Skip to main content

Well done.


There are so many thoughts I have as this school year comes to an end and I have been praying about the right words for all the feels, the frustrations, the relief, the continued anxiety, the pure exhaustion. So in honor of teacher appreciation week—here’s a short letter to all my fellow teachers that have persevered through an unprecedented time in education.

————————————

Dearest Teacher,

Spray and wipe, wipe and spray. Stop for just a second. If I could be with you in person to say this, I would grab your worn hands and look you right in your tired eyes. 

You have made it.

You made it. There were days you were fully convinced you were not cut out for what would lie ahead in the 2020-2021 school year, but you actually made it. The school year is almost ready to tie up into a nice little bow and you will actually be able to say: It is finished. 

If no one has told you lately—-I am SO freakin proud of YOU. Sincerely. You showed up each day whether in person, online, both or flipping the switch back and forth multiple times at the drop of a hat. 

I see you.

I saw you sometimes just sitting in the parking lot a little longer to be ready to take on that long day of cleaning/teaching/assessing/helping/coaching/etc. I saw you stay late just to make sure a student has all they need to learn whether online or in person.  I saw you wiping tables and cleaning supplies every spare second when you were not teaching. I saw you sitting quietly at your desk, exhausted but responding to emails and planning. Geeessssh always planning. Planning for a moving target of what learning might look like tomorrow depending on the current Covid spread in your community. I saw you worried sick about your colleagues, but staying late to do your plans and not to forget—laying out your colleagues’ plans too. I saw you reading the news about unfolding racial/political unrest and making sure to include more lessons on kindness and empathy and understanding. I saw your spirit utterly deflated after reading the comment section on social media saying teachers were not doing enough or just being whiners.  I saw you show up every day for the kids to LAUGH and LOVE and SING and TEACH like the world wasn’t in utter chaos.

Oh, how I wish the world could’ve seen what a rockstar you truly have been.  Not everyone has front row seats to view your awesomeness on full display. But your students do. They will remember your resilience, your grit and the honesty you shared in the struggle. 

Thank you will never be enough, but sometimes there is comfort knowing someone sees, knows and is in awe of the work you have done. Maybe being seen and completely understood in the teaching profession is only truly possible by the people walking beside you. You are nothing short of amazing and I know that. A true gift to these little people in the making. 

So get ready to rest. Recharge and disconnect from the hustle a bit. Take off that mask and set aside the spray bottle. Well done. ❤️

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sometimes, we aren't okay.

*******I am writing from my own personal perspective.  I do not claim to be representing all teachers during this time. We all have had different experiences navigating education during a global pandemic. Some are struggling through far worse and some have been impacted very little.  As always, I write for my own processing and with hope of being an encouragement to someone else to keep fighting the good fight.   Be honest with yourself and others. Teaching is a different kind of hard right now.  It's okay if you're not okay.********* I have had this experience lately that has really started to bother me.  I am usually out walking or at the store getting groceries and I run into someone I haven't seen much since school has started.  They see me and immediately ask, "How are you? How's school?"  Their care and concern is obvious, as is the sweet kindness they are showing, knowing full well school must be a little different right now.  Their questio...
5 comments
Read more

Defying gravity.

“Where I come from, everyone knows the best way to bring folks together is to give them a common enemy.”—Oz, Wicked the musical   Public education is slowly becoming the common enemy and it is suffocating.  If this seems far fetched from your understanding and perspective, make time to share a space with your friends in education. How are they feeling right now?  Since social media allows us to feel like we can have a personal connection with someone, here is what I would share over a cup coffee if we could be face to face. As someone who has committed over 18 years serving children and families in my wonderful community in a public school, I can assure you. Public schools are not the enemy. Should everyone have the choice how they would like to educate their own children? Of course. That is something I believe with all my heart.  School choice is not the enemy of the public school. Those spreading false information and hate toward public schools are creating a...
Post a Comment
Read more