The Master Teacher Blog

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. 

Great educators come in many forms and from varied backgrounds, and they often display unique characteristics, styles, and other idiosyncrasies. They may be a little quirky, have unusual habits, or dress in ways that are out of the norm, or they may look, act, and engage students in their own version of a more traditional manner. However, despite their variations, they share several crucial characteristics, including language that builds trust, encourages and reinforces effort, and stretches students’ thinking.  

Of course, some students may be intrigued by quirkiness, and others may appreciate those more traditional perspectives and styles. Regardless, students universally want to feel trust, be supported, and be challenged in ways that lead to success, even when their behavior at the moment signals something else. Whether you are a teacher, an administrator, or another school staff member, the greatest educators use language that conveys these core elements and assurances. Here are nine examples of phrases and questions that send these crucial messages to students (or colleagues!): 

The words and phrases we use every day influence the culture and learning conditions in our classrooms. Consequently, it is worth asking ourselves what our go-to phrases are and how they support or distract from our students’ learning. Even small shifts in our language can make a big difference in learning.

When students come to us with a heavy problem or challenging circumstance, we need to understand and consider what the student wants and needs before choosing how to respond. Is this a situation in which the student just needs us to understand and try to relate to what they face? Does the student face a circumstance in which they are seeking our caring and assistance? Or might this be a situation in which the student needs our active support on their behalf? In short, do they need to feel our empathy? Are they in need of our compassion? Or do they need our advocacy? 

We might think that the necessary type of response should be obvious. Yet there is often more at stake than is immediately clear. Further, the way in which we choose to respond can have larger impacts on our relationship with the student and their growth and well-being than we might initially perceive. Let’s examine these three emotional and behavioral connectors, when they are best employed, and common mistakes associated with them.  

Empathy communicates our understanding of how the student is feeling. Our goal with this approach is to build trust and make a connection. Empathy is communicated through a combination of active listening and behavioral observation. Beyond seeking to understand what students say, their behavior can offer clues to deepen our understanding, and inconsistencies between what a student says and their nonverbal behavior can be a clue that something more is going on. 

Empathy provides assurance that we hear and care. However, it does not necessarily extend to intervention or acting on behalf of the student. In fact, while a student may seek our empathy, they may resist our direct involvement in the situation they face or what they are experiencing. We need to be cautious about assuming that a student coming to us with a problem implies that they want our advice, involvement, or for us to assume control of the situation. A good way to avoid such a misstep is to ask the student what they would like from us before making any assumptions or taking any action. 

Compassion goes beyond listening and understanding and communicates our active caring and desire to help. Our goal is to offer our emotional support and respond to the circumstance the student faces. However, we may need to begin by practicing empathy to gain an understanding of the situation and what is troubling the student. We might demonstrate compassion by providing active support or forgiveness, or by removing barriers or providing flexibility where needed. We might also show compassion by occasionally checking in on or following up with students to understand if something more is needed and how they are doing.

Of course, the nature and extent of our compassion also rest on our perspective on the situation. We want to provide support and assistance when needed, but we also need to avoid undermining the student’s application of life skills such as planning, decision making, and accepting consequences. We might need to moderate our compassion in pursuit of helping the student to build resilience and manage life’s challenges. 

Advocacy takes the next step of becoming actively involved on behalf of the student. Advocacy rests on understanding gained through empathy and demonstrates our compassion, but it goes farther than empathy and compassion to include action on behalf of the student. Our goal is to exercise our voice, access, and power to make a difference where the student cannot. We may approach someone with decision-making authority to speak on behalf of the student. We might connect the student with resources or personnel who can help. Or we might press for changes in policies and rules that adversely affect the student or students.

However, we need to be careful not to have our advocacy undermine the agency and confidence of students to advocate for themselves. We can become so emotionally involved and committed that we confuse whose needs we are attempting to meet. Our advocacy is most effective when it achieves the outcome needed while also involving the student and building their skills to advocate for themselves.   

Of course, the lines between and among empathy, compassion, and advocacy are often blurred. We may begin with empathy that grows into compassion. Ultimately, we may choose to advocate. Depending on the circumstance, the needs of the student, and our relationship with them, any or all these responses may be appropriate. Regardless, we want students to feel seen, heard, supported, and championed when they need it.  

There are days when we may not feel particularly powerful. We may struggle to gain the level of attention we seek, the cooperation we need, and the results we desire. Of course, the diverse personalities, lives, and current moods of our students, as well as our preparation and disposition, each play a role in how the day unfolds and how productive we feel and are.  

Nevertheless, there are sources of power we can tap to counter and overcome many of the challenges we face and increase the impact of our efforts. In fact, experts note that teachers as leaders in the classroom possess three potentially potent sources of power: Positional power, influential power, and network power. Each of these sources can provide crucial elements of influence important to effective classroom management and productive instruction.  

Fortunately, these sources of power do not compete. In fact, their presence can complement each other. When combined, they can offer substantial and sustained support to our teaching impact and classroom management. Let’s examine these three types of power and how they can provide us with the influence we need to be successful with students.  

Positional power is derived from the institution.  Teachers possess a measure of this type of power by virtue of their position of authority in schools and classrooms. The position permits teachers to set expectations, establish classroom-based structures and routines, make instructional and grading decisions, establish classroom level policies, and determine other formal roles, rules, and responsibilities. This power is most effective when exercised with consistency, purpose, and predictability. Effective use of positional power helps to protect and employ learning time efficiently, promote stability and safety, and clarify acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Positional power is most useful when it is used to create clarity rather than to primarily exercise control.   

Influential power finds its source in teacher characteristics and behaviors. Influential power is the ability to persuade. It draws from familiar elements of persuasion: Ethos, pathos, and logos, or credibility, emotion, and logic. We build influential power through the demonstration of competence, coaching and modeling, relationship building, empathy and encouragement, and other interpersonal behaviors that communicate caring, credibility, and consistency. Influential power supplements positional power by building and leveraging influence rather than defaulting to formal authority. Influential power can support our efforts to motivate students, build engagement, and encourage learning risk-taking. Influential power is best suited for shifting from a compliance-based classroom culture to one based on commitment.  

Network power relies on and draws from relationships, connections, and collaboration. Network power leverages partnerships with parents, other staff members and coaches, community connections, and others in the lives of students who hold positions of influence and opportunity. Often there are others in the lives of students who can provide support beyond what we can offer, who have the potential to influence students in ways not available to us, and who may see elements and aspects of students’ lives that can inform and support our efforts. Students exist in a world larger than the classroom or school; network power can activate sources of influence that exist in the broader world where students listen, learn, and respond. Network power takes a wholistic approach to supporting and influencing students. 

As noted earlier, each source of power is important to our success. They are not in competition. In fact, when employed thoughtfully and consistently, each source of power can support and complement the others. However, there are some cautions to observe:

• Our powers need to be grounded in caring and support, not manipulation.
• Trust is crucial to the effective exercise of any of the three sources of power.
• We need to avoid overuse or becoming overly reliant on any one source of power. 
• Neglecting any of the sources of power can diminish the impact of other sources.
• When we experience what feels like reduced power, we may need to examine all three sources to understand and shift the situation.  

Of course, there are other sources of power—intimidation, coercion, threat—that can seem as though they are effective in the moment, but they carry significant risks of backfiring and creating resistance and resentment. Our best course of action is to draw on sources of power that are grounded in respect, transparency, and trust.