Your Classroom Isn't Broken — You're Making a Difference

I got a text from Sarah, a second-year English teacher in another district, at 10:15 PM last Wednesday.

"Duke, I feel like I'm failing my kids. My evaluation says I need to improve student engagement, but I know my students are learning. They're writing better, thinking deeper, participating more. But their test scores don't show it. What am I doing wrong?"

I set down my glass of milk with crushed ice and called her.

"Sarah, let me ask you something. Are your kids excited about coming to your class?"

"Yes, most of them."

"Are they doing work they've never done before?"

"Absolutely. They're writing essays they're actually proud of."

"Are parents telling you their kids talk about your class at home?"

"Yeah, actually. Several have mentioned that."

"Then you're not failing anyone. You're succeeding in ways that matter most."

This conversation happens more often than it should.

Teachers who are doing incredible work—reaching their students in ways that transform lives—being told they're not effective because some measure doesn't capture what's actually happening in their classrooms.

Having been both a teacher and an administrator, I can tell you something that needs to be said more often: Most teachers are making a far greater impact than any evaluation system will ever measure.

I know this because I've lived it from both sides.

As a teacher, I've seen my students grow in ways that no test could capture. As an administrator, I watched incredible teachers under my supervision create breakthrough moments that would never show up in data reports.

And I learned something important: The most meaningful work we do can't always be measured, but it's always visible to those who know where to look.

The challenge isn't what's happening in classrooms. The challenge is recognizing all the ways learning happens.

When I was an administrator, I believed my job was to support my teachers so they could reach their students better. I focused on building relationships, creating environments where both teachers and students could thrive, and celebrating growth that mattered.

It worked. Culture improved. Staff felt valued. Student engagement increased. Teachers were doing their best work because they felt trusted and supported.

But that kind of success doesn't always translate into the metrics that get measured. The breakthrough with a struggling reader, the confidence built in a reluctant speaker, the critical thinking developed through deep discussions—these transformations are real, but they're not always captured in standardized measures.

Here's what I've learned:

Real teaching impact often happens in the spaces between formal assessments. It shows up in the relationships you build, the confidence you restore, and the curiosity you ignite.

When you focus on meaningful connections with students, the impact isn't always immediately visible in data. When you serve the whole child instead of just preparing them for tests, the growth that matters most takes time to reveal itself.

But it's what students need. It's what learning actually looks like. It's what makes education transformational rather than transactional.

The teachers who reach out to me aren't struggling because they lack skill.

They're struggling because they understand what meaningful education looks like, and they're working within systems that don't always measure what matters most.

They know when they're making a difference. They can see the growth that counts. They understand that learning is so much more than what shows up on any single assessment.

But sometimes they're told their perspective doesn't align with the data. They're told that numbers tell a more complete story than their daily observations of student growth.

I've been there. I've had my effectiveness questioned because I chose to focus on relationships and growth over compliance.

I've been told that building meaningful connections with staff wasn't quantifiable, so it couldn't be prioritized. I've been encouraged to manage more and lead less.

And I've watched incredible teachers doubt themselves because evaluation systems suggested they weren't effective, even when everyone could see they were changing students' lives.

If you're a teacher reading this and questioning whether you're making a difference, let me be clear:

You are. The impact you're having on your students is real, significant, and lasting—even when it doesn't show up in the places others are looking.

You know when you're reaching kids. You see it when a student who never participated starts raising their hand. You hear it when parents share that their child is excited about learning for the first time. You feel it when former students return to thank you for believing in them.

That's real. That matters. And it's the kind of impact that changes lives.

Sometimes the most important work we do can't be measured in traditional ways. Sometimes reaching students well means focusing on growth that takes time to become visible.

Your classroom isn't broken. You're not failing your students.

You're doing the deep work of education—building relationships, fostering growth, and creating the conditions where real learning happens. That work has always been challenging to measure, but it's always been the heart of great teaching.

Trust what you see. Trust what you know. Trust the evidence that shows up in your students' engagement, their growth, and their excitement about learning.

Next week, we're talking about why this isn't just about reading—it's about joining a conversation. The kind of conversation that reminds us why this work matters more than any metric will ever show.

Because you deserve to know that the difference you're making is real, significant, and exactly what your students need.

Find more resources and join the conversation at WeAreAcademicAllies.com.