At the beginning of every school year, we are invited – sometimes with enthusiasm, sometimes with a sigh – to “know our why”. I even wrote about this in one of my first columns as President.
In September, the request can feel abstract. Inspirational, perhaps, but still theoretical. We nod, then move on to budgeting, staffing, enrollment counts, class creations, course schedules, and all the work that contributes to getting the jumbo jet off the ground.
As we move further into the school year, “knowing your why” feels different. When considered alongside the grit we need in our work, this knowledge matters now more than ever.
Because grit – real grit – is not loud or performative. It isn’t a poster on the wall.
Grit is the quiet determination to stay steady when the waters are unpredictable.
Grit is leading with care, especially when fatigue whispers in your ear.
Grit is continuing forward when initiatives stack up, and uncertainty escalates.
Angela Duckworth defines grit as passion and perseverance for long-term goals. In education, I would add one more word: purpose.
Grit without purpose is simply endurance.
Grit anchored in purpose becomes leadership.
This season of the school year carries many currents:
- Spring staffing
- Upcoming initiatives
- The steady work of instructional leadership
- Excitement as spring break approaches
- Local complexities alongside provincial conversations
We can also face devastating events in our school communities that fully change the expected currents, and require our compassion, guidance, and focus.
The ship does not steer itself.
We are kept steady in our roles not by force or volume, but through clarity.
When we truly know our “why” – not as a slogan, but as a conviction – it becomes the ballast beneath the deck. It steadies us when the winds shift.
Your “why” might be:
- Creating spaces where every student feels seen
- Supporting staff so they can do their best work
- Building cultures of belonging
- Holding communities together in difficult moments
Your “why” carries you through the long middle stretch of the year, when energy dips and demands rise.
Grit in educational leadership is not about pushing harder.
It is about staying.
Staying present.
Staying grounded.
Staying committed.
Often, the deepest impact a leader has is simply this: to be steady.
To be the calm voice.
To be the measured response.
To reassure your community that we are still moving forward. Together.
Having grit and knowing your “why” will not make the work any less challenging. But it will remind you of why the challenge is worth navigating.
And that matters, deeply.
Onward,
Dr. Shannon Behan
sbehan@bcpvpa.bc.ca