I Used to Think Good Educators Gave More

Still Figuring It Out — The Work No One Sees

I used to think being good at this work meant being willing to give more.

More time.

More energy.

More of myself.

Stay a little later.

Take one more thing home.

Say yes when someone needs help.

Answer the email.

Solve the problem.

Carry the thing because, well…someone has to.

And when you care deeply about the work, giving more can almost feel like proof that you care.

After 25 years in education, I don’t believe that anymore.

Not because I care less.

Actually, I think I’ve learned to care more deeply about what matters.

I’m just beginning to understand that doing meaningful work for a long time requires something different than constantly giving more of myself away.

It requires learning how to lead myself, too.

And lately, I keep coming back to three things:

Intentional habits. Grace. And joy.

Intentional habits.

For a long time, I thought habits were about discipline.

Wake up earlier.

Exercise.

Journal.

Plan the day.

Check the boxes.

And yes, habits can help us accomplish things.

But I’m learning that the habits that matter most aren’t about getting more out of myself.

They’re about helping me become the person I want to be when life asks something of me.

My morning matters because of who I want to be when I walk into school.

Moving my body matters because I want energy for the people I serve—and for the people waiting for me at home.

Taking a few quiet minutes to reflect matters because I don’t want every emotion or circumstance deciding how I show up.

The work no one sees prepares us for the moments everyone does.

Grace.

This one might be harder for me.

Because even with the routines, the reflection, and the best intentions…

I don’t always get it right.

There are mornings when the routine doesn’t happen.

Days when I’m more reactive than I wanted to be.

Conversations I replay on the drive home.

Times when I realize I’ve started carrying too much again.

I’m still figuring it out.

And maybe that’s exactly where grace belongs.

Grace doesn’t mean we stop holding ourselves accountable.

It means one difficult day doesn’t have to become the story we tell ourselves about who we are.

We notice.

We reflect.

We reset.

And we choose again.

Tomorrow is another opportunity to practice.

And joy.

I think educators can become really good at postponing joy.

I’ll breathe when this week is over.

I’ll relax after conferences.

I’ll enjoy things once testing is done.

I’ll take care of myself when summer gets here.

There is always another deadline.

Another student who needs something.

Another meeting.

Another season.

If we’re waiting for the work to be finished before we allow ourselves to experience joy, we may be waiting a very long time.

Joy has to be allowed into the middle of it.

The laugh in the hallway.

The student who stops just to say hello.

The conversation with a colleague that has nothing to do with work.

The sunrise on the drive in.

The music playing a little too loudly in the car.

Dinner with the people you love.

The ordinary moments we can so easily miss while we’re rushing toward whatever comes next.

Joy isn’t the reward for finishing the work.

It’s part of what sustains us while we’re doing it.

Maybe that’s what I’m learning in this season of my career.

Longevity isn’t about becoming strong enough to carry more and more.

It’s about getting clearer about what is actually mine to carry.

It’s building habits that help me show up intentionally.

It’s giving myself grace when I don’t.

And it’s refusing to postpone joy until someday when everything is finally done.

Twenty-five years later, I still care deeply about this work.

I still want to serve.

I still want to make an impact.

I still want to give my best.

But I’m learning that giving my best and giving everything are not the same thing.

And maybe that’s the lesson I wish I had understood much earlier.

We don’t have to lose ourselves to prove that the work matters.

We can do meaningful work.

We can care deeply.

We can serve others.

And we can remain whole in the process.

I’m still practicing.

Intentional habits.

Grace.

And joy.

Some days better than others.

But that’s the kind of leadership I want to keep practicing.

✨ Sending Light

To the educator who has always believed that caring means carrying more:

Maybe your next season isn’t asking you to give more.

Maybe it’s inviting you to become more intentional about what you give, what you carry, and what you keep.

You matter in this equation, too.

One Question to Carry

Where could you choose intention, grace, or joy this week instead of simply giving more?

Until next time…

Keep awakening.
Keep rising.
Keep shining.

— Janice