As we gear up for the second half of the school year, I find myself reflecting once again on Temporal Landmarks, a concept I stumbled upon years ago while reading Daniel H. Pink’s When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. I highly recommend it. 

With the end of Christmas Break in sight and the return to our classrooms looming, this is a perfect time to revisit (again – sensing a pattern here?) another key idea from Pink’s book: the Fresh Start Effect.

Pink’s research highlights the importance of timing in our actions, revealing that when we do things can be just as crucial as what we do. I have found this to be absolutely true in my life. Starting new things on a Monday, for example, is more successful for me than beginning things on any other day of the week. Starting things at the beginning of the month is better for me than starting them at any other time.

Why do we make new year’s resolutions at new year’s?

In the world of education, we are no strangers to the significance of timing. Pink suggests we pay attention to the phenomenon of fresh starts. “Some days stand out,” he writes, “when we want to open up a new ledger on ourselves and use them to construct better beginnings.”

As we transition from our holiday rest to the next months of learning and teaching, what better perspective could we adopt than that of a fresh start?

This is the start of a new chapter as we return to school. This is not just about the calendar turning a page; it is about seizing the chance to start anew because we want to.

This moment is our fresh start. Let us embrace it, with all the promise it holds. The past is behind us, and while much of it was wonderful and enriching, we can leave any challenges or difficulties where they belong—in the past.

Let us move forward with a renewed spirit.

Let us make this a fresh start.

Let us begin again.

Over the course of the last few years, I have taken part in a movement among the educational community (and the community writ large, I am certain) to select a word around which to center the upcoming year. 

These words have served as themes for my approach to my professional life and I have written them each January in places around my office to remind me of my selections. As I have commented in previous posts over the past ten years, there is something about beginnings – the starts of years and months and weeks – that really clicks with my internal operating system. If I start something well and begin it at the right time, it becomes a part of my makeup, mindset and motion.

I begin the year 2025 with the word CHERISH. 

“Cherish” is such a powerful word. It carries so much energy. It is active. It is forceful. It seems almost a command.

That is the manner in which I select the word – as a directive.

I will:

• cherish allI have been given,
• cherish the opportunity to serve,
• cherish the gift of this work,
• cherish the challenges and pitfalls and struggles,
• cherish the colleagues with whom I journey, 
• cherish the many blessings of my life. 

2025 – Cherish.

Let’s go.

We do not get tired of good Christmas songs. Well, I do not, anyway. I look forward to their repetition each year. On this Christmas Day, here is what has become my traditional Christmas post. I hope you enjoy it.

On many desks and in many inboxes this time of year, teachers and administrators find all manner of remembrances – cards and notes and gifts, tokens of affection and appreciation. Typically, these trinkets and notes do not fully express the gratitude of the students and staff we serve. They are lovely to receive. They are not always reflective of the appreciation our communities feel for us. Our communities typically love us and are grateful for our service.

And, while It is an appropriate time of year for students and staff to thank us, it is an equally appropriate time of year for us to be thankful.

As many of us finish our last-minute tasks, our baking and decorating and preparing, this is a great time of year to think about another great gift we in education are given: the gift of doing work that influences days to come.

Our work reaches beyond us. It reaches through time. It reaches into the future.

We most often do not see ready results. While some of us have been in this work for an extended period of time and we have been able to watch some of the seeds we have planted grow in the lives our students lead after they have left us, we are typically immersed in the day-to-day, the checklist of the moment, the class to come, the next paper to grade.

It is challenging, then, to remember that our reach exceeds our grasp, ever and always. The work we do influences the world to come. It shapes society. It changes the world.

Changes. The. World.

That’s a gift worth receiving. It’s a gift worth sharing.

Today, I have decided to share 55 reasons that fuel my passion for teaching and fill my heart with gratitude. Please forgive the sentimentality, but it is my birthday.

1. Lifelong Learning: The joy of learning never ends, and education keeps me young.
2. Inspiring Students: Watching students grow and achieve their goals is incredibly fulfilling.
3. Ignatian Principles: The values of cura personalis and Magis guide me in all I do.
4. Faith in Action: Seeing students live out their faith through service and kindness.
5. Community: The strong sense of community in most of the Catholic schools I have served is unparalleled.
6. Colleagues: Collaborating with dedicated and passionate educators. I am more grateful for this than I can easily express.
7. Mentorship: I have had wonderful mentors for which I am thankful, and I admit now that I have become a mentor to others.
8. Innovation: Embracing new teaching methods and technologies keeps education dynamic. I cannot wait to get back to the classroom. Teaching a course is one of my highest goals for next year.
9. Tradition: I do not want to be completely bound to tradition like Tevye, but I do value it. Deeply.
10. Former Student Success: Celebrating the achievements of former students as they navigate their careers, some of whom I have been blessed to work with, side-by-side.
11. Parent Partnerships: Working with parents to support students’ growth.
12. Faith Formation: Watching students and colleagues grow in their spiritual journeys.
13. Creativity: Encouraging creativity in the classroom.
14. Critical Thinking: Helping students think deeply and critically.
15. Service: Instilling the importance of service to others.
16. Reflection: The role of reflection in both personal growth and education.
17. My Wife. My Wife. My Wife.
18. Music: Playing my guitar has been a significant part of my career, and a gift.
19. Joyful Moments: The laughter and joy shared with students and colleagues.
20. Literature: Sharing my love of literature and writing and storytelling.
21. History: Teaching the lessons of history and their relevance today, especially for the years I got to team teach a history/literature course with my wife!
22. Faith and Reason: Exploring the harmony between faith and reason. It is there and worth the conversation to find.
23. Problem Solving: I love digging into an issue with colleagues.
24. Resilience: Witnessing and fostering resilience in students.
25. Innovation in Curriculum: Creating and implementing innovative curricula.
26. Bishop McNamara High School: Where the journey started.
27. Family Support: The unwavering support of my family in my educational journey.
28. Student Voices: Hearing and valuing the voices of my students.
29. Leadership: I am humbled to have had multiple opportunities to lead and influence educational practices.
30. Professional Development: I have been to some great professional development and have led some, too (there have been other kinds of PD, both attended and led, but this a list of what I am grateful for!).
31. Retreats: The spiritual refreshment of school retreats and the ways in which they change lives, both of students and of the adults who team them.
32. Student Engagement: Finding new ways to engage students in their learning remains a goal.
33. Technology: There is some really cool stuff out there. Some of it we ought to be using!
34. Jim Broderick King: He must know why.
35. The Facultones: I guess I can never say enough about them.
36. School Events: I have had a lot of fun at a lot of school events!
37. Gratitude: For the gratitude expressed by students and parents and colleagues, I say a humble “thank you.”
38. New Challenges: Tackling new challenges that come with each school year, and each new school. There was a time I thought I would stay at Regis Jesuit High School for my entire career. I am glad I did not!
39. Professional Networks: I have been a part of many professional networks and have learned something from each of them.
40. Mindfulness: Practicing and teaching mindfulness – something I have learned from my wife.
41. Prayer: The role of prayer in school life, and in my own.
42. Academic Excellence: Striving for and achieving academic excellence is a cornerstone of what I want schools I serve to do.
43. Art and Music: “… poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”
44. Sports: I. Love. High. School. Sports.
45. Decorating Classrooms and Offices: My space is so very important to me.
46. Michael McGuire. He must know why.
47. Early Mornings: I love the time before anyone else is in the building. This is my favorite time of the school day.
48. Humor: Central to who I am.
49. Resilience in Crisis: I have seen so many communities stand strong and come back from seeming disasters.
50. Seminars in Ignatian Leadership: What a gift to have been a part of these as a student and as a leader.
51. Collaboration: Not as quick. Not as easy. Very much my preferred style of leadership.
52. Literature Itself: I have read so many wonderful works I never would have had I not been required to teach them.
53. Graduations: The pride and joy of graduation ceremonies.
54. Family: I come from a family of teachers and am grateful to continue the line.
55. Love for Teaching: Ultimately, my deep love for teaching and the profound impact it has on my life.

Here’s to many more years of learning, teaching, and growing together. Happy birthday, dear me. Happy birthday, dear me.

I am an English teacher and always will be. I know that words are powerful. What we name and call things has meaning.

I am currently serving in my fifth high school and each one has had a different name for its professional staff. I find that fascinating. Is an educational group a community, a family, a team, or even a business? 

Calling ourselves a community emphasizes our interconnectedness and shared responsibility. In a community, each member plays a vital role, and there is a collective commitment to the well-being and success of every individual. This term resonates deeply with the Catholic school ethos, where we aim to create an inclusive, supportive, and nurturing environment. The word “community” emphasizes mutual support and aligns well with the Ignatian principle of cura personalis, caring for the whole person, but it might not fully capture the professional and organizational aspects of our work.

Referring to our group as a family highlights the deep bonds and care we have for one another. In a family, there is trust and a sense of belonging. This term can foster a warm and welcoming atmosphere. “Family” conveys warmth, trust, and deep personal connections but understanding ourselves as such can sometimes blur professional boundaries and may not adequately reflect the professional nature of our roles.

Describing ourselves as a team underscores our collaboration and shared goals. In a team, each member contributes their unique skills and strengths towards a common objective. This term can inspire a sense of unity, cooperation, and collective effort. The word “team” highlights collaboration but is it personal enough to encompass the spiritual dimensions of our relationships?

Utilizing the term “business” emphasizes the professional and operational aspects of our work. It highlights the importance of efficiency and can remind us of the need to be strategic and goal-oriented in our efforts. It evokes professionalism and accountability but may feel too impersonal and not adequately reflect the relational and spiritual dimensions of our mission.

Ultimately, the best term for our group of educational professionals may be one that integrates elements from all these concepts. We are a community in our shared values and mutual support, a family in our deep bonds and care for one another, a team in our collaboration and shared goals, and a business in our professionalism and strategic efforts.

I suspect this is why I typically default to “educational community” in trying to reflect the interconnectedness, support, and collaboration that define our work, while also acknowledging the professionalism necessary to achieve our goals.

What we call ourselves matters because it shapes our identity and influences our interactions. Words have power. An educational community has power, too and, hopefully, it is a place where everyone feels valued, supported, and inspired to achieve their best.