There is already a nationwide shortage of qualified science teachers. Finding someone in July is difficult enough. Finding someone who wants to join a turnaround school, believes in its mission, and can immediately replace the trust this teacher built over an entire year is something else entirely. That isn't filling a vacancy. That is trying to replace a relationship. Our school needs him. Our community needs him. Our students need him.

Contract season will likely always carry a degree of uncertainty. Schools are dynamic organizations operating within larger systems that must constantly adapt. Still, as decisions are made in the coming months, it may be worth asking one additional question alongside budget projections and enrollment counts. Not only “What positions do we need?” But also, “What relationships are worth protecting?”

What if discipline conversations started with relationships, not rules? That simple shift in thinking is redefining what effective leadership looks like in schools today. As educational leaders are called into classrooms to coach through challenging behaviors, the real question isn’t which new program to adopt, but rather how to think differently about the work of leadership itself. The most effective leaders are not layering on new systems. They are making intentional shifts

There is no pause button in turnaround work. On the first day back from break, we gathered a small group of teachers to focus on classroom management, relationships, and long-term growth over short-term compliance.

The strongest leaders aren’t the ones with all the answers. They’re the ones willing to keep learning. Leaders who ask questions, invite challenge, and allow themselves to look like beginners build trust faster and create cultures where others feel safe to grow. That isn’t weakness or uncertainty. It’s rigor. It’s mastery. It’s confidence rooted in curiosity, not ego. Stay a student. Always

We changed our master schedule because what we were doing was not working. Daily intervention time created the appearance of support, but without focus, content expertise, or instructional alignment, it rarely delivered meaningful impact. Moving to longer, content specific Tier 2 blocks was not about efficiency. It was about honesty. In turnaround work, schedules are not logistical tools. They are instructional systems.

Turnaround work does not stop just because the calendar says break. On Christmas Eve, after encouraging my staff to unplug and be fully present with their families, I open my laptop to rebalance schedules, shift student placements, and answer emails that never seem to respect office hours. This is the messy middle of school improvement, after crisis and before consistency, where progress is fragile and momentum depends on quiet, unseen decisions. It is exhausting work, but it