On a good day, when there isn’t a pandemic, it’s hard to be a teacher. And yet, day-by-day, year-by-year, teachers bring their A-game, giving their all to their students. They use their own funds to buy books and supplies, spend their evenings creating engaging lessons and weekends grading assignments. They deal compassionately with children’s emotional and learning issues in addition to teaching them content.
Let me say it again. It is hard to be a teacher. I know. I was a teacher for 20 years.
And yet, I never experienced anything like these professionals did this year. Overnight, they were asked to completely switch their teaching approach from hands-on, personal, interactive lessons to remote learning. They were asked to do something that had never been done on this scale. They were given little or no time to prep for this new way of interacting with their students.
And yet, they did it. Wonderfully. Beautifully. Wholeheartedly.
I send my sincere thanks to all teachers. You do an incredibly difficult job and make it look so effortless that people don’t realize how hard it actually is. They don’t realize how much of your heart and soul you have put into your job. They don’t realize what teaching would look like if you treated it as “just a job” instead of a consuming passion.
The last 13 years of my teaching career I was lucky enough to work in a middle school filled with teachers who cared deeply about their students and who went to great lengths to make sure their students succeeded, academically and emotionally. These teachers came in every day and put their all into each and every class. These teachers not only inspired their students but also inspired each other to learn, to grow, to be their best.
I know that the country is filled with teacher exactly like those I was lucky enough to work with and be inspired by.
Teachers, thank you for stepping up and making the transition to remote learning a possibility. Thank you for not dropping the ball and continuing to provide your best under trying circumstances. Thank you for all that you do for our children. We, as a country, owe you big time.