A Thanksgiving Reflection on the Daily Work We Do

Thanksgiving came and went, and like many leaders in schools, I found myself thinking about the work we do and the people who do it every day. This time of year always pulls me into a quieter kind of gratitude. Not the gratitude that comes from a big celebration, but the kind that grows from small moments, quiet progress, and the steady effort that holds a school together.

Our jobs are hard. They stretch us in ways that most people never see. We carry hundreds of stories, hopes, worries and situations in our minds while trying to create a place where students feel safe, supported, and ready to grow. The pressure can feel heavy at times. Yet the work remains some of the most meaningful work anyone can do.

What I kept coming back to this Thanksgiving is how leadership is often about impact we cannot measure in the moment. Not every change is visible right away. Not every success is loud. Much of what we build in our schools is felt long before it is seen.

We see it in the student who slowly finds confidence.
We see it in the student who finally asks for help.
We see it in the student who begins to believe in their own potential.

These moments are real, even when they are quiet.

As educators and leaders, we plant seeds we may not watch grow. We create systems, relationships, and structures that shape students long after they leave our classrooms and hallways. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to see the impact years later when a former student comes back to visit. They share who they have become. They share the moment, the teacher, or the experience that helped shift something in them. They tell us that something we did stayed with them.

Those moments are reminders of why the work matters. They are reminders that our presence has weight. They are reminders that our choices ripple out in ways we may never fully know.

This Thanksgiving, I felt grateful for that privilege. I felt grateful for the teachers who show up with heart even on the hard days. I felt grateful for the staff who work quietly behind the scenes to keep a school running. I felt grateful for the students who trust us with their stories and their growth. And I felt grateful for the chance to lead in a place where the work is challenging, meaningful, and deeply human.

The work we do is not always easy, but it is always important. It shapes lives. It creates opportunities. It opens futures. And even when we cannot see the full impact, we can feel it.

As we move into the rest of the school year, my hope is that we hold on to those moments of gratitude. They steady us. They remind us of the bigger picture. And they help us keep leading with clarity, compassion, and purpose.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who gives their heart to this work. You make more of a difference than you realize!