From Survival to Self-Actualization: Why Culture and Confidence Belong at the Center of Learning

February 2025 - We’ve all heard it: “Students need to be college- and career-ready.”But what if our goal was bigger than that?

What if the true aim of education was to help young people become life-ready?

What if the measure of a student’s success wasn’t just their ability to pass a test, but their ability to live a full, authentic life; to feel grounded in who they are, proud of where they come from, and hopeful about where they’re headed?

This isn’t a hypothetical. It’s the lens I bring to leadership.

The Power of Culture, Language, and Cognition

In my work across schools, nonprofits, and human service organizations, I’ve seen what happens when we center our systems around what students lack instead of what they bring. We unintentionally teach them that their value is something to be earned, rather than something they already carry.

And yet, every student, EVERY SINGLE ONE, has an innate desire to grow, learn, and become their fullest self. As Dr. Yvette Jackson reminds us in The Pedagogy of Confidence, the brain doesn’t change based on culture. What does change is the exposure to language, experience, and ways of thinking. When students' cultural identities and lived experiences are reflected in their learning environments, their confidence grows. And when confidence grows, cognition follows.

Dr. Jabari Mahiri adds that culture shapes how students make meaning in the classroom, and that learning accelerates when teaching connects to students’ cultural frames of reference. When we see culture not as a barrier but as a bridge, we create the conditions for deeper engagement, relevance, and higher-level thinking.

This is not about softening expectations. It's about rooting rigor in relevance.

We Don’t Need More Control. We Need More Direction.

Too often, our systems are designed around control: scripts, compliance checklists, pacing guides, behavior charts. But real growth doesn’t come from fear or standardization. It comes from belief. It comes from direction that says, "You are capable. You are worthy. You belong here."

Students thrive when they’re invited into communities that nourish curiosity, make space for voice and choice, and encourage risk-taking. These environments don't just happen. They’re built intentionally by leaders who understand that joy and accountability can coexist, that learning should challenge and inspire, and that culture is not separate from academics—it’s the soil in which everything grows.

Education Should Be a Bridge, Not a Border

To help students live meaningful, empowered lives, we must build schools that connect their past, present, and future. We do this by:

• Valuing the past: honoring each student’s culture, language, and story as strengths, not deficits

• Appreciating the present: creating classrooms where students feel seen, supported, and stretched

• Igniting the future: nurturing the imagination and skills to pursue a joyful, purpose-filled life

This vision isn’t abstract. It’s operational. Because when we believe in student potential and align our systems accordingly, we don’t just close achievement gaps. We unlock human possibility.

The Role of the Leader: Liberate, Don't Constrict

To every educator, leader, policymaker, and community member: Let’s stop designing systems that try to control students, and start creating spaces that liberate them to grow, lead, and become.

And the same goes for staff. One thing I’ve learned from EOS and entrepreneurial leadership is that control doesn’t just limit students. It stifles the adults who serve them. Creativity, enthusiasm, and passion cannot thrive in environments built on micromanagement.

As a leader, I see my job as reigniting and fueling that passion for teaching. I hold the structure needed for compliance, but within that, I work to create the freedom and trust that allow staff to soar. Because when educators feel empowered and inspired, they show up differently for themselves, for each other, and most importantly, for students.

Confidence Is Contagious

Ultimately, this work isn’t just about achievement. It’s about becoming.

It’s about helping people—young and old—step into who they truly are. To live with dignity. To feel joy. To discover their voice and use it with purpose.

We don’t need more reform. We need more belief.

When we start with confidence and lead with care, we create the kind of schools and communities where everyone can thrive.

Reflection

• How does your current school or organization honor the cultural identities and lived experiences of the people it serves? Where is there room to grow?

• In what ways might control be unintentionally limiting creativity, joy, or purpos,for students or staff, and how could you shift toward liberation without sacrificing structure?

• When was the last time you felt truly inspired in your work? What conditions made that possible, and how can you help create those conditions for others?

  
  
  
  

  All content on this blog belongs to the author, Bert Strassburg. If you'd like to share, modify, or distribute anything, please reach out for written permission. Feel free to contact me with any questions at:  bert.strassburg@gmail.com.

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