The Match | Hope
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 refugee camps waiting for asylum, others who grew up in foster care or group homes and never knew their biological parents. One student I still talk to today had been shot five separate times. Now in his mid-twenties, every time we speak, I can still hear that pulse of hope in him.
As educators and as humans, our work is to listen for that hope and help strengthen it. Hope doesn’t always beat loudly, it hides in those who have been hurt. It takes time, trust, and safety before the rhythm comes back strong.
I know hope feels faint for many right now. But it is not gone. Each of us carries it, even if quietly. And when we share it with others, the cadence grows steadier. It begins with the smallest actions: a call to someone you haven’t heard from, showing up after a loss, simply listening. Educators do this every day, standing steady in the middle of children’s hardest stories. Their consistency keeps the heartbeat of hope alive in schools and children. We can do this for each other too—when the world is on fire, we must hold on to our humanity through hope.
Hope is still here. You can feel it in your own chest, and you can help others feel it in theirs. All it takes is showing up for one another, again and again.
Your Turn:
Where have you seen hope lately—in yourself, your students, or your community?
Tell me how this shows up in your leadership—I’m here for the conversation.
Help us grow the Match Community by sharing this with someone that needs a spark each week!
4 Comments
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4 Comments
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on October 2, 2025 at 9:52 pm
Wow! I just said “it hurt me” today at a table with other men. As a result one by one we shared “hurt” testimonies but more importantly we shared our triumphs from that hurt that gives us HOPE no matter what.
“If I’m not dead, if your not dead, HOPE is alive”
This platform gives me HOPE there are still some good ones in the game. Thank you.
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on October 3, 2025 at 7:58 am
Thanks for sharing Jeff! This is a powerful example of how to model leadership vulnerability in a space with others. As the leader this gives others the permission to share their stories.
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on October 5, 2025 at 8:48 pm
Chad, hope is indeed in short supply these days. But this email has helped remind me of my own role in planting more seeds of it on a daily basis. We adults, owe it to the children around us to cultivate their hope and help them see the rewards. Great work, my friend.
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Thank you for that, my friend. You’re right, we owe it to them, and to each other. Hope takes tending, and kids pick up on whether or not the adults around them still believe. I Appreciate you reading and reflecting with me.
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Wow! I just said “it hurt me” today at a table with other men. As a result one by one we shared “hurt” testimonies but more importantly we shared our triumphs from that hurt that gives us HOPE no matter what.
“If I’m not dead, if your not dead, HOPE is alive”
This platform gives me HOPE there are still some good ones in the game. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing Jeff! This is a powerful example of how to model leadership vulnerability in a space with others. As the leader this gives others the permission to share their stories.
Chad, hope is indeed in short supply these days. But this email has helped remind me of my own role in planting more seeds of it on a daily basis. We adults, owe it to the children around us to cultivate their hope and help them see the rewards. Great work, my friend.
Thank you for that, my friend. You’re right, we owe it to them, and to each other. Hope takes tending, and kids pick up on whether or not the adults around them still believe. I Appreciate you reading and reflecting with me.