March 2026

Dear Teacher, 

Ah February and March. The months in a school year that feel like an extended family reunion when everyone has been together for just a little bit too long. The students are feeling the angst of being with each other for over six months. Teachers and staff members are feeling the fatigue - needing some breathing room and respite - all the while pressures grow as testing season is right around the corner. This is also the time of year when funding and staffing decisions are made, which can instill a sense of confusion or uncertainty for the coming months. 

In many areas across the country, March is also a time when we experience “Fake Springs.” For my warmer climate friends, I’ll explain this. “Fake Spring” is a psychological phenomenon when the temperatures start rising into the 50’s and 60’s. People ditch their jackets, dust off the grills, and enjoy the feeling of loving the outside air again! Then, out of the blue, the next day will be fifty degrees colder with snow on the horizon. Even though it happens every year, it still feels mentally, physically, and emotionally disappointing. After months of cold, our innermost desire is to experience warmth, growth, and hope. 

Isn’t that how we feel in our classrooms? We are so ready to feel the warmth from those around us, witness the growth our students are making, and feel a sense of hope in our communities and world. Perhaps today, we invite ourselves to acknowledge that this is the season we are in right now and we are not alone in our experiences. I appreciate how Emily P Freeman frames this in her book, “The Next Right Thing,” and we’ll close with this thought in our reflection: 

“Growth doesn’t always roar; sometimes it’s the steady decision to keep showing up, to try one more time, to believe in what’s ahead even when we can’t fully see it.”