What is your 'why'?

And how can you hold on to it?

Photo by Júnior Ferreira on Unsplash

Thoughts and musings

‘Why?’ If you are in the business of teaching, and/or raising children, this is a question that may be heard daily (in some cases even hourly - or less). The curiosity of children is such a joy to see and this magic word opens the portal wide-open! Threads of questioning can continue on and on.

Somewhere down the line, we can become less curious. Perhaps due to time constraints, possibly after being met with repeated closed lines of discovery and that inevitable response which signals the end of the conversation, “Just, because.”

With the current Curriculum and Assessment Review taking place in England, and the interim report published in March 2025, a number of interesting findings were shared. A significant point I noted (and one that the remainder of the review will be returning to):

‘However, we have also consistently heard from primary practitioners and subject experts that the curriculum at key stages 1 and 2 is not effectively balancing depth and breadth. This is reported to lead to a struggle to cover all content with sufficient depth and negatively affects pupils’ ability to master foundational concepts.’¹

The pressure of the sheer content to cover in the curriculum can add to this feeling of ‘going through the motions’ in education. Ticking off the objectives. Delivering the content. Not having the time to delve into the ‘whys’. There is certainly more to be discussed on this review in a subsequent glimmer, the ‘why’ around what is included in a curriculum and what needs to go. The concept that Dylan Wiliam describes as ‘need to know’ and ‘neat to know’.

For today, however, I would like to bring these musings back to your ‘why’.²

The reasons you:

• pursued a role in education.

• are currently teaching in a particular Year Group or a certain subject.

• decided to move into a leadership role.

• *add your own current situation/motivation here.

Ideas and practical suggestions

So, why is becoming intentionally clear about your ‘why’ important, particularly as many educators reach the end of another academic year? Below are two suggestions for engaging with your ‘why’ which I hope can be actioned with minimal time spent preparing. Think of these more as a shift towards gaining clarity and assurance as another academic year comes to a close.

I was recently recommended by my business coach to complete an activity to support me in becoming crystal clear about ‘why’ I want to start my own Educational Consultancy business. For this, she recommended engaging with an AI tool, which you may want to do, but I can also see the benefits of jotting this on a piece of paper.

1. Keep asking ‘…why?’

In the busy day-to-day life of an educator, it can be easy to lose sight of what drew you to the profession in the first place. Very rarely is there an opportunity to stop and realign. However, I feel that the power and impact of this can be so precious, it is important to make time to reset.

• So, how can you support yourself in realigning with your ‘why’?

  • Write down (or type into an AI platform, if this is your preferred method) the reason why you committed to a career in education.

  • Once you have your first response, ask yourself again ‘why’? For example, you may have an interest in a specific subject and you were motivated to spend a career teaching this to others. ‘Why?’ - is there a further depth to your answer?

  • Keep going until you feel that you have reached the foundations of your ‘why’, your motivation, your drive.

  • Very likely you will uncover some very personal motivations. Ones that may relate to opportunities you experienced (or lacked) in your own education. Key moments that shaped your desire to inspire others and ensure equitable, meaningful and purposeful learning experiences.

  • Hold on to what you uncover. I will share below some suggestions for doing this. Just sitting with what you finally land on really can be powerful. It is the human-ness that is being brought into the profession. The magic. The glimmers.

2. Make your ‘why’ visible

Once you have sat with your responses, it is very easy for these to once again fade into the background as you continue with your daily actions. Consider the ways in which you can regularly engage with your ‘why’, to perhaps even create opportunities to discuss this with family members, colleagues, or the pupils who you teach (I am certain they will feature within your final statement!)

• So, how can you elevate your ‘why’?

  • Make it visible in your environments. You may want to use a design tool like Canva to make a printable or digital image which can be displayed in your classroom or office, or on your computer screen.

  • Keep your ‘why’ tied into the daily habits and tasks you are performing. One of my key take-aways from Steven Covey’s ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ was the necessity of having your personal mission forward-facing on your weekly organiser. This allows for consistent evaluation of the tasks you are completing. Yes, there are the ‘Important and Urgent’ jobs, which we cannot hide away from. However, are you making time for those ‘Important and Not Urgent’ tasks which focus on your ‘joy’ in the profession? The glimmers which add light to your day?³

    

  • Look for opportunities to discuss your motivation for choosing teaching as the career you have dedicated a valuable portion of your life to. Be open with the pupils who you teach, in turn giving them the opportunity to start considering their own ‘whys’.

  • Speak to your Senior Leadership Team colleagues to explore opportunities for staff members to share and celebrate their personal motivations for choosing a career in education, in staff meetings or perhaps as part of digital bulletins or even on the school website.

  • Bringing this unique, human element into the bustling environment of a school supports the opportunity to be present, to ground and to cultivate gratitude for the privileged position we hold as educators.

www.lauraspargo.com

To create your digital ‘why’, you may like to visit ‘Canva’. There is even an option to apply for an educator account!

Listen to Mary Myatt and Dale Bassett discussing the Curriculum and Assessment review:

1. Curriculum and Assessment Review: interim report - page 21

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