We just completed a most glorious fall break. I had several speaking engagements leading up to the break and it was a great reconnection to educators who are SEEKING opportunities to learn and to be better. Even if it means, gulp, changing. We know in education and professional development, the learning journey is never easy, but it’s always rewarding. Whether it’s students mastering new concepts or educators and staff taking on new challenges, growth comes through experience, discomfort, and reflection. As leaders, it’s our role to support that journey, even when it means letting go of team members we admire as they pursue new opportunities.
🤸 Humans learn by doing, through experience.
Think about the skills you use every day—how many did you actually pick up in a classroom? Probably not a lot. We learn best when we’re actually doing the thing we’re trying to master. (please see why I don’t cook for dinner. ugh.) The best learning programs let people bring real work into their learning, and bring learning back into their work.
🚧 We learn best just outside our comfort zone.
Kids are fearless. But as adults, we get scared of messing up, so we stick to what’s safe and miss out on growth. Great learning pushes us just enough—not to panic, but to stretch. When we try, fail, and learn, the impossible starts to feel doable. Professional growth is about gradually expanding our comfort zones until new skills feel natural.
💡 Motivation drives mastery.
We all know talent is needed to make mastery happen, in whatever category we’re talking about. But top-down mandates for learning? No one loves those. The magic happens when we find the overlap between district/state goals and employee passions. When your people have a say in their learning journey, when it taps into their motivations, they engage deeply and learn better.
📖 Learning how to learn is the most durable skill.
The world of education is changing fast—not news there to any of us in the trenches. While Twitter’s talking about AI skills for the future, the real game-changer is learning how to learn. When our teachers (or teams!) know how to adapt, how to break down challenges, and how to keep building new skills, they’re ready for whatever comes next. The best programs help people strengthen those learning muscles.
👩🏾🍳 Reflection is the secret ingredient.
Ever wonder why some expensive workshops seem to fade from memory a week later? The problem is a lack of reflection. Spray and pray. They dip you in “new”, shake ya off, and then send you back to doing what you’ve always done. The best learning experiences weave reflection throughout—giving people time to connect the dots and think about how they’ll apply what they’ve learned. That’s what turns a workshop into lasting change.
🏈 Learning is a team sport.
Yes, bite-sized online courses are great for picking up certain skills—like coding. But if we want to shift mindsets, change behaviors, or transform culture, we need each other. We need peers to share with, mentors to challenge us, and managers to support our growth. Learning is more powerful when it happens in community, with accountability, encouragement, and the kind of lessons that ripple throughout the team. (PLC’s anyone?)
I have an employee I adore who just left me for a new and exciting GROWN UP opportunity. I am so happy for him, but I wasn’t surprised to hear how hard his first day was. We are all fine with change, right? As long as it’s impacting other people and not us. Ha!
Even when we bring that change on ourselves, even when it’s what we WANT, it’s still hard. Watching someone you care about grow and move on is a bittersweet reminder of how hard it can be to step into the unknown. But growth always comes with a bit of discomfort. And in the end, that’s what makes what we do in education worthwhile—knowing that each step forward, no matter how hard, is part of something bigger. I’m proud of him and excited to see where this path will lead, even if it’s tough right now. I hope you’ve got reminders of why we do what we do surrounding you as well!
Always learning &
Friends. Family. Readers of all my experiences…
Knowing this, I still wanted to offer/facilitate an opportunity for leaders in our district to grow, even if it doesn’t look like it has in the past. A book study is typically an effective form of professional learning because new learning can be immediately applied. Educators are involved in multiple sessions where there is continuous discussion around a relevant topic that has arisen from school data. Remember, the goal of any professional learning is to have a positive impact on student learning. But finding a book that makes everyone happy? Paying for hardcover books that I may never see again? Ugh. The central office role I serve in now makes it even more important to recognize that one book choice isn’t going to meet all the needs of all our learners.