The Foundation: Understanding the “WHY”

Unless an employee entirely understands what they do, they can easily fail on WHY they are there. This fundamental principle applies to every profession, but it carries particular weight in education where the stakes are our children’s futures, their safety, and their development into contributing members of society.

However, good communication provides a better understanding to all employees of their job, and more importantly how they fit into the WHY or the mission of the company. In the context of education, this means that every teacher must understand not just what they teach or how they teach it, but why their work matters in the larger ecosystem of student development and societal progress.

The Danger of Isolated Thinking

When teachers view their role in isolation—believing that their only responsibility is teaching their specific subject or managing their individual classroom—they miss the collaborative nature of education. A math teacher who doesn’t understand how their work connects to the English teacher’s efforts, or how both contribute to creating a safe school environment, operates in a silo that ultimately harms students.

This siloed thinking creates fragmentation in the school community. When teachers don’t see themselves as part of a unified mission, students receive inconsistent messages, behavioral standards vary from classroom to classroom, and critical issues like bullying can fall through the cracks as each teacher assumes it’s someone else’s responsibility.

The Misconception of Personal Motivations

Many times, there is a misconception among some of the employees that the real reasons for them coming to work are their personal reasons. These reasons might range from “The money,” “The commute distance,” “The area where the office is situated,” and other practical considerations that, while understandable, miss the deeper purpose of the profession.

These personal reasons tend to create differences between employees as every individual is motivated to work only because of his/her personal reasons and not for “The Company.” When teachers come to work primarily for the paycheck, the convenient schedule, or the summers off, they’re missing the transformative power and profound responsibility of their chosen profession.

Understanding the Problem with Personal-Only Motivation

This is not to say that practical considerations don’t matter. Teachers deserve fair compensation, reasonable working conditions, and work-life balance. However, these cannot be the primary or sole motivators. When they are, education becomes just another job rather than a calling, and students suffer the consequences.

The Educational Mission: Defining the Real “WHY”

Extrapolating this example in our present context, it becomes easier to understand that all teachers in our schools must understand the real WHY they are there. The answer cannot be found in personal convenience or financial necessity—it must be rooted in a deeper commitment to students and society.

It is the school’s responsibility to ensure that every teacher’s reason for working in the school is:

This mission statement is deceptively simple, but it contains profound implications for how teachers approach every aspect of their work. Let’s unpack what this mission really means:

Breaking Down the Mission

“To educate students” – This is the obvious part, but it goes beyond just delivering curriculum content. Education encompasses intellectual growth, critical thinking skills, social-emotional development, character formation, and preparation for future success. It means meeting students where they are and helping them reach their potential.

“In a safe environment” – This is where many schools and teachers fall short. Safety isn’t just about locked doors and fire drills. It means emotional safety, physical safety, psychological safety, and social safety. Students cannot learn effectively when they’re worried about being bullied, humiliated, or harmed. Creating safety is every teacher’s responsibility, not just the principal’s or the counselor’s.

“And motivating school environment” – Beyond safety, students need inspiration, encouragement, and reasons to engage with learning. A motivating environment celebrates curiosity, rewards effort, supports risk-taking, and makes students feel that their education matters. Teachers who understand this create classrooms where students want to learn, not just have to learn.

The Power of Clear Communication and Shared Focus

Further, the communication between the teachers and school administration should be clear and everyone should be focused on the “WHY” of their being there in the school. This clarity doesn’t happen by accident—it requires intentional effort from leadership and ongoing reinforcement through words and actions.

Each and every person should understand that it is not only their own job that’s important but the jobs being undertaken by others are also equally important as every single job and every single task done is important for achieving the “WHY.”

The Ripple Effect of Understanding

The teachers must understand that whatever they do not only goes towards educating students in a safe and motivating school environment but also pertains to other aspects of schooling. Every decision, every interaction, every lesson plan either supports or undermines the collective mission.

When a teacher dismisses a bullying complaint as “just kids being kids,” they undermine safety. When a teacher creates an engaging, student-centered lesson, they enhance motivation. When a teacher collaborates with colleagues to support a struggling student, they strengthen the entire educational ecosystem. When a teacher models respect, empathy, and integrity, they educate beyond academics.

The Bullying Connection: Every Teacher’s Responsibility

This implies that the teachers are ALL involved in this epidemic called bullying. This is not an overstatement or an exaggeration. Bullying is not the exclusive domain of certain teachers, the principal, or the counseling department. It is a school-wide issue that requires school-wide engagement.

The Training Imperative

Teachers need to be trained on school bullying policies and procedures and to know what to do if a child reports to them that they have been bullied. This training is not optional or supplementary—it is essential to fulfilling the educational mission. Specifically, teachers must be trained to:

At the time of this writing, some schools across North America have started to train their teachers in these essential skills. However, “some schools” is not enough. Every school must prioritize comprehensive anti-bullying training for all staff members if they are serious about their educational mission.

Why Training Matters

Without proper training, even well-intentioned teachers make critical mistakes. They might dismiss reports as “tattling,” advise students to “work it out themselves,” fail to recognize subtle forms of bullying, document incidents inadequately, or forget to follow up after initial intervention. Each of these failures allows bullying to continue and sends the message that adults cannot or will not protect students.

Conversely, when teachers are properly trained and understand that addressing bullying is central to their mission, schools become measurably safer. Students learn that reporting leads to action, bullies learn that their behavior has consequences, and the entire school culture shifts toward respect, inclusion, and safety.

Implementing Mission-Driven Teaching

For School Administrators

For Individual Teachers

The Transformative Power of Purpose

When teachers truly understand and embrace their “WHY”—when they come to work each day committed to educating students in a safe and motivating environment rather than just collecting a paycheck—everything changes. Students feel the difference. They sense when teachers are invested in their wellbeing versus just going through the motions.

This shift from job to mission transforms not just individual classrooms but entire school communities. Bullying decreases because every adult is vigilant and responsive. Academic achievement increases because students learn better in safe, supportive environments. Teacher satisfaction improves because mission-driven work is inherently more fulfilling than transaction-based employment. And ultimately, students leave school better prepared not just academically, but as compassionate, responsible, resilient individuals.