There was a time in my life when everything seemed stacked against me. I was diagnosed with ADHD, caught in years of drug and alcohol abuse, and raised by a mother who had me at just 16 years old. I struggled deeply in school and ended up attending three different schools during my ninth-grade year, repeating it more than once. From the outside, my story looked like one of failure. But what I’ve learned is this: your beginning does not get to decide your ending.

For more than 15 years, I have had the privilege of serving in the educational space, working with teachers, administrators, and students all over the world. And over that time, I have noticed a clear difference between a regular teacher, a seasoned teacher, and a next-level teacher. A next-level teacher is not defined by years of service or titles on a door. A next-level teacher is someone who goes above and beyond for their students. Someone who teaches by faith and not by sight. Someone who sees potential before performance and purpose before problems..