My dad used to say, “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” I hear his voice when I listen to laments these days and see the chaos in our schools. And so, how do I counteract the moments when they have gotten us down? Take a step back from the system and think about the people.
The kids. I am watching kids react to teachers announcing they are leaving. Kids can’t decide to leave school. What about the kids who want to come back years later to find you still teaching so they can tell you how you provided something that led them forward?
Our colleagues. Each time a teacher quits, everyone seems to deflate a little and consider the same step more seriously for themselves. Even in the worst times, during most difficult conversations at faculty meetings, I can step back in awe at the passion and determination of the people in the room with me. How sad to give that up.
Families. When parents send their children to school, adults in school become part of the web of their family life, whether we talk to them or not. As a parent, I know my children’s school life came home to us every evening. There were teachers who supported us through difficult times. In these times when people are more isolated, we can remember that we are not only doing our work in a school building. Our work reverberates.
Hope for the World. There is something hopeful in the very nature of being a teacher for children. We believe in making a difference through how we raise them in our society. When we carry a belief in what they can be and do, we can help them find reason to believe in themselves. Even in the midst of constant testing and other kinds of chaos, we can help them see their possibilities.