Teachers are under pressure to be everything all at once. Calm, creative, organized, patient, knowledgeable, high energy, constantly improving, never slipping. And on top of that, you’re expected to be extraordinary. Every. Single. Day.
But here’s the truth no one says out loud: most of us are just average. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s actually kind of a gift.
Being average means you’re human. You forget things. You get tired. You lose your cool sometimes. You scroll on your lunch break instead of reading the latest brain science article. And guess what? That doesn’t make you a bad educator. It makes you a relatable one.
We get so caught up in trying to be exceptional that we miss what really matters. The magic isn’t in being the best. It’s in showing up again. Laughing with your kids even when you’re running on coffee. Owning your mistakes. Letting go of perfection and making space for connection.
And the more we talk to teachers, the clearer it gets…everyone thinks they’re the only one struggling. But almost no one has it all together. The stuff you beat yourself up over? It’s probably just the average experience of being a teacher in this chaotic, beautiful, demanding field.
So maybe the goal isn’t to rise above everyone else. Maybe it’s just to remember you’re not alone. To recognize the power in being real. To stop aiming for superhuman and start embracing human.
Average isn’t the opposite of great. It’s the baseline that brings us together.
And from where we’re standing, that’s more than enough.