JumpStart National Banana Split Day (8/25/25)

Hello!  For those of you who are new here, let me do a quick (re)introduction:  This is my 27th year in education (yes, I had to look it up on TRS to be sure), and I’m proud to have been a classroom teacher, asst. principal, and tech coach. I’m currently the SEL Coach for ROE #40 in Southwestern Illinois who does other stuff like plan conferences and run TeachIllinois. My wife, Martha, and I have two grown kids, and we love our home on the Mississippi and trying new food.
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This is the 4th full year of JumpStart, and this is the 124th issue. I’m just excited to be back here what with all the budgetary questions at the end of last year. If you have a question, comment, or suggestion, you can reply to this email.  I promise to respond.

I had planned to start back up again AFTER Labor Day, but there are a ton of resources that need to be seen BEFORE September, so here we are.  Let’s do this!

QUOTE:  "Happiness comes from progress.  Therefore, happiness requires struggle." ~Mark Manson

As we head back to school, every teacher in the world is thinking about how much time they DON’T have.
Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a @#$%, offers a deceptively simple but profound idea: life is about struggle, and the question isn’t whether you will struggle—it’s what you choose to struggle on. Everyone wrestles with obstacles, frustrations, and setbacks, but our growth and sense of fulfillment come from consciously deciding which struggles are worth our time and energy.

For teachers, this concept hits close to home. Every day presents more demands than one person can possibly meet. There are lessons to plan, papers to grade, emails to answer, parents to call, meetings to attend, and a classroom full of unique learners who all deserve your best. On top of that, you’re also managing your personal life outside of school. It’s no wonder so many educators feel stretched too thin.

The truth is: you can’t avoid struggle. But you can choose the struggle that matters most.
Much of teacher burnout comes from fighting battles that were never consciously chosen. You stay late polishing bulletin boards, not because it brings meaning or learning, but because you don’t want to look “less than” compared to the teacher down the hall. You spend hours reformatting lesson slides to make them look Pinterest-worthy when students would have learned just as well without the sparkle and animations. You give too much mental space to things you can’t control—like district mandates or the newest curriculum.

These are unchosen struggles, and they drain energy without fueling your sense of purpose.
Instead, imagine choosing your struggles intentionally. Maybe you decide:

• I will struggle to build meaningful relationships with my students—even though it takes patience, emotional labor, and sometimes heartbreak—because I know relationships are the foundation of learning.
• I will struggle to give clear, honest feedback on student work—even though it takes time—because I want my students to grow.
• I will struggle to keep healthy boundaries around work and personal life—even though guilt will creep in—because I want to be present for my family and preserve my energy for the long haul.

By consciously choosing, you stop seeing struggle as a punishment and start seeing it as an investment in what matters most. Teaching will always involve challenges. But when you choose your struggles with intention, you transform the work from something that happens to you into something you do for what matters most. The goal isn’t to erase the hard parts—it’s to make sure the hard parts are worth it.

This week, try this: Try doing a Struggle Audit this week:

1. List Your Current Struggles. Take 10 minutes and write down what’s weighing on you right now—both big and small. Everything counts: grading piles, a challenging student, staff meetings, imposter syndrome, lack of sleep.
2. Circle What You Choose. Go through the list and circle the struggles you’re willing to embrace because they serve your deeper values as an educator. These might be tough, but they align with your “why.”
3. Cross Out or Reframe the Rest. For struggles you didn’t choose, ask yourself: Can I let this go? Can I set a boundary? Can I lower the bar? Not every battle deserves your time.
4. 
   

Commit to One. This week, focus on leaning into just one chosen struggle. Notice how framing it as your choice shifts your mindset from resentment to purpose.

DAD JOKE:  My son was chewing on electrical cords, so I grounded him.  He's doing better currently, and conducting himself properly.