You Might Not See It Now, But… | S1E6

Teaching is fundamentally legacy work where educators plant seeds of possibility that may not bloom until long after students leave the classroom. What we say to students today becomes part of their inner dialogue tomorrow, shaping how they see themselves and their capabilities for years to come.

• The most impactful teachers often teach us more about ourselves than about their subject
• Our words either water seeds of potential or chop down growing confidence
• When teachers reframe challenges (like "geometry is just another language"), they teach resilience
• Education is relational, not transactional—it's about transformation, not just information
• The impact of a teacher extends far beyond curriculum to life skills and self-perception
• How teachers conduct themselves outside the classroom matters as much as what they teach inside it
• Students don't get a second chance for us to get it right—we must be intentional with our influence

On those difficult days when you feel like you have nothing left to give, remember to turn it over to your higher power. The work will still be there when you finish your day, but you don't have to carry it alone.

Step into growth and purpose! Discover my books and resources designed to help you lead, learn, and live with impact.

✨ Click here: https://t-sml.mtrbio.com/public/smartlink/toolsforsuccess

//About

Cathy Tooley is the Founder & CEO of Tools for Success and a seasoned educator with over 40 years in K–12 classrooms and school leadership. From high school teacher to principal, Cathy has dedicated her life to supporting educators. In 2014, she launched Tools for Success to provide real, in-person instructional coaching—not just “PD in a box.” She’s the author of The Education System Is Broken, a national speaker, and a fierce advocate for teachers. Through this podcast, she’s spotlighting the ripple effect of great teaching.
🔗 Website | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn

Transcript

Seeds That Might Never Bloom

Speaker 1 0:00

You might never see the seeds that you plant bloom , but that doesn't mean they weren't planted . You have a voice , young lady , that people are going to listen to . I could listen to you talk for hours . I was five , six . I didn't know what a voice meant at that time , but I remember hearing those words and thinking you're not a bad lady . I think I could sit here every day . So do you see what she did ? She planted a seed . Now let me show you how it grew to where I'm sitting at today . Please , please , never look a child in the face again and say insert . Your subject may just not be your strong suit . Please don't ever say that again , because remember seeds . Well , I heard those for a long time and I said to this teacher well , you know , mrs Johnson , math is not my strong suit . She said geometry is not math . You just said geometry is a foreign language and you like foreign languages . Right ? I said I do . You said time to learn this one . Students don't get a second shot for you to get it right . They don't get a second shot . I don't say that to be heavy , I say that to be real . That's why our profession is as far as into that building . Turn it over to him , let him have it . He'll carry it . Whatever faith you have , whatever higher power you believe in , for me it's Jesus Christ . Turn it over , let him have it . It'll still be there when you get off work . Hi everybody , kathy Tooley , thanks for joining us for another episode of my podcast . So we're continuing our series , the Ripple Effect of a Teacher , and today I have just a kind of a subtopic called you Might Not See it . Now , you know , teaching is one of those professions that we often don't get to see the end product , and it doesn't matter whether you're a preschool teacher or a high school teacher . You often don't get the opportunity to see the end product of what it is you created . So I was thinking about this the other day and thought how do I ? I know that I've been around education now for almost a little over 40 years and I've gotten to see because I've been around a long time some of that come to fruition . But I thought , if I was a young teacher , what would I tell myself ? Or what do I wish I would have known , because I think knowing makes things easier . So I want to give you a couple of analogies that I think will be helpful . I want you to think about the long game that is teaching . You might never see the seeds that you plant bloom , but that doesn't mean they weren't planted . That doesn't mean they weren't planted . As a teacher , so much of what we say and what we do are constant planting seeds . It could be a lesson that you taught . It could be a way that you smiled at a child that they'd never been smiled at before . It could be an affirmative statement that you gave . It could be the explanation that you gave to them . That now gets it . I want you to think .

Speaker 1 3:10

Those of you that are watching this podcast reflect back on the teachers that made the most impact on you . So I want you to think about that for a second . Was it for the subject that they taught you or what they taught you about yourself ? I let me give you a second question to that before I give another thought . When you think of the teachers that were most impactful , now notice I didn't say that you necessarily liked . There are many teachers who were hugely impactful in my life and I did not like the subject . Matter of fact , I loathed the subject . I want you to think about those teachers in your life that were most impactful for you , in a subject or an area that you didn't like . In fact , you kind of dreaded going . But because of them , your life is different , because , you see , teaching is a legacy work . Teaching is a legacy work . It's not about the subject we teach although it is about the subject we teach but it's , moreover , about the legacy of what

The Impact of Teacher's Words

Speaker 1 4:25

we teach , although it is about the subject we teach , but it's , moreover , about the legacy of what we teach them . So let me give you a couple of examples .

Speaker 1 4:32

I know that early on , from as young as I can remember , I was a chatterbox . I loved to talk . My mother used to have a running expression about me that would say if you put Kathy in a square room , she would name all four quarters and carry on a conversation with them . Mom and dad I can remember as a child would send me to my room . You guys remember that as a punishment , we'd send kids to their room to get in trouble . That was never a punishment for me , because I have laughingly said over and over , I am my own best entertainment , and I can remember that even as a child , like going to the room and playing with Barbies or just writing , writing I used to write a lot or talking things out . It's funny now , as a more seasoned adult , let's just use that I find myself in the car talking things out . I talk to the Lord a lot . Or if I'm processing something , something is difficult for me , I talk that out . I talk to the Lord a lot . Or if I'm processing something , something is difficult for me , I talk that out .

Speaker 1 5:29

And when I was thinking about this topic for this podcast , I thought I know that I innately was born that way . I get that . That's the characteristics of who I am . But I can relate it back to a seed that was planted by a teacher Kindergarten , kindergarten , you know I was . You know , kindergarten . When mom dropped me off to kindergarten I screamed so hard that I ripped mom's pant leg because I latched into it and wouldn't let go . Isn't that funny . And then I became a teacher for 20 years . But I did scream and I remember thinking in that moment what kind of mother just drops their child there ? And of course I had a loving kindergarten teacher who came and put their arm around me and said all the appropriate things and got me to sit down . And it was the second or third day of her classroom and she said this to me Ready , you have a voice , young lady , that people are going to listen to . I could listen to you talk for hours . I was five , six , I didn't know what a voice meant at that time , but I remember hearing those words and thinking you're not a bad lady . I think I could sit here every day . So do you see what she did ? She planted a seed . Now let me show you how it grew to where I'm sitting at today .

Speaker 1 6:50

Probably late elementary school , I don't know , fourth or fifth grade , I was at the chalkboard and I was explaining something . The teacher had done , a really neat activity , and it was in English , and English and languages are my strong suit . Math was never . And she said Kathy , would you mind going to the board to explain it ? Now , remember , I've known that I wanted to be a teacher , since I knew what a teacher was . So I saw this as my opportunity to teach , to like do a little mini lesson . But I went to the chalkboard and I explained it , and I remember , turning to a couple of the kids , that I think she had me explain it , for it wasn't that I was that brilliant , but that concept I really understood and so I could articulate it well . And she said to me you should be a teacher someday . See what she did Seeds there , she just watered it , put a little fertilizer around it and she watered it . Fast forward to middle school .

Speaker 1 7:45

I remember I used to get in trouble for talking . I know that's shocking to any of you that are listening to this podcast that I would have gotten in trouble for talking , but I did . I even had to serve a detention one time or two , or three or four . But whenever I had to serve a detention it was because I was talking and I was . You know , you could argue . I argued was because I was talking and I was , you know , you could argue . I argued that I wasn't talking but I was .

Speaker 1 8:13

And I remember sitting one time with an assistant principal whose name I cannot remember now and her telling me Kathy , it seems that you always seem to get in trouble for talking , maybe you should stop talking . I wasn't overly fond of her and I remember thinking wait a minute , that goes against the seeds that have already been planted when I've been told to use my voice . And less than a week later I had a teacher tell me who gave me the attention for talking . She said I want you to hear me say something , kathy , about your talking . You should never , ever silence your voice . I just need you to learn when it needs to be quieter . See what she did Watered , because I'd already had a good seed growing of that . My voice was worthwhile and it was worth . Hearing someone already telling me that I should learn to be quiet seemed counterintuitive . I became a teacher ,

Teaching Is Legacy Work

Speaker 1 9:12

where I get paid to talk , and then , as life had it , I became a principal and then ultimately started this company where I talk all the time , and I still sometimes find it such a sense of humor that the Lord has that I now receive a paycheck for what someone told me I should silence .

Speaker 1 9:35

See , as teachers , that's what we do . We may not see it now , we may not see the end effects of what we're creating now , but never misunderstand the seeds that you're planting Every single day , in every word you say , you are either watering those seeds , planting those seeds , or chopping that plant down . That's why what we say is so important . It's why , when you really sit back at the impact of what we have as teachers , it's scary , scary , daunting sometimes , because remember a few minutes ago , when I asked you to reflect about the things that a teacher told you that you now know to be true about you . You probably knew them before . You already knew those were your characteristics . People that have artistic skills probably knew that , but a teacher planting seeds into that helped it flourish and grow to the blossom that it probably is today , helped it flourish and grow to the blossom that it probably is today . Students that are artistic , students that are gifted speakers , students that are really good I think of my own three children .

Speaker 1 10:55

We have three children and all of them are so gifted in different ways . Our oldest daughter has always had such a passion for the environment and the things thereof . It certainly didn't come from her dad and I and she now , because she's had teachers throughout her career that have watered those plants , now working in environment management . Our son has loved computers . He's smart , he's savvy when it comes to those things . Long before computers were a big thing . I remember the game the Sims I'm going to date myself then and he cared more about the time he spent building the house than he did taking care of the people , and now he's working in cybersecurity . And our youngest , from as young as I can remember loved the Legos and the K'nex . That's what we bought for Christmas every year and now he's a civil engineer . But through their school , through their time in education , I can tell you countless stories that , as I look back now and look at their careers , of teachers that sewed those seats , I can tell you of a science teacher that really lit my daughter's passion in middle school . I can tell you of coaches who have meant so much to our middle son in raising him to be the strong man that he is , aside from his dad and I . And I can tell you math teachers that to this day our youngest son who thought he was a little weird because he does think things in math that are beyond my comprehension but they fed into those . They watered those seeds for each of those kids . You are watering seeds , you are planting seeds every single day .

Speaker 1 12:38

Education is not transactional , it's relational . It's really about transforming the effects of what you do by teaching math or science or social studies or whatever you're teaching to teaching students really about who they are and the gifts that God already gave them to be , and teaching students that through those gifts , their impacts to generations are immeasurable Immeasurable . That's why I wanted to title this one . You Might Not See it Now , because so often in life by the time you really realize , wow . I remember when blank teacher told me that They've long since retired or they're gone or you haven't thought about it , but the transactions and the transformation that we do every day as teachers is incredible and unmeasurable . And I think the last point that I really want to leave us with is this you matter more than you know . You matter more than you know .

Speaker 1 13:48

We did a podcast here a few

Planting Seeds in Students' Lives

Speaker 1 13:50

episodes ago about a thank you letter to teachers . You're never going to know the impact you had . I promise you , if I lined up a million people , I might do this one day . I might write a book like this where you lined up a hundred thousand million people and you said name a teacher and tell me an impact they made on you . Boom , just that fast . They'll come to it . That fast . They won't even have to ponder or think Rarely would I go to an adult and they would go huh , a teacher that made a gosh can't really think of one Matter of fact . What many people will do is say , ooh , just one , ooh , just one . You want me to just talk about one .

Speaker 1 14:33

Our impact and what we do is life impact . It's not education impact , it's life impact . It's impact beyond the measure of what can be measured by a state test . Not that I said that those weren't important , I didn't Don't take away from that but it's bigger than that . And so why am I making this point ? Why is it that I think that I needed to do this ? Why is it that I felt that this podcast , this episode in the series of the rippleipple Effect of a Teacher , was so important ? And that is this Because of the impact we have . We have to be careful . We have to be careful . Ladies and gentlemen . Our words have such power hour .

Speaker 1 15:30

When we are a teacher , what we say to that waitress in the restaurant , what we say to that barista at Starbucks , how we treat the person that cuts us off , how we show up at church on Sunday are more critical than most human beings walking this earth . Because when someone watches you and knows you are a teacher , and sees you use profane vocabulary to someone hateful , to someone cussing someone off , and realizes you're a teacher , the first thing that runs through their mind is thank God , they're not my student's teacher . We have to be careful . We live in a profession that , because of who we are and because of what we do and because of the seeds we plant , we have to use those seeds for good . You know , there's a place in the Bible where the Lord talks about seeds that are planted in fertile soil grow , and seeds that are planted on rocks die . You are planting on fertile soil . It's called a student . It's called their soul and their heart and their mind . What you say about them they will believe forever , unless or until something else finally interrupts it . What you , how you make them feel , will have an impact on how they feel as a human .

Speaker 1 17:05

Now , I know some of you are watching this and thinking that's not my job . That's not my job . It's not my job to make a student feel good and I can't help it if they're not a good math student . And I'm a math teacher . You know that that's not my problem . I mean , not everybody's a gifted math teacher or a math student . Not every student can learn math well . Math teacher or a math student , not every student can learn math well . Which leads me to the other story I wanted to tell you , when I think back , of education and one of the most impactful teachers of my life . She was my 10th grade algebra teacher , geometry . I lied . She taught me geometry .

The Power and Responsibility of Teaching

Speaker 1 17:34

Now math teachers , you're going to love this story I'm about to say .

Speaker 1 17:38

I remember doing proofs and theorems . For those of you that don't know what those are , just look it up in geometry . But here's the simplistic thing of a proof and a theorem . They would put a problem up there and you had to prove it to be true , okay , and I remember her putting something silly up there like two plus two equals four . Now prove it . And I remember , sitting in my chair , remember ? I don't like math . I've never liked math , thinking what do I need to do to prove it ? I've known 2 plus 2 equals 4 for as long as I've known what it is .

Speaker 1 18:09

But she takes off on the board . If J is R's cousin and L goes out with J , if F is to P , what J is to R and K is to M and L , and she fills this entire board , entire board . I was lost . I'm still over here in the mindset of two and two or four . Now prove it . That wasn't the problem . I'm making a point . It seemed so ridiculous to me that I couldn't even understand the two chalkboards she filled . But I will never forget this teacher .

Speaker 1 18:38

I was a good student , not a valedictorian , but a good student who cared about her grades and I was tanking in geometry . I loved foreign language , but I was tanking in geometry . Matter of fact , I used to tell her this is more of a foreign language than the Spanish I'm learning , and she kept me after school one day and she walked me through step by step . But that's not where she changed me , because I had had stories of teacher after teacher after teacher after teacher of I'm just not a good math student . Gosh , I've heard that come out of my colleague's mouth and if I have , after this episode , that you never say that again , this will have been a successful episode . Please , please , please , never look a child in the face again and say insert your subject may just not be your strong suit . Please don't ever say that again . Because remember seeds ? Well , I heard those for a long time .

Speaker 1 19:35

And I said to this teacher well , you know , mrs Johnson , math is not my strong suit . And she said geometry is not math . I said what she said geometry is not math . You just said geometry is a foreign language and you like foreign languages , right , I said I do . She said time to learn this one . I paused for a minute and thought , oh , isn't she being sweet . I still am not going to understand this . And she said from now on , you're going to do this . Whenever I get to a step , you'd understand , you're going to do this and I'll back up and do it again . Promise , and I did . And I went to her Tuesday and Thursday after schools because I didn't want to be completely stupid and pause the class , because I could have lived with my finger in the air most of the time and she would go back through the steps effortlessly as if it never bothered her . Well , not just me Sometimes . They were usually at her after schools .

Speaker 1 20:29

With math , there was more than just me . Now , what's the seed ? What's the seed she taught me . She taught me that there's nothing I can't handle , that , no matter what the topic is , no matter what the subject is , I have what it takes to work my way through it . And while I may not like it , while it may not be something that I wake up and enjoy , I have the tenacity in me to work myself through the problem . And when I think of the things that have happened in life , after you know the disagreements you may have with your spouse . The raising children that's its own raising children . The oh , going through college , I never felt more stupid than what I did when I was in college .

Speaker 1 21:18

The graduating from college and working in a teaching job . The starting to teach and students not getting in . You're starting to question what I did or didn't know . I go back to that seed that Mrs Johnson planted , which is I don't have to know everything , I just have to know that I can get out of it , I can figure it out . So I learned how to be resourceful , I learned how to ask . Why , then , am I telling you all of this ? Why is all of this so important ? Because the power of you showing up in a belief and understanding that you're planting a seed is more than any subject you will teach , and you already know that because of the students that have touched you , or you already know that , as a parent , because of the teachers that touched your life . So , as we wrap this up , there are two things that come to my heart , really , really significantly .

Speaker 1 22:18

I understand that teaching is a difficult , difficult , grinding , difficult , day in , day out , on the stage job . I always laughingly say there's no other profession where we get to take everything that happens in our life , shove it and compartmentalize , to go do what we've got to do . We should be paid like an actor or actress Because we put on , sometimes an Academy Award-winning performance every day , because I certainly didn't feel like it being this , but we have to , and when and if you think you can't , that's when you know it's time to go Take a leave of absence , step away for a time , because the second component , which I say all the time , is this Students don't get a second shot for you to get

Teaching Is Relational Not Transactional

Speaker 1 23:05

it right . They don't get a second shot . I don't say that to be heavy , I say that to be real . That's why our profession is , as far as I am concerned , the most important profession in the world .

Speaker 1 23:20

In the world is what you do every day . So when you have those days you feel like you can't do it , my prayer for you is that , before you go into that building , turn it over to him . Let him have it . He'll carry it . Whatever faith you have , whatever higher power you believe in , for me it's Jesus Christ . Turn it over , let him have it . It'll still be there when you get off work today it didn't go anywhere and then walk into school today knowing today , today I'm going to plant his seeds to his children , regardless of what this disciple is feeling today , because that's who you are . You may never see the effects , but I promise you they're there because of you and because of what you're doing . So my prayer for you is this , and I want to leave you with this there's the serenity prayer . You know the wine . Grant me the serenity , accept the things I can't change , but the most important line I like is this and the wisdom to know the difference . The difference is you . You're the difference .

Speaker 1 24:32

So maybe listen to just this last clip of the podcast on your way to work , when you're having one of those days that I don't know if I've got any seeds to plant .

Turn Your Struggles Over to Faith

Speaker 1 24:42

I think my barrel's empty . No , it's not . You have more to give and I know you can give it it . So thank you for doing a job that you most likely will never see the fruition of . You'll never get to plow the garden . Likely you'll never get to see the lilies in the valley . You'll likely never get to see the final crops being harvested , but make no mistake , you planted the seed . Have a good day everybody .