That’s a difficult title for me to write.

Growing up with two brothers, competition was a way of life. We raced to the dinner table, battled over board games, and kept score of everything. But in education, constantly trying to come out on top can quietly erode the very relationships we’re meant to protect.

As a kid, I hated the final scene in A League of Their Own. I rooted for Dottie (Geena Davis) the entire movie. I found Kit (Lori Petty) overly whiny and frustrating. So when Dottie drops the ball in the championship game—allowing Kit to win the title for Racine—I was devastated.

Why would she do that?

As I’ve grown older and rewatched the film, I see that moment differently. I don’t believe the ball simply slipped out. I believe Dottie made a decision.

She did it for Kit.
But she also did it for herself.

The history teacher was stuck in the past
The math teacher had too many problems
The gym teacher couldn’t pull his weight
The band director couldn’t face the music
The shop teacher couldn’t make the cut
The dance teacher was out of step
The physics teacher had no energy
The English teacher couldn’t find the words
The librarian was full of issues
The coding teacher was stuck in a loop
The art teacher lacked perspective
The economics teacher proved a poor investment
The counselor required guidance
The Latin teacher couldn’t seize the day
The principal needed discipline

Readers may need to take a recess from reading my posts after this one.

Every year, education becomes more complex. There is more to do, more to worry about, and more to understand. In a profession that can feel overwhelming, maintaining focus is not just helpful—it is essential.

In For Love of the Game, the aging pitching ace Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner) finds himself in New York one last time, facing the Yankees. As Chapel prepares to throw the first pitch, he scans the stadium, locking in on the insults being hurled his way by hostile home fans.

To center himself, Chapel utters a simple phrase: “Clear the mechanism.” Instantly, the surrounding noise fades away. His focus narrows to one thing—the batter standing in front of him.

Spoiler alert: Chapel goes on to pitch a perfect game. He accomplishes this rare feat because he is able to separate distractions from the task at hand.

If only teaching were that simple.

Teachers can’t just say “Clear the mechanism” as they walk into class and expect every student to follow directions, participate enthusiastically, support one another, and master the content. But while the solution may not be that easy, the principle still applies.

A common question I’m asked is: What’s the difference between being a teacher and being a principal?
My response is always the same: Have you seen The Green Mile?

The Green Mile centers on death row inmate John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), who has been sentenced to death for the rape and murder of two children. As the film unfolds, we learn that John is not a monster at all—he is a miracle worker, gifted with the ability to remove pain from those who are suffering.

In one powerful scene, prison guard Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) is experiencing unbearable pain caused by a severe bladder infection. John calls Paul over to his cell, grabs him, and pulls him close—initially causing Paul to fear for his life. Moments later, Paul realizes John isn’t trying to hurt him; he’s trying to help him. The scene ends with Paul asking, “What did you just do to me?” John simply replies, “I helped it. Didn’t I help it?”

By the end of the film, John has deeply impacted everyone around him. But the years of absorbing others’ pain and suffering have taken a tremendous toll.

What is the best way to leave school with a smile on your face?

There are certain holiday movies I look forward to watching every year. Scrooged is one of them. It’s great from start to finish—but the final ten minutes are something special. If I’m flipping through channels and that scene is on, I stop and watch. Even without investing the prior two hours, I always find myself getting choked up.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been retold dozens of times, but Scrooged might be my favorite version. We follow Frank Cross (Bill Murray) as he encounters three ghosts on Christmas Eve. By the end of the night, he has transformed from a money-obsessed, selfish television executive into someone who truly believes in the spirit of Christmas and the power of giving.

“If you give… then the miracle can happen to you.”

What does Frank mean by give?
What does he mean by miracle?

There are so many things in life we don’t get to choose. “Stuff” just happens, and we have to deal with it. But when we do have the opportunity to choose, we should make the choices that set our students up for success.

In this iconic scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Donovan (Julian Glover), drinks from a golden chalice, believing it to be the Holy Grail. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong cup — and instead of eternal life, he rapidly decomposes before our eyes.

Dramatic? Absolutely. But it’s a powerful reminder that our choices have consequences.

Students will push your buttons, test your patience, and sometimes ruin your day. But each morning, you have to wipe the slate clean and give every child a fresh start.

In the 1993 comedy classic Groundhog Day, Phil (Bill Murray) relives the same day over and over until he finally gets it right. In the clip above, Phil spends his “infinite loop” doing everything he can to give others the best possible day.

By this point in the movie, Phil believes he’s cursed to relive Groundhog Day forever. Yet despite that grim realization, he chooses to focus on helping others. He knows the people of Punxsutawney will fall into the same patterns tomorrow—but he helps them anyway.

Educators recognize that strong communication between school and home is essential for student success. At the start of each school year, one of the most common goals teachers and administrators set is to make more parent phone calls. But sometimes, those conversations fall short. Instead of focusing on how many calls we make, perhaps our real goal should be to improve the quality of those conversations.

A Lesson from Patch Adams

This video contains graphic language

In this scene, Patch Adams (Robin Williams) admits himself to a hospital to work through his emotional struggles. He becomes frustrated because his doctor doesn’t seem to listen or care about what he is experiencing.

Setbacks are a part of all professions. In education, they can manifest in a variety of ways. Whether it is losing a teacher mid-year or learning that your students did not perform as well as anticipated on end of year testing, educators deal with adversity. It is essential to move forward with a positive outlook because sometimes wonderful opportunities arise out of the most dire of circumstances.

In Cast Away, when Chuck (Tom Hanks) is initially stranded on an island, his thoughts revolve around survival and rescue. However, as time goes by, those thoughts transition to hopelessness and despair.

There is an assumption that principals have all the answers (I certainly give off all-knowing vibes). Even though the burden of final decisions rests on my shoulders, I arrive at the decisions with greater confidence because of questions asked by teachers. Questions generate discourse. Discourse brings more educators to the table. More educators means more perspectives. And, more perspectives results in a greater chance of making the right decision.

No one has any questions for Paul (John Heard) following his Transformers knockoff proposal. No one, that is, until Josh (Tom Hanks) raises his hand. In this scene from Big, Josh does not understand why kids would want to have buildings transform into robots because, “What’s fun about playing with a building?”