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 be joyful, messy, and sometimes exhausting. But every now and then, we need to step off the floor and head up to the balcony, the place where perspective lives. The balcony is where reflection begins.

One of the hardest moments of my teaching career came during my fifth year when I pursued National Board Certification. The process was all about reflection. I had to record myself teaching, then watch the footage and explain why I said and did what I did. There aren’t many professions that ask you to watch yourself work, and for good reason. It’s painful. But through that discomfort came growth. I learned that reflection isn’t about judgment; it’s about freedom — the freedom to learn from your mistakes and grow stronger because of them.

Too often when we make mistakes, we’re told, “Don’t worry about it,” when what we really need to hear is, “Learn from it.” As a principal, decisions came fast, and mistakes piled up just as quickly. Without reflection, you drown on the dance floor. The past can’t be changed, but the future can if you’re willing to look in the mirror.

There are different kinds of reflection.

Sometimes it happens in the moment, when you replay a conversation in your head and realize what you could have said differently. Those small reflections build over time and shape how you lead and listen.

Then there is the bigger picture reflection, the kind that comes at the end of a season, a semester, or a hard stretch of work. It is when you pause, look back, and ask how the people around you grew, what your team achieved, and where you still need to go together. Every team needs this space to celebrate and to concentrate on what matters next.

And then there is deep reflection, the quiet kind that asks whether your life and leadership align with your values. Those moments do not come often, but when they do, they change everything.

I learned this the hard way. I once helped start a charter school as a founding teacher and assistant principal. After the first year, leadership changed, and I began to feel a quiet drift between my values and the school’s mission and vision. Midyear, I made the hardest decision of my career: to leave. That leap of faith led me to a school that was more demanding but more aligned with who I was. Without reflection, I would have stayed and grown miserable.

Reflection is the mirror that never lies.

Your Turn:

When was the last time you stepped onto the balcony to watch yourself on the dance floor? What did you see?

We just celebrated the first three months of The Match! I’d love to hear your reflections. Reply to this email or share them in the comments.