TL;DR:

• Baking cookies is a metaphor for the diverse ways educators prepare for a new school year.
• Some teachers meticulously plan every detail, while others adapt based on their time and resources.
• The key is to keep showing up and bringing your best to the classroom, just as bakers continue to bring their cookies to the table.

How Baking Cookies Can Kickstart the School Year

In elementary school, one of my favorite memories was when my mom had a special tradition that made my birthday magical for my classmates and me. She would get the class list of names and make personalized cookies for each student, carefully decorating each one with their name. The pride I felt as I walked around the classroom handing out those cookies was indescribable. Seeing the smiles and awe on my classmates’ faces as they saw their names on the cookies was pure joy.

As we step into a new school year, I can’t help but think about how that simple act of baking cookies is a lot like the work we do as educators. Just like those personalized cookies, the start of a school year is a time of preparation, anticipation, and a little bit of magic. As for what happens when we bake cookies, the way we prepare for school—and the results we achieve—can vary widely depending on our experiences, resources, and circumstances.

Whether your cookies are store-bought or homemade, beautifully decorated or simply put together, what matters most is that you keep showing up. Click To Tweet

The Varieties of Cookies (and Classrooms)

Some of us have the time and energy to create intricate, beautifully decorated cookies that look and taste incredible. These might be teachers who can spend hours planning lessons, decorating their classrooms, and thinking of every detail to make the learning moments special. Others might grab a package of store-bought cookies on the way to school, not because they care any less, but because life is busy and their time may look different at various points in their career.

Then some love the process of baking cookies—they experiment with new recipes, try out different ingredients, and take joy in the creative process. These are the educators who are constantly learning, trying new teaching methods, and bringing fresh ideas into the classroom. Some of us, however, might be dealing with new challenges, like a food allergy that requires us to bake gluten-free cookies. This might represent the teachers who are adapting to new teaching standards, learning to work with diverse student needs, or adjusting to changes in their personal lives.

And sometimes, despite our best intentions, things go wrong. The cookies burn, or we forget to make them altogether. Maybe we were so exhausted that we fell asleep before we had a chance to bake or we ran out of the right ingredients. As teachers, this can look like a lesson plan that doesn’t go as expected, a day that feels chaotic, or a moment when we feel like we’re falling short.

The Joy and Challenge of Comparison

In the world of baking—and teaching—it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparison. You might be proud of your cookies, but then you see the beautifully decorated batch that someone else brought in, and suddenly yours don’t look as impressive. It’s the same in the classroom. You might be excited about a lesson plan or classroom setup, only to see what a colleague has done and feel like your efforts can’t compare. 

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” It’s important to remember that we all have different experiences, resources, and strengths. Some of us might only have the budget for standard cookies, or supplies while others can gather the finest ingredients. Some of us are seasoned bakers, while others are just starting. And that’s okay. What matters most is that we keep showing up, bringing our cookies—our lessons, our energy, our passion—to the table.

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Embracing the Process and Learning Along the Way

No matter how long you’ve been baking cookies, there’s always something new to learn. Maybe you’ve been making chocolate chip cookies for years, but what if there’s a new technique or ingredient that could make them even better? The same goes for teaching. Even if you’ve been in the classroom for a long time, there’s always room to grow, learn new strategies, and adapt to the changing needs of your students.

As the school year progresses, the cookies might start to look different. You may find ways to delegate some of the cookie-baking to others, or the options available to you might change. But either way, most people like cookies. Even if they’re not the best cookies they’ve ever had, the fact that you made them means something. Your students—and their families—are looking for that connection, that care, that effort. And by bringing your cookies, you’re helping them believe that what they need and want will be there.

Keep Showing Up

Whether your cookies are store-bought or homemade, beautifully decorated or simply put together, what matters most is that you keep showing up. As professional runner Des Linden says, “Keep showing up.” Bring your cookies—your lessons, your support, your care—and keep showing up for your students. They might not always be the most enthusiastic audience, but they’ll appreciate the effort, and you’ll be making a difference, one cookie at a time.