While drinking my morning coffee and listening to the news, I heard it reported that my local area school district is stating their resignations from teachers are up nearly 80% over the previous year. I read an article recently in Ed Week sharing results of a recent survey related to teacher job satisfaction. As someone who has spent their entire life in public education, headlines like “Teacher Job Satisfaction Hits an All-Time Low” will certainly grab my attention. I found it alarming that only 12% of those surveyed reported ‘highly satisfied’ with their jobs. When I began my teaching career that number was around 54% and was nearly 62% when I started my administrative career. Here is a link to the article if you’d like to check it out, it’s a great read.

If you’re like me, you are probably tired of the deflating narrative around public education. I could elaborate here, but you know what I’m talking about. Allowing the story of education to be primarily told by those outside of our schools and classrooms is negligent on our part as professionals. So we must to take control of the narrative and tell the stories from inside the walls. But, which stories are the ones that move the needle?

I’m working on a list of these, perhaps for a book down the road. I’ve started adding it into my speaking routine, because I really believe in the importance of storytelling. As a speaker, I want to help solve problems, in this case the negative view the general public has of education.

I previously shared with you the importance of your origin story. (see Origin Story post here) Now, I want to share another important story to tell with you. Tell your defining moment story. We all have them, folks! Those moments in time when we feel the shift, that moment when it all changed. These defining moments in our careers and in our schools can be moments of tragedy. They might be triumphant times that leave folks with tears of joy. They could even be something that may not register for some but, for you, are the true moments of shift. As an assistant principal working to shift the culture of the school in which I worked, there was a strong, defining moment that occured that made the efforts we had put in place to change our culture from toxic to inclusive and supportive. I can try and write out the story (it is referenced in my book, Road to Awesome) but I’d rather share this video with you.

Check it out…this is what I would challenge you to find. What is YOUR defining moment?

Have a #RoadToAwesome week my friends

Darrin