What 22 years in education taught me about change, growth, and continuing to evolve.
I had a plan.
A pretty good plan, actually.
I would teach for 35 years, retire with my pension, and eventually figure out what came next.
Well… that didn’t happen.
After 22 years in Chicago Public Schools, I made the difficult decision to resign from teaching.
It wasn’t the plan.
But then… life happens.
At first, leaving the classroom felt like a much bigger ending than I expected. But as I reflected on those 22 years, I realized something:
The work wasn’t ending. It was changing.
The classroom is just different now.
What I Learned in the Classroom
As a history teacher, I learned that context matters. You can’t always understand where you are until you understand something about where you’ve been.
As an International Baccalaureate educator, I learned the power of curiosity, reflection, open-mindedness, and seeing things from more than one perspective.
One of the most important questions I asked my students was:
Who is the most important person?
The answer was always YOU—the student.
Whether you're a tween, teenager, young adult, or adult, I believe meaningful growth begins with knowing who you are and learning to trust yourself.
Growth can’t simply be handed to someone. We can provide guidance, encouragement, questions, and support—but ultimately, each person has to discover what is true for them.
That belief hasn’t changed.
If anything, it has become even more important as I move into coaching.
Because we don’t stop learning when we become adults.
We are forever changing, adapting human beings. And we are capable of more than we sometimes believe possible when we give ourselves permission to grow.
Yet somewhere along the way, we start thinking we’re supposed to have all the answers.
Spoiler alert: We don’t.
And maybe that’s where self-trust begins—not in having all the answers, but in trusting ourselves enough to keep asking questions.
The Peace Warrior Pause
Peace is not the absence of conflict.
Sometimes peace means pausing before reacting.
Listening before judging.
Getting curious instead of assuming we already know the answer.
Knowing when to stand firm—and when to let go.
Not passive peace. Purposeful peace.
This is part of what coaching makes possible.
A space to slow down, get curious, question the stories we’ve been telling ourselves, and consider things from another perspective.
My role as a coach isn’t to hand you the answers.
It’s to walk beside you, ask the questions that matter, listen deeply, and help you discover the answers that are already beginning to take shape within you.
Because self-trust isn't about always knowing what to do next.
It's about believing in your ability to pause, reflect, learn, and take the next step—even when the path ahead isn't entirely clear.
The Peace Warrior Path
If this idea resonated with you, here are a few places to keep exploring—no homework required, I promise.
Read
The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
By Ryan Holiday
Explore more from Ryan Holiday on Instagram: @ryanholiday
A powerful reminder that obstacles don’t have to stop us. Sometimes, they can become the very path that moves us forward.
Listen
Trevor Noah on On Purpose with Jay Shetty
How to Turn Bad Experiences into Healing Experiences & Finding Calm in Chaos
A thoughtful conversation about purpose, perspective, relationships, change, and finding calm when life doesn’t go according to plan.
Explore more from Trevor Noah on Instagram: @trevornoah
Think About
What if the change you didn’t choose is making room for something you haven’t yet discovered?
Try This
Take ten quiet minutes and ask yourself:
What am I being asked to let go of?
What is my next honest step?
You don’t need a beautifully color-coded five-year plan.
You just have to be willing to walk.
Maybe Your Classroom Is Different Now, Too
Maybe you’re standing at a crossroads.
Maybe you’re navigating a change you didn’t expect.
Maybe you’re asking:
Who am I now? Where do I belong? What do I want to discover about myself and my future?
Or maybe you simply know something needs to change—but you haven’t figured out what yet.
You don’t have to figure it out alone.
Peace Warriors Coaching creates space to pause, reflect, get curious, consider another perspective, and take the next purposeful step.
Because sometimes the next chapter isn’t about becoming someone completely different.
Sometimes it’s about discovering more of who you already are.
And I’d be honored to walk alongside you as you discover what comes next in your journey.
Ready to Explore What’s Next?
Welcome to Peace Warriors Coaching.