Teachers, we see you struggling. We know that only a week or so after a break you are already feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. The truth is that teaching has always been challenging and the demands on teachers have been increasing for years. The pandemic has exacerbated everything.
In an article from Forbes that is widely circulating this week, author Mark Perna says,
“ The education crisis isn’t a passing problem. At the beginning of the pandemic, most of us assumed that after a short period of upheaval, we’d return to business as usual, like nothing had ever happened. But it’s clear today that the genie’s out of the bottle. There’s no going back.”
There is no going back.
Educators are not alone in understanding that education must change, that the future must look different, that we must do things differently. The future of education cannot rest on the backs of teachers who are understaffed, underfunded, and most importantly, emotionally unsupported.
We must find a way for teachers to do what they do best. We can start with understanding why teachers went into the profession in the first place, and the only thing that is keeping there at this moment, their relationships with students, and their relationships with each other.
Teachers are at their best when they are impacting their students in positive ways. In the very long list of all the things teachers must do, it is the one thing that matters most.
We need to fight for teachers to have the time and space to do what they were trained to do- support students. If teachers can’t focus on students, the curriculum doesn’t matter, the assessments aren’t useful, and none of the vast mandates will work.
At Inspired Together Learning, our mission is to provide support for teachers. It is what we know best and love most. How can we support a profession when the highest needs of teachers are reflected in their Donor’s Choose projects that request, Kleenex, cleaning supplies and masks? How do we help teachers when they don’t have time to do the very thing that matters most?
We’ve written hundreds of posts on the Thriving Young Teachers blog. We’ve offered teaching strategies. We’ve shared ideas for positive classroom management, for building strong learning environments, and for how to work with parents. We know that teachers need support; during the pandemic we wrote The Inspired Teacher’s Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self in which dozens of Pre-K-12 teachers offer support and inspiration.
In this moment, our efforts don’t feel adequate. Like teachers everywhere, we sometimes feel powerless in the face of so much adversity. What could we possibly do to help teachers during arguably one of the most difficult educational climates in history? Who are we to think that we can fix the ills of society?
We can suggest a small way to start change.
Education needs many reforms, and a large ship does not change course quickly. We need something now, today, in this moment to improve education. And if we are honest, that is not going to come from the government, from the school boards or from the educational pundits. It is going to come from teachers.
If we were to winnow down through everything that needs to happen in order to positively change in education, we would start with something that we know could have quick and lasting impact. We would start with the ones who can offer immediate results, teachers.
Teachers, in their hearts and souls, know what needs to be done, and in many cases are already doing it. They have incredible power to be the voices for good. They can control the climate of the classroom, and if allowed, can positively control the morale of the entire school.
Yes, the world is full of discord and hatred. People are exhausted, scared and reactive. Teachers are often on the receiving end of irrational blame and vitriol, and it is killing them. Teacher morale is at an all -time low.
Maybe there is another path, a path where teachers lead the change.
What would it look like if change came from within? Could teachers turn down the volume on the voices in the world and focus on what they can change in the moment?
Teachers could follow their inner voices that know a better way to peace and happiness. They know what is right and good. They can support and guide students first. They can find small, incremental ways to show kindness and care for others. They can lean into empathy, and nurture those who need it.
Morale will rise when everyone in a school can be patient and show compassion. Focus on smiling more, even through a mask it will show in your eyes. Choose words that will lift someone up. Make a joke or share something funny. Don’t forget to bring a little fun into the days and weeks.
Show grace. Forgive injustices against each other, or at least let them go. Look for what is good, not just what is not working. Forgiving failings and try to do better next time. Believe that we are all worthy of time to do something that we love, something that refreshes us, something that feeds our soul.
It may not seem like much, but small acts of love are really big acts of bravery. We can go against the tide, to defy a world that would tear us down. In small acts of love, you are not contributing to the discord, you are lessening it.
In choosing love, you are filling the buckets of those around you. Acts of kindness will also help you to fill your own bucket. The Proverbs (11:25) tell us that whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Scientific studies show that people who act from a place of kindness and compassion improve their own happiness. Contributing love and kindness to the world can also reduce stress and improve our own emotional wellbeing. Teachers need emotional wellbeing now more than ever.
It seems too simple, but perhaps it is what is needed in this moment. It won’t solve all the problems, but it can make life feel better in the day-to-day.
In making choices of how you will spend your time and energy, choose to act from a place of love.
When you lead with your best self, you will always be a force for good in the world.
Our best,
Paula and Michele
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