Every person deserves the opportunity to thrive in the learning ecosystems designed to meet their needs every day. These spaces should inspire and empower, creating opportunities for growth for every learner. But thriving isn’t just about the systems we design—it’s about the mindset we bring.

What does it truly mean to thrive in our learning ecosystems? This week, I saw teachers step out of their comfort zones, asking questions like, “What if we…?” and “How about we try…?” As educators, we got into this profession to model that learning is infinite. It’s a journey marked by perseverance, flexibility, and the courage to fall and rise again.

Creating learning ecosystems can serve as vessels of growth, where every person, educator and student is both teacher and learner. When we embrace this, the weight of being the sole expert lifts off our shoulders, opening doors to collective flourishing. In her book Arise, Elena Aguilar reminds us: “There’s generally an agreement that educators need more knowledge, skills, practice, and support after they enter the profession. Malcolm Gladwell calculates that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master a complex skill. Teachers want this professional growth; they want to be more effective, implement new skills, and see students be successful.”

If deliberate practice is key to mastery, then professional growth must be intentional, reflective, and supported—much like the coaching mindset that encourages educators to take risks and learn collaboratively. 

Have you ever wondered what might be possible if we approached professional learning with the same curiosity and humility we hope to see in our students?

This week, I witnessed teachers step out of their comfort zones, share how their students opened their eyes to new perspectives, plan purposeful lessons embedded with high-leverage practices, and lean on each other through vulnerable conversations. I saw them take small but mighty steps toward innovation because they believed in their capacity to grow. In the midst of this, I overheard powerful prompts driving their collaboration: “What if we…?” “I wonder if…?” “What if we refine…?” “How about we try…?” These moments of curiosity and possibility within our learning ecosystem revealed the profound impact of a collective commitment to growth.

As a former instructional coach, I understand the benefits of leading with a coaching mindset. Those of you who have followed my writing already know this! When we model vulnerability, curiosity, and a willingness to embrace discomfort, we create a ripple effect. By caring deeply for the educators we serve, we empower them to care deeply for their students. 

As Ryan Holiday reminds us in his book The Obstacle is the Way: “Whatever we face, we have a choice: will we be blocked by obstacles, or will we advance through and overcome them?” Opportunity lives inside obstacles. By leaning into challenges, we cultivate our learning ecosystems and the conditions for meaningful growth.

Adam Grant reminds us in Hidden Potential: “You can’t tell where people will land from where they begin. With the right opportunity and motivation to learn, anyone can build the skills to achieve greater things.” We must lead with this belief at our core that every educator has untapped potential waiting to flourish with the right support.

In my book, The Leader Inside, I share this reflection: “Within every role you serve are opportunities that invite you to think about the educator you were and who you want to be.” This is the heart of a coaching mindset. It’s about seeing every challenge, every triumph, and every moment in between as an invitation to grow into the leader you aspire to be.

Every day, we stand at a crossroads within our learning ecosystems: Will we allow obstacles to block us, or will we find the opportunities within them? 

When we see every struggle as a step toward progress, we build resilience, not just in ourselves but in everyone we lead. Let’s lean into growth and model the mindset we want to see in others. The learning ecosystems we cultivate today will not only inspire educators and students but also ignite endless possibilities for tomorrow.

Three Coaching Moves to Empower Learning Ecosystems Tomorrow:

1. Ask Questions That Help Others Flourish: Facilitate reflective conversations by using open-ended coaching prompts like, “What is something your students taught you this week?” or “What’s one instructional move you’re curious to try but unsure where to start?” HERE are three coaching moves to help others flourish as shared in my post, Helping Others Flourish. These questions encourage teachers to explore their learning within the ecosystem, fostering trust and collaborative growth.
2. Model Risk-Taking Within the Ecosystem: Step into a classroom to co-teach or demonstrate a strategy, embracing vulnerability and a willingness to learn alongside others. For example, I’ve stepped into classrooms to model high-leverage practices such as interactive read-alouds to help students develop fluency, oral language, vocabulary, and comprehension. I’ve also demonstrated instructional approaches tied to professional learning experiences, such as explicit phonics instruction. I have also asked other teachers to model risk-taking with me during lab site visits. This enables teachers to learn from each other and cross-pollinate ideas. By modeling these practices and sharing our own experiences of taking professional risks, we invite teachers to reflect on how even small changes in their own methods can create powerful ripple effects across the learning ecosystem.
3. Celebrate Collective Progress and Connections: Recognize and celebrate examples of collaboration and mutual support among educators. For instance, acknowledge a team that successfully adapted a high-leverage practice or share a story of two educators who worked together to overcome a challenge. Recently, in a department meeting, teachers collaboratively used Padlet to showcase various diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments. This activity not only highlighted diverse pathways for students to demonstrate their learning but also celebrated the creativity and contributions of their peers. Also, you can encourage teachers to write letters of gratitude—to themselves and to others—as a way to reflect on and honor their growth and the support they’ve received. As I discuss in my post Defining Moments, these acts of recognition build connections and reinforce the importance of small, purposeful steps in fostering growth within the ecosystem.