I first read Drive by Daniel Pink about ten years ago. At the time, I was thinking about it mostly as a parent and a teacher, and it gave me language for something I had seen but had not been able to name. Rewards and punishments only go so far. Lasting motivation comes from something deeper.
This summer, as I started thinking about our professional development plan for the coming year, I picked the book back up. A decade later, it still holds up. If anything, it feels more relevant now than it did then.
Pink’s central idea is clear. The traditional carrot-and-stick model of motivation often fails, especially for work (like the education of high school students) that involves creativity, collaboration, and complex problem-solving. Real motivation comes from three things: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
Autonomy is the desire to have control over our work.
Mastery is the drive to get better at something that matters.
Purpose is the sense that we are contributing to something larger than ourselves.
When I think about professional learning this year, those three ideas keep coming to mind. Teachers do not need more top-down directives. They need space to grow, room to contribute, and support that honors their time and expertise. That does not mean there is no structure. It means the structure is built to support curiosity, reflection, and shared ownership.
We are planning opportunities for collaboration, coaching, and deeper learning around the things that matter most. Not more for the sake of more, but more of what helps people feel energized, connected, and capable.
Motivation is not something we hand out; it is something we cultivate.
And that is what I hope we can do this year, together.
Mr. Zerwas Teaches Here 