Today our guest is Chris Moore, Director of Behavioral Health at Salem-Keizer Public Schools. Chris shares a poem he wrote and delivered as a commencement address to a cohort of leaders, a piece that started as a love letter to leadership and became a ritual reminder of why educators show up, stay in it, and choose to keep going even when the work is hard.

He also reflects on the importance of building space for reflection into the daily and long-term rhythms of leadership, and why giving ourselves and others permission to slow down, sit with what is hard, and surface what is true is not a luxury. It is part of the work itself.

In this conversation, Chris offers important reminders for educators and leaders:

Staying with people twice as long as anyone ever expects, and loving them anyway, is the anchor that cuts through the noise when the work feels overwhelming.
Sacred space for reflection, even just 90 seconds, is a daily leadership habit worth protecting. Without it, the heart-centered part of the work gets crowded out.
The work of education is heavy and sacred at the same time. Holding both of those truths together is what sustains leaders for the long haul.

Learn More About CharacterStrong:

In this conversation, Chris offers important reminders for educators and leaders:

Staying with people twice as long as anyone ever expects, and loving them anyway, is the anchor that cuts through the noise when the work feels overwhelming.
Sacred space for reflection, even just 90 seconds, is a daily leadership habit worth protecting. Without it, the heart-centered part of the work gets crowded out.
The work of education is heavy and sacred at the same time. Holding both of those truths together is what sustains leaders for the long haul.

Learn More About CharacterStrong:

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