If you listen to the news these days you will hear all about teacher’s unions fighting to keep schools closed for their safety. If you get on social media, you will learn about how parents need to step up and “actually take care of their kids”. On the other hand, you will read how “teachers are lazy and should get paid less for virtual learning”. If you listen to the news, you might believe that the entire country feels this way. What is the truth? Why does it seem like you have to search harder for the truth now more than ever?
Here is my truth. For the last year, I have been fortunate enough to have a job that allowed me to work from home. I became not only a full time employee in the Child Protection field but a third grade teacher and a sixth grade teacher. I also cared for my one year old baby. I watched my 11 year old’s anxiety about entering middle school be magnified by this pandemic. I watched my third grader really struggle with not being able to be with her friends. There were days that I was in tears at the end of the day because I spent the day running from room to room trying to help my children navigate school while trying to educate myself on what they were learning. I had to try and become a teacher for material I barely remembered myself. I tried to keep my toddler quiet so as not to disturb the girls and heaven forbid I had a meeting at the same time they needed help. With three of us on google meet at the same time, our internet went down more times than I care to count, even after I paid for an upgrade. My toddler watched more TV than I would have ever normally allowed just to keep him entertained as I was trying to help the girls with their work. I completed a lot of my work between 10pm and 12pm and woke up exhausted most days. Yes, I was one of the lucky ones. What about families that couldn’t have one parent stay home? What about single parent families that had parents who didn’t have jobs that could be done at home?
Through all of this, our teachers and school district were amazing. The school constantly navigated the ever changing health measures to the best of their ability. They fought to get our children back to the classroom. They knew that kids learned better in a room full of their peers with their teacher physically in front of them. Parents, we tried the best we could, but google meet doesn’t replace the classroom. Our children need to be with each other, learning life skills such as working with others. I think of my sixth grade year and just learning how to step out of my comfort zone and change classrooms and learn from different teachers who have different teaching styles. I think about my first school dance and going to basketball and volleyball games to support my school. School isn’t just about the academics.
What have I learned over the last year? I have learned that my kids are resilient. I have learned that a strong support system at home is so important and I know my kids will be okay. I have a deeper respect for my children’s teachers and I am so thankful for them. We are a team. It takes a village to raise children, you cannot do it in a bubble. I encourage you not to listen to the news so much. Our communities are amazing. Most teachers want to be in the classroom. Their hearts have been breaking too. Don’t be so quick to judge from a news article or social media post.