The Master Teacher Blog

We know that learning is influenced heavily by emotions. When our students feel safe, included, supported, and confident, learning thrives. When they feel fearful, worried, isolated, or uncertain, learning suffers. Students’ emotions influence whether they choose to engage, take risks, and persist in learning. 

Of course, we do not and cannot control every emotion students experience. However, our emotions and the ways in which we communicate them matter. Students pay close attention to the tone of our voice, our body language, the expressions on our faces, and other emotional clues, and what they “read” in our emotions often influences how they feel about learning—and whether they choose to engage with it.  

Our ability to read and respond to students’ emotions can also significantly influence students' openness to learning and their choices regarding it. When we recognize that a student is struggling, needs reassurance, craves understanding, or is experiencing other influential emotions, we can make choices, employ strategies, and communicate in ways that lessen the extent to which emotions might interfere.  We can also encourage positive emotions that support and lead to learning. 

We are talking here about our emotional quotient (EQ) and how we can use our EQ to build trust, nurture a sense of belonging, bolster confidence, encourage curiosity, and foster persistence. Let’s explore five examples of this influential force and how it can support learning.  

We can start by being self-aware. Before engaging with students, we might ask ourselves, “What emotions am I bringing to the classroom today?” When we are feeling tired, stressed, frustrated, or distracted, we risk letting our emotions get in the way of learning. Students often pay more attention to our emotional messages than to the words we speak. To shift our mood, we might take a micro-break, focus on something positive, commit to pausing before responding negatively, or at least avoid letting our emotions become the message. 

We might activate our emotional radar. We can remind ourselves that being conscious of students’ emotions can influence how we relate to them and how they respond in kind. We might look for nonverbal cues and be curious about unexpected and unexplained shifts in behavior. We might engage students in brief emotional check-ins if we feel the classroom tone or mood is off. Our awareness of and readiness to respond to students’ emotional states can prevent many distractions, conflicts, and other unproductive behaviors.  

We can lead with empathy. When students struggle, seem distracted, or are uncooperative, we might be tempted immediately to push, direct, and insist. However, doing so may overlook important information that could provide insight into the emotions causing the behavior. Armed with better information and understanding, we might find better, more productive options for responding.  By listening and being curious, we are more likely to reduce the defensiveness and pushback we experience while opening the door to problem-solving and solution-finding.  

We can seek motivational alignment. Student motivation can be influenced by a wide range of emotions. They may fail to see meaning and purpose in the learning task, or they may be delighted and ready to approach the task using their creative energy. The key for us is to understand how students perceive learning tasks and to help them align their motivation with the task at hand. We may need to help them see the value and purpose of what they are learning, offer options and choices, or make other adjustments depending on their needs. 

We can build confidence. Fear of failure can be a powerful emotional barrier to learning. Some students need to feel confident before they will even begin a task, others need a boost in confidence to persist, and still other students need us to help them gain the confidence to take learning risks, trust themselves, and stretch beyond what they have tried before. To bolster confidence, we might break tasks down into achievable steps. We may help students focus on the importance of the right kind of effort and the best strategies. Or we may need to increase the frequency and forward focus of our feedback. The hope and sense of self-efficacy we nurture in students can become the keys to getting started, persisting, and finding success.    

Emotions can be the “hidden hand” in learning success. We can plan the best lesson and deliver what feels like perfect instruction, but if we fail to attend to and respond to students' emotions, we can fall flat. It is our EQ that often makes the crucial difference in whether students choose to learn.  

Once the school year is underway, we face the challenge of establishing routines, setting a pace, and creating a rhythm to carry our instruction and, by extension, student learning forward. We may be eager to introduce the curriculum and move forward with what we have to share with students, but success with these priorities depends on creating a solid context and processes to support what lies ahead. 

A successful launch to the new year will require some patience, discipline, and focus from us. Time spent in the first weeks of school helping students practice routines, develop confidence, and refresh their learning can make our work with students in the coming weeks and months significantly more successful. Let’s review five start-of-the-year practices that can position our students and us for success in the year ahead. 

Observe before expecting. We may have ideas and hold assumptions about what students should know and be able to do, but we must remember that what students bring to our classroom may vary widely due to a number of factors. Some students may not have fully grasped past learning or may have forgotten much of what they have learned. They may have had a summer filled with distractions and trauma. Or they may have engaged in activities that accelerated their knowledge and built new skills. The truth is that students will begin the year where they are, not where we expect or want them to be. By taking time to observe what students know, how they behave, and what they may be ready to learn, we can gain insights that inform our planning and guide our instruction in the coming weeks.  

Prioritize progress over perfection. We want students to find success. Yet, we need to remember that learning is a journey. Perfection may be a goal, but expecting perfection can be a recipe for frustration and disappointment—for our students and for us. The gap between where students are and where they are going will be closed by effort and progress. We need not lose sight of where we want to take students, but we must be realistic about the length and nature of the journey. Prioritizing progress is a better strategy than expecting perfection, especially in the first few weeks.  

Go slow to go fast. The beginning of the new year, those first few weeks when we meet and begin getting to know our students, is the time to focus on building a foundation for the rest of the year. Relationships built in the initial weeks can create a foundation of trust and reassurance that can prevent future resistance and conflict while building cooperation and commitment. Time spent refreshing concepts and renewing skills can save time and frustration later as students encounter more complex ideas and build new capacities. We may worry that we are off to a slow start, but momentum fueled by confidence and competence can easily make up for lost time.  

Repeat to automate. Students do their best when they know what is expected and when they are comfortable and confident with routines. We may think that a few repetitions should be adequate for students to learn and follow daily procedures, but when students are still trying to find their place and hoping to fit in, this type of learning can take longer than we expect. Rather than place a number on how many times we will explain and repeat, we might continue until students no longer need reminding. While getting started may take longer than we anticipate, well-established routines and expectations can pay rich dividends as the year unfolds.  

Assume positive efforts and intentions. Student behavior in the opening weeks may be erratic and unpredictable. Some students will withdraw until they feel a sense of belonging. Other students will act out and even be defiant until they feel assured in their relationship with us. Still others may test our boundaries and expectations until they are confident that we are serious and will follow through. In response to these varying and sometimes confusing behaviors, seeking to understand the reasons behind the behaviors we see will be more productive than drawing premature conclusions or assuming the worst of students. Unfortunately, when what we assume and expect is negative, we are more likely to encounter more negativity. Students often need time and a fresh start. We can help by assuming students’ intentions are positive—or at least suspending judgment until we have more experience with them.  

There is much to do and think about in the initial weeks of the new school year. We might find ourselves wanting to immediately launch into the curriculum and leave relationship building, routines, and expectations for later, yet this is usually a mistake. Trying to correct and undo unacceptable and unproductive behaviors and processes usually takes more time and effort than establishing a strong foundation from the beginning. 

Typically, instructional coaches do not require teachers to change. After all, their role is traditionally not an evaluative one. They generally cannot mandate changes in practice or hold teachers accountable in the same ways that principals and other supervisors can. These can seem like insurmountable hurdles to success.  

Yet, instructional coaches have some advantages that are not always available to formal supervisors. Their relationships are based more on trust, credibility, and support rather than formal evaluation-related powers. Change is chosen rather than imposed, and shifts in behavior are more likely to be based on insight and understanding than compliance. These advantages can lead to levels of cooperation, commitment, and continued growth that are sometimes difficult to achieve in formal supervisory relationships.  

Of course, there are challenges associated with coaching roles. If instructional coaching is unfamiliar, or past coaching attempts have not been successful, resistance can be a natural reaction. Here are a few of the most common challenges instructional coaches face, along with counterstrategies to consider. 

Challenge: Confusion about coaches' roles. Teachers may assume that coaches are reporting to administrators or feeding evaluation processes.  

Counterstrategy: Begin the relationship by clarifying what the role is and is not. Assurances of confidentiality, commitment, and consistent support can help to start the relationship off on the right foot. 

Challenge: Some teachers may choose to participate at minimal levels.  

Counterstrategy: Patience, reassurance, continued open invitation, lowering perceived risks, and beginning with small steps can be places to start and build on.  

Challenge: Lasting change through influence takes time. Pressures can compromise the time and shared experiences necessary for change-producing influence to develop.  

Counterstrategy: Realistic expectations and goals can help to relieve the pressure to move too quickly. Recognize where change is occurring and build scaffolding to support growth even when time is at a premium. 

Challenge: Building trust while maintaining a focus on growth. Teachers come to the coaching relationship with varying levels of confidence, expertise, and commitment to grow. A one-size-fits-all approach is likely not to work for many teachers.  

Counterstrategy: Take time to build trusting relationships before focusing on areas for growth. Listen and proceed carefully. Be ready to adjust as necessary. However, maintain strong support and never lose sight of the need and potential for growth.  

Challenge: Translating feedback into action. Coaches can be tempted to present feedback that is too comprehensive or scattered. When this happens, teachers often become overwhelmed and use little, if any, of what they hear. Equally important, feedback that fuels action matches what is relevant and important to the teacher. 

Counterstrategy: Careful listening and a focus on what the teacher sees as important and realistic can increase the likelihood that behavior will change. Information and action suggestions that match teacher readiness offer the best bets for action. 

The most powerful tools instructional coaches possess are the trust they build, the credibility they earn, the evidence they share, and the relationships they nurture. These can be potent forces in helping teachers to shift their practice and increase their impact. When teachers choose to change because they are convinced of the need and the potential benefits of doing so, they are more likely to invest, persist, and prevail in the adjustments they make.

Every August, school leaders invest countless hours preparing for the new school year. Class schedules are finalized, classrooms are prepared, professional development is planned, and staff members return in various states of eagerness to begin again. Amidst all of that preparation, one group often arrives carrying a unique combination of excitement and uncertainty: new special education teachers. 

Whether they are entering the profession for the first time or transitioning from another district, these educators are stepping into one of the most complex roles in education. They're expected to both learn their students and teach them, of course, but also to build relationships with families, navigate compliance requirements, coordinate services, collaborate with multiple stakeholders, and establish instructional routines—all within the first few weeks of school. The sheer volume of information and responsibilities can leave even experienced educators questioning whether they are doing enough. 

Research consistently identifies special education teachers as being at a higher risk of burnout and attrition than many of their general education peers. However, the same research points to a hopeful reality: When schools provide intentional onboarding, mentoring, and coaching, teachers are significantly more likely to remain in the profession and thrive. 

Studies examining special educator retention repeatedly identify similar themes. New teachers report feeling isolated as they navigate complex responsibilities, unsure of where to turn for guidance and hesitant to ask questions for fear of appearing unqualified. They often describe the challenge not as a lack of commitment, but as a lack of connection. They need trusted relationships, specialized support, and time to learn these systems that more experienced educators may take for granted. 

As leaders, we cannot eliminate every challenge a new special education teacher will face. What we can do is intentionally shape their early experiences. 

The first days of school are about orientation, certainly, but they are also about establishing a sense of belonging. Every administrator has welcomed a new special education teacher who arrives eager to make a difference. They come with fresh ideas, energy, and a desire to support students. Yet within days, that excitement can quickly be coupled with—or replaced by—anxiety.  

Effective onboarding is less about delivering information and more about sequencing experiences. Before teachers can confidently manage compliance responsibilities, they need to understand the culture of the building. Before they can navigate difficult conversations, they need trusted relationships. Before they can create systems for service delivery, they need time to learn who their students are. 

During the first week, the focus should be on people. New teachers should be given multiple opportunities to connect with administrators, colleagues, related service providers, and the students they will serve. They should learn who to call when they have questions, and they should feel comfortable asking those questions. The second week can begin to shift toward systems like developing schedules, organizing service documentation, creating accommodation tracking processes, and reviewing upcoming IEP responsibilities. By intentionally pacing the experience, leaders communicate that growth is expected and support is available. 

One of the most powerful things an administrator can say to a new special education teacher is, “You don't need to know everything today.” That simple message creates space for learning. It acknowledges the complexity of the role and reinforces that mistakes, questions, and uncertainty are all part of the process. When teachers feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to seek help, collaborate with colleagues, and remain engaged through challenges. 

Regardless of how many new school years we have experienced, it seems that every year there are elements of the new start we fail to recall or expect. We may even find ourselves thinking something along the lines of “Whoa, I forgot that my new students would be like this.”  

After all, the summer has given us psychological distance from the routines and realities of the classroom. We have had time to allow memories to fade and even for some assumptions to form. For example, we may assume—without reflection—that our new students will be like the students we sent on their way in May or June.  

It is true that each school year offers a new beginning. It also means we will be starting where we started last year, not where we ended. The students we will meet are likely to present several surprises, even though we may have been through this yearly cycle multiple times.  

As we prepare to meet our students, there are several realities to keep in mind to minimize surprises and be prepared for what lies ahead. Here are six start-of-the-new-year truths that are likely to mystify us if we are not ready to deal with them.  

Students will seem younger and less mature than we expect. We can easily forget that our new students are nearly a year younger than the students we finished with the previous year. While students’ appearance and behaviors may surprise us, they are likely to be just about where last year’s students were when the year began. As the year unfolds, we will again have a front-row seat as students grow, mature, and end the year in places not much different from those of the students we said goodbye to in the spring. 

Students will have forgotten more than we expect. Depending on the students’ summer, they may have had few opportunities to use, refresh, and build on what they learned last year. Consequently, some of what students knew and could do when school ended in the spring may not be immediately available to them when they return. Review, reinforcement, and even some reteaching will probably be required before students are ready to engage in new learning.  

Students’ readiness to learn will be more varied than we expect. Not unlike what students may have forgotten over the summer, they will return in the fall at different levels of readiness to learn. Some students may have had a traumatic summer, some may have lost skills due to neglect, and some may have had a stimulating, academically rich summer. A successful beginning to the new year will require understanding of where students are in their learning readiness and what we need to do to engage and support them. 

Students will take longer to learn and follow routines than we expect. Routines may have seemed like second nature by the time school ended in the spring. In fact, we may have had to give little thought to managing and reinforcing routines after students spent months in our presence and under our influence. Unfortunately, the students we encounter as school starts may be unfamiliar with our routines and expectations. Our challenge will be to return to the basics, explain the importance of routines, give students opportunities to practice, and provide ongoing guidance and feedback. Of course, they will also need our patience. 

Students will be more anxious than we expect. We can forget that we represent a significant and even scary unknown to many students. They will be trying to figure out what life will be like in our presence. Some students may show far less anxiety than they feel. Other students may act out, seem distracted, or even be defiant as they sort through what to expect in the year ahead. Obviously, we need to do what we can to inform and reassure students about the rich, meaningful experiences we have planned and the accepting and supportive class community we intend to build.  

Student relationships will take longer to develop than we expect. By the end of the previous year, we had developed strong relationships with students. They had learned to trust us, feel free to take learning risks, and depend on us for understanding and support. Unfortunately, the new students with whom we will begin the year will not have had the experiences of last year’s class. They likely have had varying experiences with adults, some of which may leave them reluctant to form relationships. Our challenge is to understand that building relationships will take time and remind ourselves that the investment we make will help the year go better and our students to learn more. 

The beginning of a new school year is an exciting time. Months of discovery, engagement, challenge, and progress lie ahead. However, we must remember that each year, students come to us where last year’s class started, not where they ended. We need to give ourselves space and grace to find our way and our rhythm with this new group of students.

Habits are often formed without a deliberate decision or intent. We might find ourselves engaging in certain behaviors under certain circumstances, such as when we are upset, disappointed, frustrated, or hurt. However, once the situation has passed or the circumstances have changed, we might continue the behavior. Our sour attitude persists, our perspective remains negative, or our blaming continues.  

We might enter a cycle of behavior that feels natural, even though it may not be helpful or healthy. It is possible that we do not even realize what we are doing or how our behavior affects others. If left unaddressed, these negative, often self-defeating behaviors become established habits that persist unless we recognize their impact and commit to change.  

In many life contexts, people can choose to overlook negative habits or physically remove themselves from dealing with them. However, when certain habits carry over into teaching and leadership roles, they can be especially destructive. Students and colleagues do not always have choices to remove themselves and avoid the impact of the behavior. In fact, some behaviors can get in the way of our instruction and even undermine our students’ learning. Consequently, we need to be vigilant to ensure our behavior is healthy, helpful, and positive. Here are five of the most common negative behaviors that can become destructive habits, along with strategies to counter them.  

Sarcasm. This behavior can be subtle. In fact, it may initially surface as well-meaning humor. However, the impact often comes when, instead of being used as an intentional tool to relate to our snarkier students, it becomes a habit we employ thoughtlessly; then, it comes across as disrespectful and cutting, causing shame or hurt in its recipients. For example, saying “Nice of you to join us” when a student arrives late conveys anything but a welcoming gesture. Or joking “Well, that is one way to get it wrong” is not sending a message of support. Even though sarcastic remarks can at times elicit laughs and factor into relatability, especially for those of us who teach teens or pre-teens, they might more often undermine trust, discourage risk-taking, and strain relationships.   

Counter habit: Use neutral language rather than casting judgment. Replace with respect, authentic support, and warmth. 

Cynicism. While less overt than sarcasm, this behavior conveys low expectations and a dismissive attitude. The implication may be that nothing can be done, things cannot be changed, and efforts to make a difference will be fruitless. Statements such as “Most of them will not study anyway” and “We’ve tried that before; it never works” convey a lack of hope and can send students the message that they cannot or will not learn difficult things.  

Counter habit: Replace with credible optimism. Focus on conditions to make a difference. Think “not yet” rather than “not possible.” 

Emotional disengagement. The behavior shares some characteristics with sarcasm and cynicism, but it is even more passive. Emotional disengagement is often associated with burnout. It involves low levels of effort investment. It is often described as “going through the motions” or “mailing it in.” The behavior can involve mindlessly repeating lessons one may have taught dozens of times, letting expectations slip, and feeling bored. Students quickly sense when emotional disengagement becomes a pattern and often scale back their investment in effort in response.    

Counter habit: Focus on being present and creating moments that matter. Vary routines and explore new approaches.  

Assuming negative intentions. When students behave in unacceptable ways, refuse to commit to performing at their best, or fail to persist in the face of challenges, this habit assigns blame and metes out criticism. Rather than investigating the cause of the behavior, the conclusion is that the student chose to misbehave, was lazy, or did not care. Student behavior can result from a variety of factors, including some over which the student may have little or no control. Unfortunately, hastily drawn negative conclusions and unfounded blame often lead to emotional separation, resentment, and even reduced effort in the future.  

Counter habit: Replace immediate conclusions with curiosity. Pause and inquire before deciding. Separate student behavior from their identity.  

Excessive hurrying. We may feel as though we must rush to do all that is asked and expected of us. We might feel pressure to hurry through units or a series of lessons. We might find ourselves rushing through our reviews of student work and pressuring students to move faster in their learning. Unfortunately, pressing can mean superficial instruction and learning. Feedback to students may be perfunctory and generic. Students may feel that complete understanding and deep learning are not priorities. Unfortunately, the habit of rushing teaching and learning processes can exact a high price in missed learning.  

Counter habit: Think purposeful pacing over coverage. Focus on understanding, retention, and transfer over exposure. Remember: If it is worth doing, it is worth doing well.  

Habits can be helpful for instilling good practices and useful routines. However, they can also get in the way of what we want from our work and life. We need to be certain that they help us to think and grow, not become barriers to achieving what we want for ourselves and others in our lives.

Education can be a lonely profession, whether we are teachers, administrators, or other staff members. Trying to “go it alone” can be an expensive option for our emotional, mental, and physical health. During trying times, we need others to whom we can turn, those people who understand and who have something useful to offer. 

Because the nature and scope of the challenges and experiences we encounter vary, we may need various types of support. When we leave support-building efforts to chance or default to simply who is close to us, we risk not having the robust assistance we need. We must also build our support system before we find ourselves in need of it. 

So, how might we think about the components of a personal and professional support system? A useful way to approach the task is to consider support as concentric circles. The circles closest to us might be more personal and naturally occurring, while the outer circles are more professionally focused and intentionally built. Or we might start with the circles we feel we most immediately need and focus on other areas as time allows and as we are ready. The key is to start now, not wait until we are most in need of support. 

Here are six common forms of circles we might consider. Each circle serves a specific purpose and plays a unique role in our constellation of support. Some circles may have members in common with other circles—or they may even only contain one member. We may also find that we engage more than one support circle to address a unique need. The key is to decide what type of support we need, build it if it is not in place, and then, when needed, draw on that support without hesitation or guilt. 

Our Personal Support Circle 

This inner circle supports our emotional well-being. It includes our spouses, partners, family members, closest friends, and others who care about us first as people and then as educators. They help us to maintain our perspective, balance our emotions, and protect our mental health. People in this group might even nudge us to think and talk about more than work. They can share our victories, listen to our frustrations, and support us through difficult times. 

Our Colleague Circle 

Our colleagues understand our professional world, often sharing our experiences, frustrations, and celebrations. They may be sources of ideas, resources, and solutions to real-time challenges. Colleagues can offer emotional understanding and timely support. Their experiences often make them good sounding boards for our ideas, struggles, and musings. Equally important, members of our colleague circle can provide daily support and help us to feel less isolated, especially during difficult times. 

Our Mentor Circle 

Mentors are important resources regardless of where we are on our professional journey. They can be rich sources of wisdom and offer insightful guidance when we need it. Mentors can help us navigate unfamiliar situations and avoid common mistakes. They can help us to shorten learning curves and develop stable professional judgment. Multiple mentors often provide a diversity of thought and advice that surfaces a range of options and alternatives from which we can choose. However, we need to engage them early before crises fully develop or we might find ourselves backtracking on positions and decisions. 

Our Professional Learning Circle 

Not surprisingly, this circle includes professional learning communities, learning networks, professional organizations, book study groups, and others. Members of this circle help us remain current in our craft, avoid professional stagnation, consider the future of our profession and education, and look beyond immediate concerns and distractions. However, we need to move beyond discussion and debate about ideas to shift our practice and build our skills to gain maximum advantage from our professional learning circle. 

Our Challenge Circle 

This circle features people who have our best interests at heart and are also willing to challenge us to grow. They give us honest feedback and tell us what we need to hear, not just what we want to hear. Members of this circle may challenge our assumptions and beliefs. They nudge us to go beyond our comfort zone to try new approaches and ideas, even when we may initially stumble. 

Our Renewal Circle 

People in our renewal circle may share our hobbies, participate in our volunteer activities, be members of our exercise group, or support the causes we support. They may not be associated with our profession, and they may not directly contribute to improving our practice. Nevertheless, they help us to remain healthy, curious, and energized. They can also remind us that spending time away from work is important and not something to feel guilty about. However, we need to be fully present for them and for the activities we engage in if we hope to reap maximum benefits. 

What is the state of your support system? Which circles of support do you have in place? What is missing? Where do you need to give attention and invest your efforts now? Summer is a great time to reflect on the support system around you and begin building it where it may need strengthening. Of course, we also need to regularly renew our existing circles of support to keep them healthy, vibrant, and ready to access when we need them. 

Artificial intelligence can do many things, but it cannot lead—not in a classroom, not in a school, not in a district. AI can generate information, analyze data, summarize knowledge, and even mimic expertise, but it cannot read a room, exercise contextual judgment, or demonstrate emotional stability and wisdom. It is not a leader. 

Leadership is a complex, uniquely human behavior. In fact, rather than replacing leadership, the rise of AI has magnified its importance. Our students, staff, and communities want to know that we understand what matters to them and that we will be there for them. They want assurance that we can handle complex and emotional situations, and they want to feel that we are capable and trustworthy. These elements cannot be handled by technology.  

Consequently, now is the time to really, truly lead. The clarity, credibility, and conviction we bring to our work cannot be easily replaced by technology. People want leaders to whom they can turn in times of confusion, drama, and pressure. This is our opportunity.  

The truth is that as the capacity of artificial intelligence grows, so does the need for insightful, stable, skilled leaders. Consider these ways in which leadership becomes even more important and valued in an era of artificial intelligence. 

Judgment gains importance when information is abundant.  

Leadership gains value by demonstrating discernment, wisdom, and contextual understanding while considering information that AI can provide. Knowledge and expertise remain important when integrated with AI, but the value leaders add becomes less driven by their knowledge. Asking the right questions, navigating ambiguity, and making sound decisions in the face of uncertainty and competing priorities matter even more.  

The value of trust grows with the proliferation of auto-generated content. 

Incidents of deepfakes, hallucinations, and algorithmic decision-making raise caution and skepticism about the information AI produces. Trust remains among the most valuable currencies in organizations. Consequently, leaders who communicate openly, consistently, and authentically come to be increasingly relied on. People are more likely to assume credibility based on their emotions than to evaluate it solely on an intellectual level.  

Calmness and consistency are crucial in times of complexity and constant change.  

AI is accelerating the pace and breadth of change for most institutions and industries, including education. Rapid change inevitably generates confusion, fear, resistance, and fatigue. Leaders can provide stability and reassurance by projecting calm, consistency, and clarity. The key is not to pretend to have all the answers. Curiosity, adaptability, intellectual humility, and commitment to learning are increasingly important and impactful leadership behaviors.  

Genuine human connections mean more in the context of AI-simulated emotions. 

AI can simulate empathy and understanding, but artificial, mechanical emotions have limits and often lead to disappointment and a lack of fulfillment. They are poor substitutes for genuine emotional safety, human connection, and meaningful relationships. Leaders can offer authentic attentiveness, genuine care, and emotional intelligence that technology cannot fully replicate. People want to be seen, experience hope, and feel psychological safety in ways that only humans can provide.  

Real communication is even more important in an era of auto-generated content. 

It is true that AI can make communication easier and more efficient. It can produce polished emails, professional-looking presentations, and succinct reports. However, the presence of these tools also makes meaningful communication even more valuable. People want to feel connections that are authentic, deeply human, and emotionally fulfilling. Leaders can tap into the benefits AI offers, but the communication that matters most is an extension of who they are and what they value, and it reflects the connections they make with their audience. 

Ethical leadership is crucial to evaluate machine-generated advice and direction.  

AI can be vulnerable to bias, dismissive of privacy, insensitive to equity, and unconcerned with human dignity. Technical competence is not a substitute for moral clarity and ethical considerations. Leaders can ensure alignment with values, exercise the courage to make principled decisions, and model other behaviors that protect and value those who depend on them to guide and serve in ways that reflect everyone’s best hopes and highest expectations. 

As technology continues to advance and get better at generating information and providing answers, people will increasingly seek and value leadership that features the human qualities of wisdom, curiosity, empathy, vision, and trust. Now is the time to embrace our role and lead with humility, authenticity, and courage. 

One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is hearing from former students about the profound and lasting impact we have had on their lives. They might describe a characteristic or value we demonstrated and instilled in them, emphasize the impact of a special project or challenge we presented that convinced them of what they could achieve, or they might tell us of how really seeing and believing in them and their potential gave them confidence to shift their perspective and aspire to more than they had imagined possible. The list could go on.  

However, it all begs the question: What is it that we do that can have such a life-changing, lifelong impact? We may not see or understand the influence we have on some students in real time. We might never know our impact on others. Yet, we have the opportunity every day, every week, and every year to change students’ lives and give them access to possibilities that never would have occurred to them without spending time with and learning from us.  

So, what are some of the most impactful behaviors in which teachers engage that hold the potential to change lives? Here are five behaviors people point to when describing educators whose imprint shifted the trajectory of their lives.  

“Seeing” students. Students want to feel seen. They seek reassurance that they are worthy and matter. For students who often do not feel seen, the experience can make an outsized difference. Having teachers greet them by name, be interested in and remember details about their lives, and notice when something is bothering or distracting them communicates the message that “You matter to me.” Being truly seen can be enough to carry students through a difficult time and give them confidence to keep on keeping on. 

Believing in students. All students want teachers who believe in them, but for students who do not yet believe in themselves, the experience can be transforming. Having an important person in their lives see potential they have not considered or believed they possess opens new possibilities and freedom to dream. When students do not yet believe in themselves, a teacher’s confidence can serve as borrowed confidence until they do. When students feel the confidence of a trusted adult, they can aspire to high standards, knowing they can succeed.  

Being fully present for students. Having someone’s full attention and commitment to understand can be a rare and precious gift, especially for students with few caring adults in their lives. Students remember teachers who were mentally in sync with them rather than rushed, distracted, or detached. Teachers who are ready to listen, engage, and assist are important and appreciated, especially when students are facing life challenges, confused, or in crisis.  

Refusing to give up on students. Teachers who remain committed, nudge students to do their best, and always get better matter to students. Students can become discouraged, convinced they cannot succeed, and may even want to abandon the struggle altogether. Often, it is a teacher who refuses to believe that success is not possible, insists on continued effort, suggests different strategies and approaches, and encourages students to persist until success is achieved. Memories of these struggles and pride in the outcome can build lifelong gratitude.  

Modeling integrity and grace for students. Students notice when a teacher’s words match their actions—or when they don’t. Authenticity creates credibility. Students want to be confident that what a teacher tells them is what the teacher believes and lives. Students notice how teachers behave under pressure. Times of crisis, conflict, and drama are times when students pay particular attention to teacher behavior. Grace under pressure makes an impact. Calmness during emotional storms creates emotional and psychological safety and engenders confidence. Students often aspire to emulate the models of integrity and grace they were exposed to early in life.  

The truth is that we have more influence on students’ lives than we realize. Unfortunately, we are unlikely to know the full impact we have had on the aspirations, achievements, and life views of most students we have taught and nurtured. However, if all or most of these five behaviors are part of our approach to students and our work, we can be confident that our influence is wide and profound for an inestimable number of students.