emotionally, how do I soften my response? Actions for the Week Take one slow breath before stepping into or out of the cold. Create

You Are Not Intimidating, They Are Intimidated. There’s a subtle but powerful difference between those two ideas. For so many women in leadership, confidence, clarity, and direction are mislabeled as “intimidating.” What people often perceive as sharpness is really precision. What they call intensity is focus. What they classify as “too much” is simply the right amount of vision. When Strength Gets Misinterpreted Women leaders routinely navigate a world where their decisivene

Student agency does not appear by accident; it grows in classrooms where teachers intentionally create space for curiosity, voice, ownership, and authentic decision-making. Agency flourishes when students see themselves as capable thinkers whose choices matter. Today’s Fundamental Friday focuses on the conditions teachers design (not just the tasks students complete) and how those conditions elevate agency as a core function of learning. When students have agency, they move f

“aaa-AAA-AAA-AHH!” — *Elphaba, Wicked Some weeks, the most honest expression we have is a full-bodied, unfiltered AAA-AHH! A sound that sits somewhere between frustration, release, and breakthrough. Elphaba’s cry isn’t chaos; it’s clarity. It’s the moment when holding it all together gives way to acknowledging what’s real. Today’s reflection invites us to embrace that moment. What if the shout is not a collapse but an opening? An opening to name what feels heavy, to honor wha

Every parent has done it. A tiny, harmless, completely survivable white lie you toss into the universe because (let’s be honest) you’re tired, you’re done, and the request your child just made requires more energy than your soul currently has left in stock. Ours happened this week. She asked if we could go out for hibachi. My hair was barely holding on. I had already put on pajama pants. We gave each other a look. My husband said the first low-effort, not-technically-wrong

The Chocolate Countdown Chocolate countdown calendars are such a tiny, joyful ritual. One small square, one little door, one moment of “oh!” in the middle of an ordinary day. They aren’t about the chocolate itself as much as what it represents: anticipation, patience, and the practice of savoring a single, simple moment. What if we treated our days like a countdown calendar? Not racing ahead to the “big” day, but opening just one door at a time with curiosity? Instead of gu

Innovation rarely begins with a breakthrough. More often, it begins with a quiet shift; an internal decision to step into the chrysalis and do the unseen work of transformation. A quote I encountered recently said, “You can’t have butterfly conversations with caterpillar people.” It echoed years of watching students raise caterpillars in the classroom: the energy, the uncertainty, the patience, and finally the moment of release. In leadership, the same is true. People grow at

Every year, Black Friday draws out a particular kind of shopper: the ones who set alarms before dawn, bundle up, stand in long lines, and walk into stores with purpose. These shoppers know precisely what they’re looking for, and they move with intention. They compare options, read reviews, strategize routes, and commit their time because they believe the payoff is worth the effort. Watching the energy of Black Friday unfold is a reminder that people are willing to work hard,

Community That Lives Beyond a Single Day “Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” Community works the same way. It isn’t something we visit once a year. It ’s something we cultivate in the everyday moments that weave people together. When gratitude becomes a habit rather than a holiday, we begin to see community not as an event but as a practice: noticing one another, supporting one another, and showing up in ways that say, "You matter here." As you move

Let Gratitude Lead “If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” Gratitude doesn’t erase challenges, but it changes how we move through them. When we pause to notice even one small thing worth appreciating, our mindset shifts and our energy follows. Start the week by asking yourself: What is one moment today that deserves thanks? Where could gratitude soften something that feels heavy? Let thankfulness be your quiet reset, steady