A lot has changed, and a lot has stayed the same for educators since the turbulence of the COVID years, says FETC 2025 featured speaker and former superintendent Jill Siler, who is now the deputy executive director of professional learning at the Texas Association of School Administrators.
“The core of my message is, I love this work that we get to do … but there is a small portion that is so incredibly difficult and I think it’s becoming even more difficult,” she says.
“What I want to talk about with our leaders is what practical tips can I share that will help us do more than just survive those moments, but really thrive when things are difficult.”
Those difficult moments include post-ESSER funding challenges, stark learning gaps, disruptive student behavior and political issues that are now infiltrating the conversations in even the smallest districts.
“The challenges that our educators and our leaders are facing are immense,” she continues. “I would love to say to a group of educators, if we do this and this and this, we will never have a student who misbehaves or a conversation that goes off the rails or an administrator or a parent who’s not happy.”
Siler hopes to help leaders at FETC shift their mindsets as they grapple with these challenges.
“We all know that making missteps and not meeting expectations is going to happen, so how do we navigate that and grow when things don’t go our way,” she says. “Taking it a step further, it’s not just how we learn from and lead through failure, it’s how we lead when others around us are missing expectations.
“And how can we be both kind and hold people fiercely accountable at the same time we’re doing what’s best for kids.”
Jill Siler’s FETC 2025 sessions
Here are some of the key topics Siler will cover at FETC 2025:
- Thrive Through the Five: Practical Truths to Powerfully Lead in Challenging Times
