This past school year, let’s be real…
It was rough.
It was rough because of politics. Because of the rise of school shootings and the questions of school safety in the nation. It was rough because of the decreasing value of teachers in the nation, the decrease in pay and the increase in expectations and requirements. It was rough because of the changes of school cultures and the challenges that come with it…and in reality there are so many other reasons as well.
By definition, it was rough.
In our changing culture and everything else that defines school years as “rough”, we as teachers seem to dwell on words like “rough”, “hard”, “ridiculous”, and all other words that embody our school years as hot messes. We get caught up in the negative, and forget the beauty of teaching. Most importantly, we forget that we did not become educators to have a job that is a simple 9-5 walk in the park every day.
So, just like our students, we cannot define our school year by one word.
Instead, we should thank the school year.
Thank you for the learning process.
Thank you for the life lessons.
Thank you for the school and community.
Thank you for the relationships.
Thank you for the challenges.
Thank you for it all.
Thanks to this school year, we have all changed as educators. Even if we don’t see it in ourselves, we have. Yes, this school year might have been “rough” by definition, but do we just want that one word to define it?
So, to teachers,
This year we did amazing things.
We taught kids.
We created loving classroom environments.
We fostered lasting relationships.
We changed lives.
It might have been “rough”, “hard”, “ridiculous”, and all of those other negative words, but as educators we cannot fall into that trap. Our job is rough.
But we cannot forget that this school year was so much more than to be just be labeled by one negative word.
Can we really only allow one word to define it?
Food for thought & happy end of the school year,
it all stacks up
it all stacks up 