Let’s have a little heart to heart.
I live across from a public school and I really like it. The playground is outside my home and I feel as if I have a very large front yard. There are usually people coming and going all day so I feel like I always have company.
Every morning this week, I have heard someone on the megaphone chanting about teachers. There is a parade of teachers in line behind the lead chant”er”. Teachers are bundled up for the cold as they march and chant before the school day begins. They march carrying signs and chanting for their rights.
Teacher strikes are happening in the cities near my home. It is interesting, the teachers are not striking for more money or better benefits, they are striking because they need more support. The safety protocols, addressing continuous learning disruptions, last minute decisions made by administration, the school board, and the politicians, all have teachers and students in a perpetual tornado of emotions, exhaustion, unrest, and frustration.
I have lived this reality as an instructional coach. I have encouraged, or attempted to encourage through this roller coaster we call the pandemic. I was pulled to fill in for the lack of substitutes, which I am sure teachers are now doing during their prep time, and asked to fulfill administrative directives beyond my job expectations.
I implore you to think about this with your heart. Teaching is not a career. Teaching is a calling. Some of us have known since we were very young that we were meant to be teachers (me included). Some teachers find out a little later on their journey and either way, the joy of working with children is overwhelming.
Everyone continues to need caring and support during this crazy pandemic but let us not forget about our “front-line” workers in the schools. Speaking heart to heart, we must also remember that our children, our students are in the midst of all of this unrest and they need support as well. Thank you.
