In his 2009 book, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, Simon Sinek encourages us to find our “why,” and clearly communicate that “why” to those you lead. I cannot tell you how many PD’s I have sat in where the presenter played his famous TED Talk and asked us to discuss our own personal and professional “why,” and then they related it back to why we teach. I do not think it was until we were thrown into teaching through a pandemic, however, that I truly understood the gravity of Sinek’s message.

Educators around the world were working seven days a week, fourteen hour days, and for the first time, had literally everyone’s eyes on them. The world had an open invitation into our classrooms, and unfortunately, many were criticized and unappreciated. Then, in Texas at least, we were sent back into the classrooms before anyone was ready; without a vaccine; without proper supports. It was ironic that I had to check-in online, wait in my car, get my temperature checked, and wear a special mask provided by the doctor just to have my daughter’s ear infection treated, but hundreds of kids could enter a school building, refuse to wear a mask, and forget about any kind of social distancing while on campus. Man, we all felt disposable for the sake of building our economy.

Fast forward to a post-pandemic classroom. Teachers are quitting left and right, college students are changing their majors from education to something easier and less stressful, and forget about finding any substitute teachers. This year has brought on more challenges than even those presented during the 2020-2021 school year. Our students are trying to assimilate back into society, so they are lashing out more towards their peers and teachers. With the shortage of subs, teachers are covering classes during their conference periods. As teachers leave, and with no one to replace them, students are being split into already over-crowded classrooms, teachers are covering, or other campus leaders are filling in while still being required to fulfill their other duties. Believe me when I tell you IT IS HARD.

The one thing that we cannot let go of, though, is Tier I instruction. We already know that our students are coming to us with major gaps generated during the pandemic, but if we decide that professional learning, professional learning communities, and quality instruction are what needs to go to the side for the sake of “survival,” then we are in for a rude awakening. Now, more than ever, do we need to strengthen PLCs, strengthen professional learning, and strengthen instruction. This is my WHY. This is why I decided to offer my individualized services to coach leaders, PLCs, and teachers. Our students deserve the best, and to make that a reality, our teachers deserve the best professional learning opportunities available. Through this work, I hope to build the capacity of instructional leaders, teams, and classroom teachers.