The Work Between Us · Entry 3 of 4
Relationships
A Season of Gratitude and Renewal
Dr. Morgan Goering · November 25, 2025 · 6 min read
This Thanksgiving week, we are pausing with deep gratitude for the leaders and educators who continue to shape the work of Making Champions of Change. This fall reminded us that growth comes in seasons. Each season gives us space to reflect, adjust, and center people over practice.
🧡“A culture that leads with gratitude, curiosity, and grace create the conditions where every educator can step into change.”
We’ve been reflecting on how educators join change at different moments. Some engage early; others participate when the conditions feel safe, valued, and aligned. Each contributes to the strength of collective implementation when we lead with humility and clarity.
This month alone, more than 1,600 leaders engaged with Making Champions of Change content. This signifies how deeply our community connects to change-work grounded in gratitude, curiosity, humility, and grace.
What we’re holding close this week:
✨️ We are honored to share our reflections with the leaders who want to engage in the tough work: honoring staff, being vulnerable, and asking questions when the work gets difficult.
✨️Systems grow stronger when educators feel seen, valued, and supported. Leaders who make time for connecting and truly seeing and knowing their system can help to shape it for the students and staff they serve.
✨️Rest is essential to sustainable leadership. Rest is not a pause from the work, rest is part of the work. These moments allow for the replenishment, reflection, and growth needed to pour back into our community.
Over this holiday week, we hope every educator and leader takes time to reset and refill their bucket. Supporting students requires deep wells of patience and compassion. Those wells are nurtured by rest.
Thank you for leading with heart. We are honored to do this work alongside you. We are better together.
Author: Dr. Morgan Goering
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In this series
Entry 1 · Where trust begins
Entry 2 · Naming what a team notices
Entry 4 · Keeping connection over time
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This entry connects to MCC's wider ecosystem of tools, learning spaces, and implementation support. A few natural next steps:
To reflect on your own: download a related playbook.
To learn with others: join a Professional Learning Network.
To build and fund the work: start a Leadership Laboratory conversation.
Continue the work.
This entry connects to MCC's wider ecosystem of tools, learning spaces, and implementation support. A few natural next steps:
To reflect on your own: download a related playbook.
To learn with others: join a Professional Learning Network.
To build and fund the work: start a Leadership Laboratory conversation.
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