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What's the Deal With October?
October 31, 2025
What’s the deal with October?
I think I’ve asked myself that question every year for the past twenty-five years in education.
And every single year, the answer changes...but somehow, it’s always the same.
Maybe it’s parent-teacher conferences? Maybe it’s the end of a quarter or the middle of a semester? Maybe it’s the stress of grading, the pressure of writing student comments, or the fact that my seniors are buried under university applications?
Maybe it’s that the shine of the new school year has worn off?
Or maybe it’s that I hoped to be further along in the curriculum by now. But I’m not.
Or maybe it’s the week-long school trip that somehow shows up right when I was hitting a rhythm. It’s wonderful, of course, but it sets me back again.
Years ago, Don Bergman, the head of school who hired me at the International School Nido de Aguilas, warned me about this month. “Beware of October,” he said. “It’s always the hardest month for educators, especially for those new to a country.”
And he was right.
If you’re an international teacher in your first year abroad, you’ve probably felt it by now. October can feel long and heavy. Even if you’ve been at your school for years, you probably still feel it.
I’ve told myself every version of the story. “It’s just the first year.” “It’s just the grading.” “It’s just everything happening at once.”
But here’s the truth...
October is always the most draining month in education. At least for me.
It’s the month when everyone’s a little tired, a little stretched, and yes, a little snippy in the faculty lounge.
It’s also the month when international teachers often need to decide whether to stay another year or move on. Which means that while you’re still knee-deep in lesson planning, you might also be deciding to uproot your life without knowing exactly where you’ll go next.
October, October, October.
But here’s the thing...
Knowing all that gives us a chance to pause, take a breath, and recalibrate.
Because this month, more than any other, asks us to remember why we do this work in the first place.
For me, it always comes down to three things:
- Education is the most vibrant work there is. There’s nothing static about it. Every day, every class, every student brings something new. It’s a profession alive with movement and growth.
- It's the perfect blend of intellect and creativity. Teaching keeps our minds sharp and our imaginations open. It pushes us to connect ideas, solve problems, and keep learning ourselves.
- And most importantly, it’s deeply human. Education is, at its heart, about people—our students, our colleagues, ourselves. It’s about relationships, empathy, and care.
When I come back to those three things, I always find my ground again.
Because this is why we do it.
We teach to inspire young people to believe in themselves.
We teach to hold them accountable and help them grow.
We teach to spark curiosity, to model kindness, and to make the world just a little bit better through the hundreds of lives that pass through our classrooms.
And when I look around at the most veteran teachers I’ve known, the ones who have spent thirty or forty years in schools, I see something striking.
They’re vibrant. They’re alive. They move through the world with an energy that’s unmistakable. There’s something about dedicating your life to the education of young people that keeps us young too.
So maybe that’s the silver lining of October.
It’s the reminder to step back, to remember that what we do truly matters, and to trust that the long hours, the lesson planning, the grading, and the tough moments are all part of something far bigger than we can measure.
Education is the most noble of professions.
What we do matters. What we do really does change lives.
And finally, maybe most importantly, tomorrow is November 1st.
See you next week.
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Brad Cartwright
Educator | Speaker | Workshop Leader | Course Creator