What if the most influential professional development of your career happened not at a conference or in a book, but in the classroom right next door? In this post, educator Nili Bartley reflects on the early years of her teaching journey alongside Beth Houf—now a nationally recognized principal—and shares three powerful lessons she carries with her to this day.
If someone had told me twenty years ago when I started teaching with Beth Houf that one day she would receive the National Principal of the Year award, I would have wholeheartedly reacted with, “Of course she will.” There was something unique about my friend and mentor that stood out even then. Her level of talent, passion for education, and fight to do what is right for kids were and always will be remarkable.
When I watched her throw out the first pitch at the Nationals game in 2022, I found myself explaining to several principals how I know Beth. What I discovered is that I seem to tell the same story, that I started my career with her before moving back to Massachusetts, that she was hard to keep up with, and that we planned everything together and had a blast. Yet I usually don’t go into much detail. As I thought more deeply about what I would say if I did, it hit me that what I learned in the first two years of my career drives me today even more than I realized.
My hope is that you will take with you from the following three lessons anything that resonates, as you continue your school year with endless possibilities.
Never Underestimate the Power of Joy
Whether we were hyping up classrooms jobs which of course came with job applications, asking students to act out the cardiovascular system, dancing to our “line up” music (I can still hear the songs), putting on musicals, dressing up as museum curators, or throwing rolled up socks at each other to make up for not having a snow day (and so much more!), we embraced joy with our students.
It’s easy for me to focus on the events in our world that bring fear and sadness, and I believe it’s critical that we let ourselves feel and take action so we can contribute to positive change. In my experience, it’s also important to remember that craving joy is fundamental to being human. In fact, Gholdy Muhammad suggests in her powerful book, Unearthing Joy, to make joy a learning goal. She includes it in the five pursuits she believes should be woven into every curriculum and I highly recommend reading this phenomenal book.
Make Students Leading the Norm
When we hold the perspective that we are meant to learn and not only teach, it opens the doors to empowering our students and colleagues to lead with us and to even lead us. Every time I visit Fulton, Missouri and pass by the speed limit sign in front of the school in which we taught, I am blown away by the fact that our students convinced the town to lower it. Whether it was being on the budget, research, or poster committees, or even presenting at the town meeting, every student found a role and led together. As you can imagine, students were invested to show up and so were we.
This was the first service learning project I had experienced as a teacher and for every year after that I was in the classroom it was a priority to co-lead with my students and colleagues a service learning project every year. In addition, this experience founded a mindset for me that never left. We lead together every day, students and teachers, all as human beings who have something worth contributing. Over the last twenty-one years, I have learned to challenge students to share who they are, unleash their strengths and passions to make meaningful contributions, and to lead change.
Strive to be a Forever Learner
If we want our students to be lifelong learners, we must model it. Feeding our hunger for knowledge amongst our peers (and students!) can be contagious. Thanks to Beth, I learned to enjoy reading educational books and diving into innovative ideas, and this was before we had access to social media! I also ignited a desire to attend conferences and present which soon launched years of presentations and meeting some of the most amazing educators in the country.
I learned the importance of soaking up and sharing ideas and stories to grow, connect, and enrich our lives as well as the lives of others. As someone who did not like to read as a child, I learned to find happiness in reading books our fourth graders were reading. We were constantly discussing books with students to expand their world and ours. And every day, we learned from our students. I don’t think there is any action more valuable, and I am so grateful to Beth for teaching me this most important lesson.
Today, as a veteran educator, I know with every ounce of my being that what I learned during my adventure in the classroom with Beth remains a huge part of who I am. We always hear that a future president of the United States could be sitting in our classroom. This statement holds so much power and inspires us to honor every student, their contributions, and their potential.
Writing this post has reminded me to do the same for our colleagues. If the teacher next door can become one of the most recognized educational leaders in the country, we should probably be talking to them as much as possible! And why not the colleagues down the hall and those on the other side of our buildings. I try to do this as much as I can but admittedly there are people I never see and I need to do better. It might just change us. We might just change each other.
Beth, you will only continue to do big things, and I couldn’t possibly be prouder of you, but a part of me will always see you as that teacher next door and I will always be grateful for the lessons you taught me.
About the Author:
Nili Bartley is currently a personalized learning coach in Natick, MA. After an eleven-year adventure in the classroom, Nili’s technology integration role at the elementary level for the next three years pushed her to see the importance of a thriving culture and led her to write “Lead Beyond Your Title: Creating Change in School from Any Role.” Since then, Nili has been a middle school specialist and digital learning coach and is now embracing her new role on a district-wide team. An enthusiastic presenter, she is committed to sharing her passions beyond the school community and is always excited to connect with other educators.
