As we begin a new academic year, my 10th as Head of Kent School, I have chosen a word to carry our community forward: INSPIRE. Each year, I select a guiding word – one that captures our aspirations and centers our shared purpose. This year, I return to the core of why we teach, and why we lead – to INSPIRE our students.
To inspire means more than to spark motivation or encourage change. Its Latin root, inspirare, means “to breathe into.” As educators, we do not simply impart knowledge; we breathe life into potential and promise. We awaken courage (our word from last year), curiosity, compassion, and the confidence to ask: What can I do in this world? Who can I become?
At the heart of great teaching is inspiration. The research affirms what we have always known intuitively: inspired students are more engaged, more resilient, and more likely to persevere through challenges. According to a study by psychologist Todd Thrash, “Inspiration facilitates progress toward goals,” enhancing both creativity and academic performance. When students feel inspired, they don’t just learn; they grow.
And how are children inspired? Not by curriculum alone, but through people – teachers who care deeply, who listen, who model integrity, and who challenge students. They are inspired when love is present in learning, when they feel belonging because they are seen, known and valued, and when we believe in them even before they believe in themselves. We teach them, we love them, and above all, we strive to INSPIRE them.
To prepare for a year of INSPIRE, I read Trust and Inspire by Stephen Covey this summer, a book I believe that every parent, teacher, and leader needs to read. The author presents a leadership crisis in our world. He argues that most organizations, teams, schools, and families today still operate from a model of “command and control.”Because of the changing nature of the world, the workforce, work itself, and the choices we have for where and how to work and live, however, this way of leading is outdated.
I have shared with the Kent School faculty that Trust and Inspire offers a simple yet bold solution: to shift from this “command and control” model to a leadership style of “trust and inspire.” Trust and Inspire starts with the belief that all people/students are inherently creative, collaborative, and full of potential. It is the job of the leader/teacher to create the conditions for students to flourish. Students who are inspired by their teachers can become the best version of themselves and produce their best work.
You will hear me talk a lot this year about Teach, Love, INSPIRE. That is our path forward.
Nancy Mugele