This is Mr. Funky Teacher with BeAFunkyTeacher.com. I’m coming to you with another Be a Funky Teacher podcast. Welcome back, everyone. Today’s episode is Flying Together, Helping Others Rise As You Soar. But before we get into it, let’s talk about three things that I’m thankful for. First thing that I’m thankful for is having my wife home from her trip. I’m thankful to have my wife back home after her getaway with her sister because I missed her. I know she didn’t want to come back into the Midwest chilliness because she was enjoying the warm weather, but I know she’s excited to be back too with us. It’s those little reunions that remind me of how connection refuels the heart. Even short time apart can make a person appreciate everyday presence more deeply. So I am thankful for having my wife home from her trip. Second thing I’m thankful for is my backpack. I’m grateful for my backpack, the unsung hero of my daily life. It carries lesson plans, podcast gear, snacks, and sometimes even hope. It’s a small reminder that the right tools can make the work smoother, truly. Third thing, I’m thankful for a clean house. I’m thankful for a clean, organized space. When my surroundings feel clear, my mind does too. A clean house isn’t just order, it’s peace you can walk into. With my wife being gone, I had a whole new appreciation for all that my wife does. My wife is the main person who cooks in our house. I can cook, but she’s such a good cook, and she does so much for us at home—holding things down with food, laundry, and everything. Without her there, it just makes me appreciate and feel thankful for her even more with all she does when she’s at home. She’s just an incredible human being. I don’t know how she does everything she does. I worked really hard to make sure she had a clean house coming home to last night. I wanted her to have a clean space. It was hard after work, but my kids and I ate off paper plates last night. We were like, we’re not dirtying any dishes. All the dishes are clean. The house is picked up. Floors are clean. Laundry’s done. Nobody make a mess anywhere. Because I wanted her to have one less thing to think about when she came back. If she had to come back to a messy house after being gone, that’s not going to help her relax and take the most from her trip with her sister. I didn’t want her to come back to chaos. And I think we’re all enjoying that. It won’t last long, right? As you know, it doesn’t take much for a house to become messy really fast—especially when you’re living in it and you have kids running around doing their thing. All right, y’all. Our main episode today is Flying Together, Helping Others Rise As You Soar. First big idea is that eagles soar together. Even though we picture an eagle flying solo in the wild, they actually often travel in pairs or small groups. True strength isn’t independence—it’s interdependence. And I think about in schools: no one grows alone. We rise when we share ideas, when we cheer others on, and often help without scorekeeping. It can’t be about scorekeeping. Teacher leadership isn’t about scorekeeping. Here’s an example: maybe you have a quick hallway conversation, or you check in on a teammate after a tough class. That really can be a lift that changes a person’s day. That’s that mindset of eagles soaring together. Next thing is the power of encouragement. Encouragement, y’all—it’s oxygen. I consider myself a pretty high-performing person, but I love encouragement too. Every teacher needs it, but I think few ask for it. We can become the voice that says, “You’ve got this,” when someone’s doubting themselves. It can make a difference. Be intentional about noticing efforts, not just success. You might say to someone, “Hey, I saw how you handled that situation with your students today. That was powerful.” Encouragement costs nothing, but its ripples can reach far beyond the classroom. I’ve been really loving it here at Winnebago. I’ve encountered a lot of people who bring encouragement. I’ve had moments where I handled a situation on the playground, and a teacher said, “Hey, I’m really impressed with how you handled that situation talking to those students.” That stuck with me. Those words mattered. I’ve had my teaching partners—my grade-level teaching partners—say words of encouragement to me. “Hey, I noticed you handled something in this way,” or “You had to handle a tough behavior or a tough situation,” and they acknowledged it. That means a lot. And I try to do the same for them. I try to show up for my grade-level team giving words of encouragement and words of support, because I want to be there for them too. And just as I’m talking about encouragement, I want to lean into it even more. Is it a bad thing that I want to do more of it? Absolutely not. When we’re focused on encouraging each other as a team, we don’t have time to tear each other down. I think that’s true whether it’s adults working together, or students working together. When we focus on supporting and encouraging, tearing each other down becomes so much less likely. Encouragement costs nothing, and it can go far beyond the classroom, the hallways, or the school. It can make a huge impact. Third big idea: building a culture that lifts. Flying together means creating a climate where others can spread their wings too. In healthy school cultures, teachers share—they don’t compete. I’ve said that to my team all the time: we’re not in competition. This idea of one teacher being better than another teacher—absolutely not. This isn’t a competition. I love sharing things with my team. I love when they share things with me. We’re a team. I’ve really enjoyed working with my team this year, and I think we’ve created a space where feedback feels safe and wins are celebrated together. Because leadership isn’t about titles—it’s about attitude. When we lift others, we listen without judgment. We share strategies generously. We give credit publicly and often. If I see a teacher try something creative, I’ll celebrate it. I’ll say, “Hey, this teacher tried this—what a cool idea.” I’ll try it too, or I’ll encourage our team to try it. And even little things—a Post-it note to a teammate, a thank-you card, stopping into someone’s classroom—those small things lift people up. A lot of times my teaching partners pop into my classroom, and they have words of affirmation, words of encouragement, and they share ideas. I stop into their classrooms too and share ideas. It reinforces this idea that eagles soar together. Fourth big idea: teaching students to lift others. Modeling kindness with colleagues teaches students how community works. When kids see adults collaborate, they learn empathy and teamwork themselves. Encourage students to notice when peers are succeeding and to speak encouragement aloud. Remind students that lifting others up never makes us smaller. That creates the ripple effect we want. When students focus on encouraging and supporting each other, they’re less focused on tearing each other down. Will it eliminate every unkind moment? No. But it creates a culture where tearing each other down isn’t tolerated and where we are stronger together. That’s the type of culture I work hard to create in my classroom. I spend a lot of time developing student collaboration skills because I want students to learn how to work with others as a team. Some students may not have had a lot of practice with that in the past, and that’s okay. But in my classroom, students will learn how to work collaboratively because I believe it matters for their future success. Learning how to work with others without being mean, cruel, demeaning, or making fun of others—that matters. So teaching students to lift others up matters. It starts with teachers and adults in the school space. Students learn a lot from seeing adults interact and work collaboratively. And it matters when we have direct conversations with students about what collaboration and encouragement look like. So my reflective takeaways here: you can fly higher alone, but you can go further together. A strong flock isn’t built on competing—it’s built on compassion. When you lift others up, you rise too. I hope you found this episode valuable. If you did, jump on over to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcast episodes and hit me up with a five-star review. And as you go into your day, I want you to remember to inspire greatness in young people. And don’t forget to be a funky teacher. Bye now.