Day 100: When Motivation Fades and Purpose Matters

Day 100 of the school year always sneaks up on us.

The energy of September is long gone.
Thanksgiving feels like a lifetime ago.
Spring break is visible… but still out of reach.

Day 100 isn’t about counting days anymore—it’s about endurance.

That’s one of the reasons I wrote A Teacher’s Q.U.E.S.T.

Not as a “fix everything” book.
Not as a hype speech.
But as a guide for the long middle of the year—the part no one prepares you for.

In the book, Q.U.E.S.T. stands for:

• Question what’s really draining you instead of just pushing through

• Understand your students, your systems, and yourself more deeply

• Explore new approaches, perspectives, and small shifts

• Solutions that are realistic, not idealistic

• Test what works for you and your classroom

Day 100 is where this process matters most.

This is the point in the year where teaching stops being about inspiration and starts being about intention. Where we move from “How do I survive?” to “How do I finish strong?”

If you’re tired, you’re not broken.
If you’re questioning things, you’re not failing.
You’re simply in the middle—and the middle is where growth, clarity, and change begin.

My hope is that A Teacher’s Q.U.E.S.T. isn’t something you read once and put on a shelf, but something you return to—on days like today—when you need grounding, direction, or a reminder of why you started.

Day 100 isn’t a finish line.
It’s a checkpoint.

If you’re looking for a framework to help you navigate the rest of the year with purpose instead of burnout, maybe it’s time to step back into your Q.U.E.S.T.—one question, one small change, one test at a time.

The journey isn’t over yet!

By the short fable story on Amazon for $8.99

Building Capacity Within Those We Serve

When one thinks of leadership in a school, they usually associate the term with a person that possesses a position of power. True, someone like a principal of a school is a leader with a title. They are responsible for those they supervise, carrying out the mission of the organization, motivating the troops, and creating a shared vision and culture for the school. If they are really great, they also find time to work as an instructional coach and make those they serve around them better. But with principals being as busy as they are today, if they aren't finding the time to build capacity in those they serve then who is inspiring educators to model a growth mindset consistently?

In my opinion, one of the biggest areas lacking in teacher professional development is teachers having someone act as a coach or mentor to improve them as educators. Professional development is powerful when educators seek it out on social media or it is done correctly within the limited time given during a school year, but learning is a continuous process in order for it to be effective. So if principals aren't able to find the time to work closer with their teachers, then who should?

If one looks close enough around a school, leaders are everywhere and they come in all forms! "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then you are a leader." -John Quincy Adams. We need lead teachers, department chairs, curriculum directors, tech coaches, and those who are pioneering to help all educators grow in our buildings. It is a shared experience! When everyone in an organization is learning and growing together, there is no limit to what schools can do for kids.

Here are a few ways everyone can help each other build capacity within a building and be better for the children we serve:

1.  Make sure that everyone understands the POWER of Twitter. There are still a ton of educators who don't know what a Twitter chat is and how impactful they can be. Not to mention there are hundreds of them throughout the week and weekends. Also, schools should have a hashtag where all educators in that building can share and collaborate. Wouldn't it be neat instead of a faculty meeting from 3 till 4 it was done in a chat format? Imagine how much learning could and would happen!
2. Build more time into schedules that forces educators to share with others. Often, we get so locked into our own classrooms that we have no clue what is going on great in others rooms. Sharing is caring! Educators should to go visit five other teachers throughout the school year and discus/reflect on it. Also, don't be scared to ask each other what amazing things you are doing in your classrooms and share.
3. Conduct peer evaluations. For those that are tenured, evaluations happen once every three years. If we want to help each other become better teachers, why not evaluate and give feedback to each other in a positive format? If my department is five people, we all take turns going into each other's classrooms and evaluate our strengths and things we could improve.
4. Create a book study group where educators in your school pick a book each month, read it and discuss it. Or, have a bi-weekly tech/hot education topic meet-up somewhere off campus. It is healthy to get together with your peers and discuss ideas in a fun way. 
5. Reinforce the positives. They are so many positives happening within our school that they sometimes get overlooked by the negatives. Whenever and whereveer, share the positives because they make us proud to work in education and want to keep bettering ourselves for our students. We all have something to be grateful for during the good and bad times!

Have something to add? Please comment below or share. Remember, the more we help each other become better educators, the more powerful our instruction becomes for those we serve!