Five Ways for You and Your School to Thrive This Year
How to thrive as a teacher isn't a formula, and workload, staffing, resources, and administrative support shape the job as much as mindset does. Within what an individual can influence, this essay offers five strategies one teacher recommends: give more than you take, face hard facts, invest for the long term, choose your circle, and persist unrecognized.
Every school year brings its own set of hard things. Staffing gaps that never quite close, a testing calendar that eats the weeks you needed, families under strain, and a district initiative nobody asked for. Some years the hard thing is obvious to everyone outside the building. Some years it's quieter, and only the people inside feel it.
Whatever this year hands us, it isn't the worst thing we'll face. We are.
Circumstances don't have a choice in the matter. They just do what they do, without bias, prejudice, or malice. Humans, on the other hand, have a choice. We can decide what sort of infectious attitudes we spread, what words we choose to speak, and what kind of environments we choose to make. We have a choice.
Here are five ways to ensure that you and those around you not only survive the year, but thrive.
1 - If You Give More Than You Take, You'll Always Have Something to Feel Good About at the End of the Day
"Every time we interact with another person at work," Adam Grant writes in his latest work, Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, "we have a choice to make: do we try to claim as much value as we can, or contribute value without worrying about what we receive in return?"
Grant argues that takers often come out ahead early. In his account, they can advance quickly, receive more applause, and - on the surface - look more successful and happy, though he suggests that advantage tends not to hold. Because takers are more focused on serving themselves, Grant writes, they spend their time and energy making good impressions "upward" rather than caring about serving those below them, and the surrounding community pays for it.
Givers, however, "strive to be generous in sharing {their} time, knowledge, skills, ideas, and connections with other people who can benefit from them." They care more about community than they do themselves. This distinction matters because Grant argues that when givers achieve, the people around them tend to benefit too. On his account that success can spread, influencing their surroundings and helping build a culture of people who applaud and support one another, who inspire one another, and who grow and succeed together.
How you think about your teaching career shapes how much of it you spend on the people around you.
In a giver's world, everyone grows and advances because nobody is worried about themselves.
During trying and difficult times, it's easy to enter a sort of survival mode, to focus primarily on oneself. Healthy cultures, however, use these opportunities to seek out others and to invest in those around them. They look outward rather than inward.
On Grant's argument, takers may get through the year. Givers stand a better chance of building something that outlasts it, and the people around them share in that.
2 - Embrace the Hard - In Teaching, Nothing Worth Doing Comes Easy
"Every good-to-great company faced significant adversity along the way to greatness," Jim Collins writes in his New York Times bestseller, Good to Great. The key difference between a good company and a great company, he writes, is that "the {great} management teams responded with a powerful psychological duality. On the one hand, they stoically accepted the brutal facts of reality. On the other hand, they maintained an unwavering faith in the endgame, and a commitment to prevail as a great company despite the brutal facts." Over time, Collins and his team began to call this duality the Stockdale Paradox.
Admiral Jim Stockdale "was the highest-ranking United States military officer in the ‘Hanoi Hilton' prisoner-of-war camp during the height of the Vietnam War." As a prisoner, he was tortured continually for eight years. When asked how he survived, both physically and mentally, his response was simple: "I never lost faith in the end of the story," he said, "I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life." When asked who didn't make it out, his response was equally simple: the optimists. They believed they would be rescued by Christmas and that things would work out. They refused to accept their reality. Which, according to Stockdale, was their downfall. "You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end-which you can never afford to lose-with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."
As educators, pure optimism isn't enough on its own. Glossy messages of Good Vibes Only and Be Positive can ring hollow when they skip past what people are actually dealing with, because they don't confront the brutal facts. Brené Brown's work on vulnerability makes a narrower point worth borrowing here: the willingness to sit with discomfort, rather than paper over it, is what makes honest conversation and creative risk possible.
With some problems, there comes an opportunity. To grow, to build relationships, and to give. Plenty of others aren't a matter of individual perseverance at all. Class sizes, staffing shortages, contract terms, planning time, and the support an administration does or doesn't provide get resolved at the organizational and policy level, not by one teacher deciding to try harder. Naming those honestly is part of the job too. For the obstacles that do sit within reach, educators can do more than acknowledge them. As Ted Lasso embodied, we can believe that our efforts, our attitudes, and our daily actions are worth making.
We can't just smile our way to victory; we must fight for it. And to fight for it, we have to acknowledge the reality of what we're fighting against, embrace it, name it, then kick the sh*t out of it. If we can do that, we will not only thrive; we will build a strong foundation of compassion, integrity, and trust.
3 - Plant Irises - Diligence and Forward Thinking During Tough Times Pays Off Big-Time in the End
A clump of irises will, in a single year, multiply themselves so much that in order for them to remain healthy and strong they must be broken up and spread out to other areas and gardens where they will continue the cycle of multiplying and spreading. Within a short time, irises can quickly change the environment in which they were planted. If educators want to thrive, we must spend our time planting irises. Just like Leonard Woolf.
Years after WWII, Leonard Woolf wrote his most famous work, Downhill All the Way, a memoir covering the years from 1919 to 1939 and the approach of the Second World War, and the time he spent with his wife, Virginia Woolf. Near the end of the book, he tells this story about the last days before the war broke out.
"They were the most terrible months of my life, for, helplessly and hopelessly, one watched the inevitable approach of war. One of the most horrible things at that time was to listen on the wireless to the speeches of Hitler - the savage and insane ravings of a vindictive underdog who suddenly saw himself to be all-powerful. . . One afternoon I was planting in the orchard under an apple-tree iris reticulata, those lovely violet flowers . . . Suddenly I heard Virginia's voice calling to me from the sitting room window: ‘Hitler is making a speech.' I shouted back, ‘I shan't come. I'm planting iris, and they will be flowering long after he is dead.' Last March, twenty-one years after Hitler committed suicide in the bunker, a few of those violet flowers still flowered under the apple-tree in the orchard."
We must guard against hateful and destructive talk because, as Leonard Woolf pointed out, it carries very little benefit. Planting irises, however, produces a beauty that sustains, reproduces, and expands. A field of irises will outlast us all. But first, it needs to be planted.
If we really want to make the year count, if we want to thrive and not merely survive, we must vehemently reject the luring sounds of the deranged madman - whoever or whatever that might be - and spend our time planting, cultivating, and supporting those around us. Plant seeds of kindness and encouragement, of hope and beauty, of grit and fortitude. Write letters to staff and students, spend your prep checking in on fellow teachers, and engage that student in the hallway. We all have our specific gifts and callings within our schools; whatever yours is, spend extra time and energy cultivating it by giving it away.
Try to leave our classroom or office - our school - slightly more beautiful than when we first entered that morning. Irises grow and multiply. Kindness isn't a plant, and it comes with no guarantees, but as metaphors go, it's one worth acting on.
4 - Normalize Greatness - Don't Be Afraid to Strive for What You Think Education Is Capable of Being
Put a different way, surround yourself with good people. More than likely, you've heard the saying, you are the sum of the five people you hang around with most. It's a popular saying rather than an established finding, but there's something in it. The people you spend your time with normalize elements of life. If everyone loves playing board games, board games become the norm. If everyone enjoys wine tastings or homemade recipes, they become the norm of conversation and life. And if everyone desires to be great, then greatness becomes the norm. Just ask Kim Chambers.
Kim Chambers was a powerful executive when she fell down a flight of stairs. When she was told she may never walk again, Kim took the opportunity to defy the doctors and change her life. In 2014, Kim became "the sixth person (and third woman) to complete the Oceans Seven" and "set a new world record when she became the first woman to swim thirty miles from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco" (via).
Kim is one of the most accomplished marathon swimmers in the world. Asked how she was able to become such an elite swimmer, she pointed to her group of swimmers and said, "If you want to do something that changes your life, surround yourself with people who believe in you." Who "normalize greatness." That's her own read on what mattered, and it's worth taking seriously as one athlete's perspective on what a supportive community makes possible.
We're shaped, at least in part, by who we surround ourselves with.
Think of students and how the groups they cluster with encourage kids to act and think in ways they may never do on their own (negative and positive). Think about the people we go to when we're tired or scared or hurt and how the advice they give and the direction they point us toward greatly impacts the way we think and live.
But it isn't just the people that impact us. It's also the stories we surround ourselves with. Be it the news (CNN vs Fox), the books we read, the shows we watch, the podcasts we listen to, and the music that entertains us. These all play a crucial role in the summing up of who we are, how we interpret life, and how we choose to interact with that life.
The idea that we're shaped by what we CHOOSE to surround ourselves with is a comforting one, because some of it really is a choice. Nobody controls their whole environment, and a school hands you most of your colleagues. But we can choose some of who we listen to and which stories we let in.
Who has permission to sit at your table? What kind of stories are you surrounded by? Do they encourage you to sit and complain about the stink and muck of life? Or do they encourage you to lean into hardships, eager to help find a solution? Are they people like Mrs. Rogers?
"When I was a boy, and I would see scary things in the news," Fred Rogers once said, "my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."
In order for us to attack the year ahead and thrive, we must surround ourselves with people and stories who are going to bring us up, encourage us, inspire us, and speak truth into our lives. We must surround ourselves with people who are eager to normalize greatness.
5 - Live Faithfully, the Hidden Life - The Impact of Our Work Matters Even When It Goes Unrecognized
In the critically acclaimed movie A Hidden Life, directed by Terrance Malick, there is a scene where the main character (Franz Jägerstätter) is standing before a German officer. Franz has refused to swear allegiance to Hitler and has therefore been sentenced to death. The German officer is taunting him with questions of doubt. Do you really think you can make a difference? Do you really think your simple action will have an impact on this war?
The movie ends with Franz dying a lonely death, leaving behind a wife and three daughters. In his little town, nestled in the hills of Austria, the church bells signal his passing. Then, life goes on.
It's a beautiful movie and one that is worth watching, especially during a time such as this, because although it is mostly sad and tragic, it is also sincerely hopeful. Our simple actions do matter, even when it seems that nobody notices.
The title of the movie comes from George Eliot's (Mary Anne Evans) novel Middlemarch. It reads "... for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived a hidden life faithfully, and rest in unvisited tombs."
Education is often filled with "Does this even matter?" moments, as the question, "Am I even making a difference?" is frequently in our minds and sometimes on our lips. Mary Anne Evans' words are a reminder to us all that yes, our actions - both large and small - make a difference. For even if they don't directly or instantly change the direction of our communities, our schools, or the lives of those we interact with daily, they matter. They matter for us as individuals, and they matter for those who are watching. Choosing to do the right thing, say the kind word, or lean into that hard conversation never returns void.
To ensure that you, your classrooms, and your staff thrive, live faithfully the hidden life. Continue fighting, continue hoping, and continue doing what you know to be right and good and true. Continue to make a difference by living the faithful and hidden life. The world and your students depend upon it.
In any given year, there is so much to be worried about, frustrated with, and discouraged over. But there is also opportunity. Great opportunity. We need only to get outside of ourselves, accept and embrace the reality of our task, and believe in the hope that is set before us. These can be difficult years in education. They can also be the best. If ever you wanted to make this world beautiful, to influence lives, and forever secure an impact on the future, there has never been a better time to be an educator.
Get ready to change the world!
Frequently Asked Questions
What does thriving as a teacher actually look like day to day?
Most advice on how to thrive as a teacher stays abstract, so here's the concrete version. It looks like protecting one boundary you'd normally give away, such as a lunch period or a hard stop on email after dinner. It looks like one real conversation with a colleague who isn't in your usual circle. It looks like leaving your room in better shape than you found it, whether or not anyone notices.
Does any of this apply in your first year of teaching?
It applies more in the first year, not less. New teachers often get told to survive the year and worry about the rest later. That framing doesn't help much, though burnout has plenty of contributors; no mindset fixes it on its own, from caseload and planning time to mentoring and how much support a school actually provides. Giving, facing hard facts honestly, and choosing who you spend your prep period with cost nothing and don't require experience. The lesson planning gets easier. Habits built early are worth building well.
What's the difference between surviving and thriving in teaching?
Surviving is getting to June. Thriving is getting to June with something left over for the people around you. The distinction matters because survival mode is inward-facing by design, and a whole staff in survival mode produces a building nobody wants to work in. Thriving isn't about working harder or caring more. It's about where you point your attention.
How do you stay motivated when the work goes unrecognized?
You accept that most of it will be. Test scores and awards capture a fraction of what happens in a classroom, and the parts that matter most tend to surface years later, if at all. It helps to stop measuring the work by whether anyone claps for it. Whether teachers stay in the profession turns on a great deal more than outlook, including pay, workload, leadership, and working conditions.
- Give more than you take - Adam Grant argues that takers can come out ahead early while givers tend to lift the people around them, and the author takes that as the more useful model for a school.
- Face the brutal facts - The Stockdale Paradox holds that unwavering faith in the outcome has to sit alongside an honest read of your current reality. Forced positivity is neither.
- Plant for the long term - The author's view is that letters, check-ins, and hallway conversations are worth the time even when their effect is impossible to measure.
- Choose your circle deliberately - The people and stories around you shape you, and some of that mix is within your influence even when the wider environment isn't.
- The unseen work still counts - Most of what a teacher does is never recognized, which is not the same as never mattering.
Some teachers look at a next credential, whether an MEd, an added endorsement, or an educational leadership program, and the options listed on this page include formats built around a full teaching schedule. An MEd or educational leadership degree does not by itself confer an administrator credential: administrator certification/licensure requirements vary by state and may include an approved preparation program, specific degree, teaching or leadership experience, internship/fieldwork, and assessments. Verify that the program meets your state's requirements.
You can connect with Brian on Twitter at @miller_brian_
- Five Ways for You and Your School to Thrive This Year - August 30, 2021
- Is a Teaching Degree Worth It? Cost vs. Salary 2026 - July 14, 2021
- Teaching Is Not a Job. It’s a Calling. - January 6, 2021
