My Message to All Teachers: ‘You Are Enough!’
June 01, 2026
My year representing Michigan’s teachers has flown by! In this, my tenth and last blog, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about. I knew it in July of last year when I learned that my voice would be amplified each month. I never doubted it, not for one second.
I want to talk about YOU!
The challenges we face in education can often feel overwhelming. We are frequently told that we don’t do enough — by society, parents, community members and even administrators. Sometimes, the most painful critiques come from our students.
You are enough!
Every day presents an opportunity to change a life. If you approach each day with this mindset, you are enough.
Each lesson is a chance to connect a young person with their future. If you approach your students seeking to build relationships through academics, you are enough.
You may not realize the difference you’ve made in your students’ lives. Even when you feel uncertain, remember: Your efforts matter. Your best is enough.
As a teacher, I often feel like a failure, at least at some point during each day. Being awarded Michigan Teacher of the Year has not changed that. Some days, I see my students’ successes and believe I am enough. Others, I feel like a fraud.
I am fortunate to have many reminders in my community of the great work my Quest High School graduates have achieved. I am not perfect … but I am enough.
Celebrate your successes. The wins don’t come as often as we like, and the losses can feel crushing. But the wins are big wins. Wins that matter. Wins that change lives.
As Henry Adams tells us, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
I will leave you with my friend Cindy Howe’s favorite story. The story of the starfish.
A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up and throw it back into the ocean. Many people watched her with amusement.
She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save them all. You can’t begin to make a difference!”
She just smiled and bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “I made a difference for that one.”
Keep saving starfish! I did my best to amplify your voices and represent you.
I hope it was enough.
Best wishes!
2025-26 Michigan Teacher of the Year Corey Rosser is a social studies teacher at Quest High School in North Branch Area Schools in his 22nd year of teaching.