Word: Gratitude Sentence: Gratitude is more than appreciation; it’s how we pay forward what others once gave to us. Passage: My first real mentor came by luck. She was a district instructional coach on a building walkthrough with the chief of schools, the principal, and a few other district leaders. She took a seat in the…

Word: Perspective Sentence: Perspective is not about how high you climb, but how clearly you see. Passage: In any profession, there are steps on the ladder. For me, it went from teacher to department chair to instructional coach to assistant principal to principal and now district leader. Each role came with more responsibility, but also a…

A short climb to the balcony can change how you see the whole dance floor. Word: Reflection Sentence: The future can be changed only by your own reflections of the past. Passage: If everyday life is a dance floor, we spend our days dancing with all kinds of people: colleagues, friends, and family. The dance can…

The Match each week: One word. One sentence. One passage. Word: Culture Sentence: The behavior of the leader becomes the culture of the team. Passage: You can walk into a school, company, or home and feel its culture before anyone even says a word. Culture is the energy of human relationships and how they shape the…

If The Match has sparked something for you, I’d be grateful if you shared it with someone. That’s how this community grows. Word: Consistency Sentence: Consistency creates credibility; inconsistency creates liability. Passage: Early in my life, I didn’t realize how much my lack of consistency was costing me, both personally and professionally. I thought my titles—administrator,…

A small spark each week to help you live with heart and keep your fire lit! Word: Joy Sentence: Joy often grows from the soil of struggle. Passage: Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about joy. The absence of it in our lives is something I find intriguing. The further I move from my youth, the…

The Match Newsletter: A small spark each week to help you keep your fire lit. Word: Patience Sentence: Patience is the pause that turns reaction into wisdom. Passage: When I was a kid, my grandmother loved to tease me with an old line: “Patience is a virtue found seldom in a woman and never in a…

Each Week: One Word. One Sentence. One Passage. Word: Hope Sentence: Hope is the pulse that keeps our hearts moving forward. Passage: In my 20-plus years in education, I’ve met thousands of kids, and the one thing I always found in them was hope. They came from every corner of the world—some who spent years in…

Let’s light this week’s Match! Word: Clarity Sentence: Clarity is what waits on the other side of our greatest challenges. Passage: I became a teacher because teachers had once seen something in me that I couldn’t yet see in myself. My first assignment was as a substitute at an alternative high school for teens expelled from…

Thank you for being a part of the Match Community. Each week a small spark to keep your fire lit! Word: Listening Sentence: When we only hear, we feel for someone; when we truly listen, we feel with them. Passage: We are often so caught up in our own problems and how they make us feel…