School Leaders' Think Tank

By Joshua L. Yeager | National Principals Day 2025

To my fellow Principals across Mississippi and beyond—

Let me start by saying this: most people will never truly understand the capacity it takes to successfully sit in your seat.

Not because they don’t care—but because they can’t comprehend the load.

Today, on National Principals Day, I don’t want to offer cliché congratulations or generic praise. I want to speak plainly to the hardest seat in the district—yours.

You’re not just a school leader.

You’re the chief problem-solver. The crisis responder. The hope builder. The visionary.

You sit at the intersection of systemic failure and personal triumph, holding it all together with duct tape, prayer, data, and grit.

And while others see the title, only you know the weight of the work:

The emotional intelligence it takes to manage conflict, crisis, culture, and climate—all before 8 a.m. The moral and social breakdowns you navigate in students’ lives that no textbook or PD session could ever prepare you for. The isolation that comes from leading without being fully understood—even by those closest to the mission. The expectations you carry for every teacher in your building, while often carrying their emotional burdens too. The personal dollars you pour into your school quietly, without a receipt or a complaint. The sacrifices at home, missing dinner, ballgames, and family moments—all so someone else’s child can have a chance.

Yet here you are. Still standing. Still serving.

Still dangerous enough to believe you can make a difference.

Still brave enough to keep showing up when others would walk away.

The truth is—you are the bridge.

The one between poverty and potential.

Between failure and flourishing.

Between what’s broken and what’s possible.

And while the world may never fully see it, I see you.

We see each other.

We are a different breed. Not perfect. Not bulletproof. But called.

And with that calling comes a courage the average leader can’t quite grasp.

So today, I raise a salute—not just to what you do, but to who you are.

A transformational leader. A moral compass. A courageous voice. A dangerous principal.

And if no one else tells you today—Thank you.

You’re seen. You’re valued. You’re needed now more than ever.

The seat is hard, but you were built for it.

Happy National Principals Day.

With admiration,

Joshua L. Yeager

A Principal Who Still Believes in Dangerous Leadership