Back At It

Missing the Mission

So several years ago I started this blog and then; well like they say "life got in the way."   So how has everyone been (teachers)? Oh! Yeah  2020.  Well same here! So we can approach this two ways. If  you're a seasoned teacher you're thanking God we made it and signing up for a weekly wine delivery service! If you're a new teacher fresh out of college you thinking "what the hell have I gotten myself into!' 

Now as we are told to "finish strong", many of  us are sprinting for the door.  Quite a few of us are not even looking back. I'm I the only one who spells it in the air?  Can you spell that? Its the rising tied BS we have all had to swim in this and the previous school year.  So we all know teachers are over worked and under paid. What we learned this year is that our administrators don't know us or the students who they are charged with caring for!  

I see some of you...shaking your head at my callous words. Well lets step back and take a look at a couple of sources of my comments:

1. Technology  - in lower income districts especially the pandemic is the first time that districts were forced to release their vise grip on tech devices. Out of the locked carts and into a child's hands!  The pause also brought the issue of connectivity down front and center. What? Teachers in a panic when the server drops during whole school digital standardized assessments wasn't a sign of a problem?
2. Social Emotional Health - we all have changed. Look, the literal world just played the worst game of  Freeze Tag ever! Our educational leaders made and are making countless decision that show no evidence of their concern about our emotional health in mind.  Teachers' concerns are marginalized and ignored. More often educators are vilified for expressing concern about the spread COVID or a the desire to protect their family from infection. 

Since we are educators and are always looking for the lesson learned. What did we learn? I don't know about you, but I learned to value myself more. To make a greater effort to treat my time a valuable commodity. To really think about how much of it I am giving away to activities that do not fuel my mission.  What I mean by all this is that this last year and half has gifted us all with a new set of lenses to view out life's work. I like so many of us, I lost my way. Got detoured from my passions or drive away from new adventures.

Those passions and adventures they will be key in these next coming months as we return to the "New Normal."  Because with out them we're not be able to heal. These "dreams" that we have set aside are going to be the tonic to ease our anxiety, and begin building a healing road.

 Stay hydrated. Keep growing. Value yourself!