Susan McCandless

Principals are often encouraged to visit classrooms because that's how they provide instructional leadership. And that's true. But I think there's another reason principals should spend time in classrooms. To remind themselves just how difficult teaching really is. Last year, I wrote an entire book on instructional leadership. I get it. Classroom visits provide valuable opportunities to observe instruction, engage in meaningful conversations about teaching and learning, and support teacher growth. But there's something else that happens when principals spend time in classrooms. They are reminded of the challenges teachers navigate every single day. The challenge of providing individualized support to a struggling student while keeping 25 other students engaged. The challenge of responding to disruptive behavior without derailing an entire lesson. The challenge of capturing the attention of students who are accustomed to the constant stimulation of their phones. And the challenge of doing all of this while trying to deliver a meaningful learning experience for every student in the room. Classroom visits shouldn't just make principals better instructional leaders. They should make them more empathetic leaders. More supportive. More understanding. More gracious. And more appreciative of the incredible work their teachers do every day. So here's a shoutout to the principals who make classroom visits a priority. Not just to observe instruction. Not just to complete feedback forms. Not just to identify areas for improvement. But to stay connected to the work of teaching… and to the people doing that work. Rock on, Danny

Limiting school suspensions is not the answer. When people argue that suspensions “don’t help the student who misbehaves,” they often forget about the students who are there to learn. Negative behavior impacts the entire class, not just the one student causing the disruption.

Why I Love Public Schools My answer is simple. Because I've seen what happens inside schools that most people never get to see. The headlines rarely tell the whole story. Most people don't realize that public schools are one of the few places in our society that welcome every child, regardless of ability, income, language, disability, background, or circumstance. Every child. If a student has autism, ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, depression, a traumatic past, a medical condition, or a physical disability, public schools don't get to choose whether to serve them. They do. Every single day. If a student is exceptionally gifted and needs greater academic challenges, schools work to provide those opportunities, too. Through IEPs, 504 Plans, gifted programming, counseling, speech therapy, occupational therapy, school psychology, nursing services, social work, behavioral supports, English learner services, and countless other programs, educators work tirelessly to meet thousands of individual needs. That is an incredible responsibility. Here's something else many people don't know: Our teachers are among the most educated professionals in the workforce. More than half of public school teachers have earned master's degrees or higher, and nearly every school administrator holds graduate degrees with many completing specialist or doctoral programs. These are highly trained professionals who could have chosen careers with higher salaries and fewer demands. Instead, they chose children. Research consistently shows that the single most important school-based factor affecting student achievement is the quality of the teacher standing in front of the classroom. Think about that for a moment. One caring, knowledgeable, encouraging teacher can literally change the trajectory of a child's life. I've seen it happen thousands of times. I've watched teachers buy winter coats with their own money. I've watched custodians quietly become mentors. I've watched bus drivers become the safest adult in a child's day. I've watched cafeteria workers learn every student's name. I've watched counselors save lives. I've watched school nurses comfort frightened children like they were their own. I've watched paraprofessionals celebrate the smallest victories that most people would never notice. I've watched principals lose sleep because they couldn't stop thinking about a struggling student or staff member. None of those moments show up on a standardized test. Every year, millions of students graduate from public schools and go on to become architects, nurses, electricians, plumbers, engineers, teachers, therapists, entrepreneurs, military service members, first responders, artists, scientists, mechanics, parents, physicians, and community leaders. They build our homes. They care for us when we're sick. They protect our communities. They invent, create, teach, lead, and serve. And almost every one of them can point to a public school educator who believed in them before they believed in themselves. Are public schools perfect? Of course not. No organization made up of millions of human beings ever is. There is always room to improve, innovate, and do better. But don't let the challenges overshadow the extraordinary work happening every single day in classrooms across this country. Every morning, before the sun comes up, millions of educators walk into school with one goal: To make life a little better for someone else's child. That deserves our respect. That deserves our gratitude. And that deserves far more attention than it receives. To every teacher, school counselor, social worker, psychologist, paraprofessional, nurse, secretary, custodian, cafeteria worker, bus driver, coach, administrator, and support staff member... Thank you. Thank you for believing in children. Thank you for seeing potential where others sometimes see problems. Thank you for choosing a profession that changes lives, often without recognition.