From the moment you enter school, you are faced with experiences and people who will impact the trajectory of your life. These memories shape your identity and help you reflect on the decisions you choose to make. When those doors open, every interaction, big or small, has the potential to become your story. These collective experiences are the stories that live in your heart and mind, and will ultimately be passed down from one generation to the next. In the bestselling book Big Potential, happiness researcher Shawn Achor, shares, “Success is not about how creative or smart you are, but how well you connect with, contribute to, and benefit from the ecosystem of people around you.”

These stories are the legacies, YOU, great educators leave behind as you possess the greatest gift: the ability to create meaningful moments that set your students on a path to self-discovery. These moments leave a profound impact on those you serve. 

Can you visualize and feel the moments I am talking about?

When you take a journey back in time, can you still see and hear the educators who believed in your gifts and unleashed the teacher and leader inside you?

I can. My story starts at a young age. When I close my eyes, I can still see myself sitting at my desk in my 4th-grade classroom. I don’t remember other classrooms as vividly as I remember this one. I can clearly see my teacher, Mrs. Roth, greeting me at the door, wearing a genuine smile of hope, and offering sincere nods of encouragement. I can still feel her positive spirit infusing my own.

So, when you are lucky enough to have teachers with high emotional intelligence, they can be more responsive and less reactive to your needs. For example, there were times I could feel myself losing the confidence I needed when learning new things or doing hard things. Regardless of how I felt, Mrs. Roth showed me appreciation for the person I had the potential to become and the future teacher I didn’t know I was going to be. As David Brooks shares in his bestselling book, How to Know a Person, “There is one skill at the center of any healthy family, company, classroom, community, university, or nation: the ability to see someone else deeply, to know another person profoundly, to make them feel heard and understood.”

For instance, I was a struggling reader, who lacked the stamina to persevere through a reading or writing task. When Mrs. Roth saw my head meeting my desk, I heard, “Lauren, you can do this. You’re a reader. Lauren, yes, you can do this. You’re a writer.” When I was charged with the privilege of reading aloud to younger students to instill a love of reading while improving my own reading abilities, I would hear, “Lauren, yes, you can do this. Those little ones look up to you. You’re a role model. You’re a teacher and a leader.”

Last year, I was invited to speak to a group of high school students who are in The Future Teachers Club led by a great teacher and aspiring leader. As I write this, I am still captivated by the idea that there are high school students who know they want to be the teachers of tomorrow. They are choosing to become woven into the fabric of the most gratifying profession I can think of. I can say with conviction, that when I was their age, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be because I was still discovering who I was supposed to be. After sharing my own educational journey, I posed the following question to the future teachers who sat before me: When you think back to your fondest memories in school, what experiences do you remember the most?

Some of the responses I heard from this group of aspiring teachers included sentiments such as:

I remember high school teachers asking me how I was feeling today and really meant it. They made an effort to connect with me.

I remember my 5th-grade teacher going above and beyond to plan fun and exciting lessons for my class because she cared that we had fun while we learned.

My 6th-grade teacher was so funny, but she was also kind. I remember wondering about what Ms. Smith would say as I joyfully skipped to her class. On any given day I could count on her to make me laugh, a welcomed experience, especially on the days I felt stressed and needed it the most.

Here’s what I didn’t hear them say:

I didn’t hear them recall any specific details of a particular lesson their teachers planned and executed. 

I didn’t hear about a particular standard that was being addressed or about a rubric that was used to help students work towards mastery of a particular skill. 

I didn’t hear about them feeling a sense of accomplishment for doing well on an assessment. 

Does that diminish the importance of those elements? Of course not. They are essential tools to guide students to reach their social, emotional, and intellectual potential. 

The theme that resonated most was that their teachers made intentional efforts to connect with the human beings they are and helped shape and influence who they want to be.

Moving Forward

Great teachers should be appreciated and valued every day, However, as we embark on Teacher Appreciation week, I invite you to do the following:

Thank a teacher because you are living your life by leading with empathy and kindness.

Thank a teacher because you have an understanding of the value of connection and cultivating strong relationships with the people who cross your path.

Thank a teacher because you can be vulnerable. You can name and feel your emotions and navigate them with intention and purpose. 

Thank a teacher because you are not afraid to capitalize on your curiosity, pursue your passions, and embrace the learner you are still becoming.

Thank a teacher, knowing that throughout your life you will meet more who will recognize and help you share your gifts, enabling you to bring out the best in others.

So I ask, what intentional experiences are great teachers creating in your classrooms and schools to inspire you to become the torchbearers of the next generation?

From the first moment you stepped into a school, someone was there, setting the stage for these impactful connections—just as they were for me, and just as you might be for future generations.

Actionable Ideas to Implement Tomorrow 1. Reflect and Reach Out: Take a moment to reflect on the teachers who have made a significant impact on your life. Write a personal note or email to at least one of these educators, expressing your gratitude for their influence on your journey. Share specific memories where their guidance was pivotal, echoing the themes of connection and appreciation you highlighted. 2. Create a Meaningful Moment: Inspired by the meaningful moments your teachers created for you, plan a small but significant act of kindness or encouragement for someone in your current environment. This could be a coworker, a family member, or even a stranger. The goal is to pass on the legacy of empathy and understanding that great teachers embody.