Happy 1 Year Blog Anniversary! Now on to today's blog.
With teachers under more pressure to do more with Covid restrictions and constant attempts to whitewash history and ban facts, there will likely be an exodus of talented educators and school leaders that are reluctantly walking away from the school house in this season. Sadly, kids not only will be returning to school in the coming weeks with new student faces but with more new teacher faces in a season where familiar faces are needed most. However, I wonder who asks our teachers about their wellness if they decide to leave. Some educators have retired early or pivoted to a new career because they just couldn’t take the trauma and stress any longer. ( Also, some teachers are suffering in silence at work for fear of backlash or loss of their livelihood which is a whole other toxic trauma.) But I wonder who checked in with them. Was there a community championing them and building them up? Obviously, no or I believe they would still be teaching. But I do think this is a learning moment for us to take stock of and ask the most unanswered question of the ages before we lose more teachers. How can I help you? Most times we tell people to call us if they need us or I am here for you just let me know what you need. Most times you get hit with the “I’m good” response knowing they are not good or no response at all. But the reality is that our society glorifies the DIY culture that esteems individual struggle and triumph and dismisses those who get help or support as weak or lazy. So as teachers that's why we trudge on with our work, never fully answering this question even for ourselves. Maybe we don’t answer because we don’t have an answer or for some of our super teachers, like me, who think only “I” can do it all ( I am working on this y’all) and don’t want to seem weak if someone else helps. So when the question comes, “How can I help you?” Heck, I don’t know. We just keep putting our heads down, making another bulletin board, grading more papers, calling parents, leading another after school club, and now Covid cleaning protocols and the million and one things that we must do because that’s just what teachers do. But where is there space for teachers to relinquish this cape and be well? I mean you may be “good” but are you “well”. In this season, good is not enough. I now boldly ask my fellow teachers a more specific question: How can I help you be well today? I know teachers have a lot on their plate and it is hard to think about what you need help with at work. But if you could get help being WELL at work, what would you need someone to help you do? Maybe it could be creating a bulletin board, or scheduling emails to parents, or making your class DOJO or website. But what could come off your plate that would help you be well today. People never see all the little things that teachers do that stretch well beyond pencils and paper but you do so today, answer the question. How can I help you be well today? So as we prepare to return to school this year, how can we, as a collective community, better support our newest educators and our returning veteran educators and school leaders that are working on the frontlines of this battle? I don’t have the sole answer to this question. Teachers, like you, do. Tell us. I know a lot of teachers are not used to being heard and listened to. I know in the past, I have not and it feels like why bother. But we need our educators to be well so that our beloved community can be as well. That is why Teach X is creating space for you to tell us as we pilot our mobile app in metro Atlanta starting August 2, 2021 on the Apple and Google Play Store where we can hear from our beloved teachers how our community can help. We need to know the answer to this singular question. How can we help you be well today? I don’t know if you ever felt like when someone asked you this question they really didn’t even care about the answer that came after it. But we do because our beloved community can’t be well unless you are. Day 1 of school is coming. So, how can we help? Frfr, we are here for you.
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AuthorEducator, student advocate and community activists. Archives
October 2021
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