"Your very existence - your presence in the classroom - has value. And the more that you show up with an open heart and mind, free from limiting beliefs about yourself, your students, and your school, the more your essential self will shine through.
Think back to some moments you are most proud of as a teacher. They were probably times when you were fully present as the 'real you.' During those moments, you totally immersed yourself in caring for and supporting your students, school families, or colleagues. You experienced a state of flow, where you did what you do best, in a way that comes naturally.
That's your essential self. Your true self is unburdened by to-do lists, standards, and outside expectations. It's free from unhelpful stories about what is and isn't possible. It's you in your most authentic state: present, compassionate, filled with purpose.
To be your best self in the classroom, you don't have to become anything you are not. You don't have to strive to improve in five areas on a checklist. Focus instead on being your true, whole, healed, essential self, letting go of any thoughts, beliefs, and actions that don't serve the highest good.
At your core, you are loving, patience, and kind. You are full of life and energy and purpose. All the traits that are counter to that are simply baggage and coping mechanisms you've picked up along the way in your life's journey through a very challenging world. They're reactions you've developed as a result of fear, emotional wounds, defensiveness, biases, expectations, and so on.
Being yourself - your true self - is always enough. It's always exactly what is needed in any given moment."