As I kick off the sixth year of my annual tradition of choosing a word of focus, I have landed on "dream." This year is all about possibilities and opportunities that spark vitality and purpose. A pivotal moment occurred when I stumbled upon a 1998 radio interview (from the late 1900’s as the kids say these days), where the speaker shared four questions to test the authenticity of one's dreams. With these questions in hand, direction for the year becomes clearer.

Education is a vibrant world filled with challenges that educators, school districts, and communities constantly navigate. To thrive in this landscape, a clear dedication to purpose is essential. We don't just embrace this dedication; it lives by it through a powerful mantra: URRY, which stands for "You are our why." This simple yet powerful phrase drives our mission to support educators, foster leadership, and provide services and products that enhance schools and communities.

Are you committed or are you compliant? What does that mean in terms of leadership and as an employee?

Gratitude is such a strange and powerful concept; that by merely expressing kindness and appreciation toward another, the act of gratitude happens to also produce so much personal satisfaction. A person can “accidentally” make themself feel good by intentionally making someone else feel valued. Considering how blessed my life has been and what a joy it brings me, I don’t dole out gratitude nearly often enough.

In today’s fast-paced world it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that we need to be busy all the time to be successful. We cram as much as we can into our schedules (and into our kids schedules) trying to achieve more each day. However, this constant busyness can leave us feeling drained, overwhelmed, underwhelmed, and unfulfilled.

A problem I see with too many dissatisfied educators is they’re talking to the wrong people about it. For example a “dirty laundry” tweet to 3,000 isn’t as effective as an uncomfortable conversation with 1 person.