This School Choice Week, we’re celebrating fit....for students, families, and the teachers who bring schools to life.
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When people talk about School Choice Week, the conversation usually centers on students and families and for good reason. Finding a school that fits your child can be life-changing.
But I want to spend a little more time on something that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: school choice is also incredibly important for teachers.
This isn’t theoretical for me. I’ve seen it firsthand, teaching myself, interviewing teachers for positions, and watching educators move between schools. And the pattern is clear: when teachers are in environments that fit them, students benefit too.
Just like students, teachers are different.
Some educators are at their best in highly structured environments with clear routines and pacing guides. Others thrive when they have room to experiment, build interdisciplinary projects, or design lessons around student interests. Some love large school communities; others do their best work in smaller, tighter-knit settings where they know every student deeply.
None of these approaches are “right” or “wrong.” They’re just different.
The problem comes when we pretend that every teacher should be successful in the exact same kind of school. That’s not realistic, and it’s not fair to educators or kids.
School choice creates space for multiple teaching models to exist, which means teachers can seek out schools aligned with their strengths, values, and teaching philosophy. When that alignment happens, teachers aren’t constantly fighting the system. They’re able to focus on what they came to do: teach.
We talk a lot about teacher burnout, and rightly so. Teaching is hard work. But one of the biggest contributors to burnout isn’t the students, it’s feeling stuck in an environment that doesn’t fit or working for an school leader who doesn’t “get” your style of teaching.
When teachers have options, they’re not trapped. They can move toward schools that:
That flexibility matters. Teachers who find the right fit are more likely to stay in the profession, grow as educators, and take on leadership roles. And stability matters, for school culture, for teams, and especially for students.
And it isn’t just teachers who benefit from teachers liking their school: students feel it when teachers are in the right place.
Teachers who feel supported and aligned are more confident. They’re more willing to try new things. They build stronger relationships. They show up with energy instead of exhaustion.
School choice doesn’t just move teachers around, it creates environments where great teaching can actually happen. It allows schools to be intentional about who they hire and how they support them. And it gives teachers permission to say, “This is where I do my best work.”
None of this is about tearing down traditional public schools or putting educators on opposite sides. It’s about acknowledging something we already know: strong public education depends on strong teachers, and strong teachers need environments that work for them.
School choice, at its best, expands what’s possible, for kids and for the adults who serve them every day.
So during School Choice Week, I’m celebrating the teachers who found schools where they feel trusted, valued, and energized. I’m celebrating the schools that were built intentionally around how teachers and students actually learn. And I’m celebrating the idea that educators deserve agency in their careers, just like families deserve agency in their children’s education.
Because when teachers thrive, students do too. And that’s something worth celebrating.
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