Why Gratitude is the Ultimate End-of-Year Metric

As the final weeks of the academic year approach, the “educational engine” typically hits its highest RPM. We are buried in finish lines: finals, graduations, closing out budgets, and checking off state mandates. In the rush to finish, we often forget to look back.

I recently sat down for lunch with the “Red Team”—the group of educators I had the honor of working with during my first five years in the classroom. Though we are all now retired, that hour of connection reminded me that while initiatives and standards change, the human residue of our work does not.

The Letter in the Drawer

During our lunch, we revisited a letter a student wrote to our team in June of 1996. Re-reading those typewritten pages (shared below) was a powerful reminder of what actually “sticks” when a student leaves our hallways.

“You care about us students. Good grades or bad, you treat every one of us as we are a part of your family… Every day teachers like you give me the ambition to come to school.”

In 1996, we weren’t talking about “Social-Emotional Learning” as a buzzword. We were simply practicing it. This student didn’t write to us about a specific textbook chapter; they wrote about how we supported them through the passing of their grandfather. They wrote about the “team room” where they felt safe, and they even poked a little fun at my own tendency to “smile a lot.”

Beyond the Data

As a former Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent, I’ve spent decades looking at data. Data is necessary, but it is rarely the thing that inspires a student to have the “ambition to come to school.”

As we close out this year, I challenge my fellow leaders to look for those small, quiet instances of connection that don’t show up on a spreadsheet but define a student’s entire educational experience.

A Practice of Reflection

Reflecting on the Red Team taught me three things that I believe remain vital for any 21st-century leader:

1. Teams, Not Islands: We survived and thrived because we were a team. We shared the burden of our students’ struggles and the joy of their successes.
2. The Legacy of Presence: Being a “model educator” isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being present. It’s about the softball conversations and the smiles in the hallway.
3. Gratitude as a Foundation: Taking the time to thank those who “raised” you in this profession—as I did with my teammates today—recharges your own battery for the year ahead.

The Next Connection

To the Red Team: thank you for setting me on my path. And to the educators currently in the thick of the May/June “sprint”: take a moment to breathe. Look for the students who might be writing you a mental letter right now. You are making an impact that will be remembered long after the “what’s next” fears of your students have faded.

What memories are fueling your reflection this year? I’d love to hear about the “Red Teams” in your life.