February has always felt like a month that invites reflection. It begins, for me, with a birthday, an annual pause that naturally brings perspective. It includes Valentine’s Day, a reminder that love is best measured by action, not words. And it closes with Presidents Day, when we remember leaders like Washington and Lincoln and the enduring idea that a healthy democracy depends on people willing to serve something larger than themselves. All of that makes February a fitting moment to reflect on the soul-filling work of school board governance and my deep, abiding love for public education.

School board service is not glamorous. It lives in evening meetings after long workdays, in carefully reading reports, in listening to public comment and in weighing decisions that rarely offer simple answers. Yet there is something profoundly meaningful about this work. To sit at a board table is to hold a community’s trust and to help shape conditions where children can learn, grow and thrive. Over time, I have come to understand that this is not just governance, it is stewardship.

What makes the work especially rewarding is seeing its impact. Sometimes it’s immediate: a new program that supports student wellness; a facility improvement that creates safer, more welcoming schools; or a policy that better reflects the needs of families. Other times, the impact reveals itself years later, when former students return as confident young adults, or when a decision made quietly in a boardroom is reflected in a school culture where students feel seen and supported. In those moments, the connection between today’s choices and tomorrow’s outcomes becomes unmistakably clear.

Valentine’s Day, nestled in the middle of the month, feels symbolic. School board governance is, at its core, an act of love; love for children, for educators and for community. It shows up in advocating for students who may never know your name, in supporting teachers and staff who give their best every day, and in staying engaged even when conversations are difficult. This work asks for patience, empathy and a willingness to listen. It asks us to believe in the potential of every child and to act on that belief.

Presidents Day adds another layer of reflection. Washington and Lincoln led in vastly different times, yet both understood that leadership is rooted in service and guided by principle. Their examples remind us that democracy is not sustained by grand gestures alone, but by consistent, values-driven participation. School boards operate in that same spirit, close to the people they serve, translating community values into decisions that shape the future, one student at a time.

As I mark another birthday, I am especially aware of the privilege of this role. Few opportunities allow you to quite literally touch the future. Every investment in learning, every effort to expand opportunity, every commitment to equity and belonging sends a signal to students about their worth and their possibilities. That is a remarkable responsibility, and an equally remarkable gift.

Public education is often described as the great equalizer, but it is also something more personal than that. It is where relationships are built, where curiosity is sparked, and where young people begin to understand their place in the world. Serving in its governance offers a front-row seat to that transformation. It is the gift that keeps on giving: the satisfaction of seeing growth, the pride in shared accomplishments and the quiet knowledge that the work matters.

February reminds me that service, love and leadership are deeply connected. School board governance continues to fill my soul — not because the path is easy, but because it is purposeful. Each decision, each conversation, each act of care contributes to something lasting. And that, more than anything, is why this work remains such a profound source of hope and fulfillment.