BethAnne Hines

Heading to Austin for what will be my final summer residency before graduating hopefully in August as Dr. Hines.

As I pack, I find myself thinking less about the degree and more about the people. Over the last few years, our cohort has learned together, struggled together, celebrated together, and sometimes cried together. While none of us were officially mentoring each other, we all learned from one another through shared experiences, challenges, and victories.

This journey has been about much more than research and coursework. As a lifelong learner, it has been a season of self-discovery, growth, and refining my practice as a school leader. Every class, every paper, and every revision has ultimately been about becoming better for the students and staff I serve.

One more residency. One more push. And a heart full of gratitude for the people who helped me get here.

Leadership has a funny way of teaching us lessons we weren't expecting.

This week our campus received preliminary STAAR results, and while we're still waiting on final accountability outcomes, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the journey that got us here.

A few years ago, I thought school improvement was mostly about having the right plan. Now I believe it's more about having the right people, building trust, and staying committed when progress feels painfully slow.
Some days leadership looks like celebrating success. Other days it looks like encouraging people who are tired, helping them believe the work matters, and reminding them that growth doesn't always show up immediately.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that meaningful change rarely happens all at once. It happens in hundreds of small moments that nobody sees. Teachers collaborating after school, difficult conversations, lessons revised, mistakes corrected, and people choosing not to give up.

This year's results are a reminder that growth is often happening long before we can measure it. Whether in schools, leadership, parenting, writing, or life, the same principle seems to hold true:

Keep planting seeds. Keep tending the garden. Trust that growth is happening beneath the surface.
Sometimes the harvest shows up when you least expect it.

Getting ready this morning to be part of a leadership panel over a topic that, truthfully, I’ve worked hard to learn and understand… but I still don’t feel like the expert in the room.

And maybe there’s a lesson in that.

Leadership isn’t always about having every answer. Sometimes it’s about being willing to keep learning, keep listening, and still show up anyway.

I think too many people wait until they feel “fully qualified” before they say yes to opportunities. Growth usually doesn’t work that way. Some of the rooms that stretch us the most are the exact rooms that help grow us into the leader we’re becoming. In fact, two years ago, I probably would have let my insecurities win and said no to this opportunity. Don't wait until you are ready. Do it now!

Stay teachable. Stay humble. Show up anyway.

Lately I’ve been wrapping up the early chapters of my book, and one of the biggest motivations behind it all is sitting right beside me in this picture.

I want my children to grow up seeing that dreams are worth chasing, hard work matters, and you are never “too small” or “too behind” to become something more.

I hope they always remember that where you start does not decide where you can go. 💚

Schools are full of women who mother people all day long.

The teacher keeping snacks in her drawer.
The secretary who notices every mood change.
The paraprofessional calming a child down.
The counselor checking on everyone else while carrying her own load too.
The moms who leave one set of children every morning to care for hundreds more.

Education is exhausting because people pour so much of themselves into it.

Happy Mother’s Day to every woman loving, leading, mentoring, teaching, supporting, and showing up for kids, both at home and at school.

End-of-year summatives always make me reflect on how fine the line is between coaching and supervising as a principal.

I’m still trying to find that balance honestly. With some staff, we’ve built the kind of trust where we can have deep conversations about instruction, growth, and hard things. With others, I still leave feeling like the conversation stayed too surface level.

I’ve learned that we do teachers, and ultimately students, a disservice when we avoid conversations about areas that need improvement just because they’re uncomfortable. Growth requires honest feedback. But how that feedback is delivered matters just as much as the feedback itself.

The same conversation can either feel supportive and growth-focused or feel like a directive coming from “the boss.” I think a lot of that comes down to relationships, consistency, trust, and kindness.
I’m learning that instructional leadership is not just about identifying what needs to improve. It’s about helping people feel supported enough to grow without losing clarity around expectations.

That balance is harder than it looks, and I’m still growing in it too.

Easter is a beautiful reminder that hope can rise, even after hard seasons. It makes me think about the mentors in our lives who speak life into us, encourage us when we feel weary, and help us keep going when we cannot yet see what is ahead.

I am thankful for the people who have poured into me, prayed for me, and reminded me to keep growing. This Easter, I hope you take a moment to thank a mentor who has helped shape your journey. And if you are in a place to do so, be that kind of encouragement for someone else. Happy Easter.

What an amazing reminder from Todd Nesloney!

If there was a reminder I needed, this is it.

What God placed inside you wasn’t an accident.

Not your heart.
Not your gifts.
Not the way you care so deeply.
Not the way you show up for others, even when it’s hard.

I know there are days you question it.

Days where you wonder if you’re doing enough…
If you’re making a difference…
If any of it even matters.

It does.

You don’t have to be the loudest.
You don’t have to be the most polished.
You don’t have to have it all together.

You just have to be willing to walk in what God has already placed inside you.

And that? That’s more than enough.

If this is something you needed today, drop a ❤️ or share it with someone who might need the reminder too.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to step away from the noise and spend time surrounded by an incredible group of women from my church, women who were intentional about refreshing, recharging, and strengthening their relationship with God.

It was a powerful reminder that mentorship doesn’t just shape our careers, it shapes our lives. The voices that pour into us, pray over us, guide us, and walk beside us matter deeply in every season.

As meaningful as this weekend was, I couldn’t help but feel the absence of two of my greatest mentors, my mom and my Mimi who stayed home to reset in their own ways. Their wisdom, love, and steady presence have shaped more of who I am than I could ever put into words.

Take a moment today to reflect on the people who have poured into you. Tag a mentor who has made a difference in your life, or better yet, send them a quick text and let them know what they mean to you.

We don’t grow alone. And we were never meant to.

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