You Need To Create Your Own Identity, Or Others Will Do It For You!

How to Stay True to Yourself in Education and Life

The very first school I served as a high school principal happened to be located on King Road. One of my teachers playfully referred to me as the "King of King Road," even though I felt more like a jester learning to navigate my new role and understand the expectations of all my school's stakeholders. As time went on, people recognized me in the community as the principal of Roswell High School, and several educators told me that when they thought of my school, they immediately thought of me. I knew the responsibility of being a principal comes with being the face and the voice of the school you serve. Going back to when I was in the classroom, whenever my students and their parents saw me around the community with my family, they always recognized me as their child's teacher.

In education, like other professions, it is easy to have your identity defined by others. It is critical for you to invest in yourself and be true to your identity, no matter what people say around you. Creating your authentic professional identity while staying grounded in your personal values is one of the most important things you can do for your career and well-being.

Creating The Person You Want To Be!

While it's easy to perceive our identity as what others tell us and how others behave around us, it is important to be able to separate our personal identity from the job we do and people's perception of us. As a young principal, I wanted to be successful, and I thought success would come from listening to everyone around me and trying to please all my school's stakeholders. I strived to live up to the expectations of the 3,000 students and parents in my school community. Hours upon hours of focusing on being the educational leader everyone wanted caused me to unintentionally neglect my personal values, interests, and relationships. Education was a calling for me, and yes, I brought my personality, creativity, and skills to every job I had, but my job did not always identify the person I was inside.

I have grown to understand that I had to be true to the man in the mirror and try to be the best version of myself, each and every day. Education is a people business, and when you are leading a school of 3,000 families and teachers, there is no way I could gain the approval of every person. I had to prioritize and make sure I cultivated the most important relationships and values in my life, and to make sure I was striving to be the absolute best version of myself. I learned a very valuable life lesson:

"Never let anyone else write your story—

only you know the truth of who you are and who you are becoming."

There is a harsh reality that will eventually face each of us. When we move on from a job or a school, very few relationships will follow, and your school will hire someone to fill your position immediately. There is a reason why retirement is a huge transition for people, and educators are no different; people often feel like they have to find themselves again. People often think that the job they've been doing for the past 30 years is their identity. If you have a strong sense of your self-identity and take the time to invest in your personal growth, you will be the best version of yourself no matter where you are and no matter what stage in life you are in.

One Way I Invested In My Personal Growth: The Highlands Ability Assessment

Throughout my career, many well-intentioned administrators provided me with valuable feedback about my performance in an effort to improve my teaching and job performance. However, one superintendent, Robert Avossa, went beyond investing in my skill set and invested in me personally by having me take the Highlands Ability Battery back in 2015. I was blown away by how much I learned about myself and my natural abilities, which helped transform my career trajectory and my true self-identity.

I have taken many personality tests and career inventories throughout my career, but the HAB reinforced that education was the perfect job for me and helped me use my natural attributes to perform higher in my role as an educational leader. It helped me understand my strengths and how to compensate for things that didn't come as easily. It helped me create my personal vision for the person I wanted to be and the person I wanted to become. It helped me create my narrative on Ed Spurka.

It was so transforming for me that I decided to provide this same opportunity to several of my teachers and leaders at the schools I served. It was one of the best decisions I could have made, and as a result, I witnessed greater joy and fulfillment in each person, personally and professionally. As my teachers' morale grew, their retention increased, and so did the academic achievement of my students.

The Highlands Ability Battery's Whole Person Model helped me create my personal vision and regain my focus on the values, relationships, and interests that were the most important to me. It also helped me develop a much better work/life balance, which benefited not only me but also my wife and children.

Sometimes, we react to the world around us. The HAB allowed me to become more proactive, helping me do the things that brought me the most joy and happiness.

How Can The HAB Help You?

Unlike any career assessment you've ever experienced, the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) is uniquely capable of uncovering your inherent, natural abilities. A comprehensive series of interactive, virtual work samples will give you an objective, in-depth report of what you're naturally good at. Not what you want to do or what you think you should do, but what comes naturally to you. The HAB's Whole Person Model will help you not only identify your natural abilities, but can also help you identify your values, interests, and relationships that are the most important to you. Thus, the HAB helps you better understand your identity and the person you truly are.

The HAB was so transformational for me that I decided to become a certified Highlands consultant. Along with the assessment, you would receive a 90-minute debrief to coach you through your results and provide guidance on how to live a well-balanced and emotionally fulfilling life.

Here's what I want you to do this week: Set aside 30 minutes to reflect on these questions: What values matter most to you? What relationships bring you the greatest joy? What activities make you feel most like yourself?

Don't let the demands of your role—whether as an educator, parent, or leader—overshadow the person you truly are. Your authentic self is your greatest asset, both professionally and personally.

If you're ready to dive deeper into understanding your natural abilities and creating a vision for who you want to become, I'd be honored to guide you through that process. You can learn more about the Highlands Ability Battery and my coaching at SpurkaEdInstitute.com.

Take the first step toward a more joyful life today.

Dr. Edward J. Spurka