Jill: Making Planning & Reflection Essential

There is one leader I’ve known — one — who truly understood that great teaching is more than just showing up with a plan. That the magic happens not just in the moment, but before and after it.

Her name is Jill.

She wasn’t a principal. She didn’t lead a school in the traditional sense. Instead, she served as the Curator of Education for a local museum that offered immersive, experiential learning through its consistently sold-out summer camps. And she did something rare — something revolutionary, even by educator standards.

She respected and protected the entire instructional cycle:
Planning
Facilitation
Reflection & Documentation

And because of that? The learning was unforgettable.

Camp as it Should Be

I was lucky enough to be a lead instructor for their flagship camp — a one-week experience that combined local history with deeply engaging, themed daily adventures. Students of all backgrounds and abilities came alive in that space. They remembered what they learned — years later. Parents would tell us, again and again, that this camp was one of the most impactful educational experiences their children ever had.

That doesn’t happen by accident.
And it’s not just because it was “summer camp.”

It’s because we were given the time and support to design it that way.

We weren’t handed a slapdash supply bin and told to “wing it.”
We weren’t treated like summer babysitters.
We were treated like educators.

Jill ensured that we had protected, paid time for planning, collaboration, reflection, and documentation — because she understood that’s what leads to enduring learning. Not just fun, but meaning.

I've Seen the Other Side

And I’ve worked in museums where this wasn’t the case. Places where instructors were thrown into camps without prep time or reflection space. Where crafts came from the odds-and-ends garage sale bin, and no one really knew what they were supposed to be teaching — just that the kids needed to be contained until pickup.

In those places, instructors dreaded the camps. They couldn’t understand why anyone would actually enjoy teaching them. And honestly? When you’re expected to show up and perform without time to prepare or debrief, it is exhausting. It’s discouraging. And it’s a missed opportunity for both kids and educators.

Jill Knew Better

Jill understood that impactful teaching is a full cycle.
And she led in a way that protected that cycle.

Because of her leadership, we didn’t just survive summer.
We created something lasting.
We felt valued as educators.
And the students felt it too.

That’s the kind of leadership I want to model.
The kind that doesn’t just appreciate teachers — it equips them.
That doesn’t just celebrate outcomes — it invests in the process.

The kind of leadership that says:

“What you’re doing matters. Let me make sure you have what you need to do it well.”