Please don’t close your eyes.

In the past six months we have seen our schools shut down, open as virtual, navigate supply and materials pick up and drop off without contact, reopen, reopen again, deliver lunches without a lunchroom, reschedule, redraft, revote, renew, renegotiate, and so much more. For most teachers, they have zero idea of what tomorrow will hold for their jobs, the expectations of their role, or their ability to interact with their students (albeit face to face or virtually).

Near daily since March I have had the privilege of talking with educators. I’ve heard their frustration, seen their tears, heard their cries and angry screams, brainstormed into the wee hours, and laughed with some until we were exhausted. Though every challenge that has come their way they have individually and collectively navigated an increasingly bazaar time in our world history.

But to each of those educators, I would ask you to do one more thing: Please don’t close your eyes, right now I need you to notice.

Now more than ever we are seeing a few things come to life. We are seeing behavior, beliefs, values, attention, capacity, and more. And with every one of those things there are examples. Those examples are why I desperately want you to keep your eyes open even under the stress and burnout and absolute crazy. It is within these examples that we can see what is possible and…