"Dear Governor Cuomo" - Part Two

 "When one teaches, two learn." – Robert Heinlein

Dear Governor Cuomo:

You must know that your entire New York State population of  teachers, students and parents are now biting their proverbial nails wondering what the state of our public educational system will evolve to in September.  I am one of those teachers awaiting my fate.  

I have 15 years of teaching experience under my belt now, and I can honestly tell you that this past year has left most of us exhausted, if not traumatized by the lack control we have had over our profession and our well-being.  But that's not news to you because for the past ten years, we have witnessed a  steady decline in the importance of education.  "Common Core" was supposed to revitalize our public educational system and hold teachers accountable for the very elements that are totally our of their control.  

Now, a pandemic...We were asked to perform educational triage and we did so.  We didn't care about evaluations, test results, or overall school performance.  What we cared about were our students, their emotional and physical health and their families.  We witnessed first hand the growing apathy and the frustration of parents who were now having to spend more time and energy on those issues that have been left to the teachers of their children.  They are busy working, earning a living and just trying to figure out how to survive while at the same time, trying to teach their children what professionals with master's degrees have been trying to do for years. 

It is not a secret that you are not fond of teachers and their unions and before becoming a teacher I worked in the private sector and I understand that unions create a level of job protection that is at times frustrating. However, teachers need protection from the societal tragedies that sadly make the news each and every year. 

During this pandemic, children simply disappeared from view as on-line learning began.  We were virtually powerless to do anything despite phone calls, emails and numerous other interventions.  We knew we needed to go above and beyond the job description and did so willingly.  Pick an emotion or a feeling and we have felt it, much like police officers, EMTs, fire-fighters, nurses and anyone else that is in public service.

  When you are a public servant, as we all are and... as you are, there will never be a perfect solution to each and every issue.  But I can honestly tell you that I have witnessed more resilience, more courage and the deepest and most profound work ethic in my colleagues over this past year. That is what our "calling" is all about and I can tell you with much certainty that your whatever opinions you  hold regarding teachers and public schools,  nothing will ever replace the strength of parental involvement and the love and stability of the classroom.  Public schools cannot fully compensate for what a child is not getting at home but we make sure we try.  Just because a child can get up and get dressed by themselves in the morning does not mean a parent's job is done. And...just because teachers are paid by the public, doesn't mean they are not appreciative of their professional amenities. We earned them.  We earned bachelor's degrees and master's degrees and paid out more money in state tests and certifications even before we even were allowed to walk through a classroom door.  

This is a time to leave politcs and big business out of the educational system. A concerted effort must be made to honor and promote the importance of education not continue to tear it apart and create something it has no place becoming.  If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that standardized tests, test scores, professional evaluations mean nothing.  Our students mean everything.  Curriculum may be the framework but teaching is about love. Teachers need to hold on to their integrity.  My hope is that this alone will be the trajectory and the core belief that we start from in September.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Claudia King - English Teacher-Grade Eight

"For My Teacher Friends...2020...Our End Of School Year Recap"

 

 "If you're brave enough to start, you're brave enough to finish." 

- Gary Ryan Blair

So, the 2020 school year has finished...finally.  With the last of many teleconference meetings concluded, I could tell that there was in fact a feeling of emptiness...a feeling of "Now what?"  

We are tired.  We will absolutely spend our summers licking our wounds and planning for whatever our state throws at us in September. But here's the good thing...We already know how to handle that.  Across the country, teachers were expected in a "nanno-second" to learn how dangerous their world had become to themselves and their students.  Remote learning was NOT what any of us signed up for when we took the "Calling" as teachers.  We signed up for the face to face, one on one, interaction with our students.  I would be lying if I didn't express the increasing difficutlies that teachers have experienced particularly in the past three to five years.  The ugliness of mass shootings, prejudice, politics, and now a pandemic have left our students with very few boundaries.  Public schools can not address every mental health issue or discipline issue with the rigor that is so desparately needed.  I have learned that try as I might, teachers can not perform the super human powers needed in the society we are currently experiencing.

After the mass shootings at Sandy Hook, I began to feel unsafe as a teacher.  I remember discussing the horror with my teacher friends.  We rose above the fear.  We rose above the fear each and every time a mass shooting made the news.  We had to explain to our students the importance of "sheltering in place."  Now, "sheltering in place" has an entirely different meaning and once again, we left to delicately balance our fears with those of our students who are asked to socially distance when part of their emotional development is to embrace their social development and reach out to friends and family.  If ever there was a time to encourage communication with our kids, it's now.  

What have we learned exactly?  We've learned that remote learning does not work unless there is an active involvement from the teacher and the parents. Parents have to be more vigilant now. They have to take an active role in policing their child's activities for reasons too numerous to mention. We've learned that less is more.  Abbreviated lessons, with very specific guidance breeds more success than flooding our students with work that they are never going to finish because they either can't or don't want to because no one is there to help them. Those students with special needs are also at a disadvantage unless, they get the active involvement and support that has been promised to them. 

Not everyone deserves a sticker either.  You can't expect a young person to strive for their best if you make allowances for poor attendance and poor behavior.  Life does not work that way and I am fearful that what we now are cultivating is that very assumption.  You have to "show up" in life.  You have to grasp concepts, and apply your knowledge and find your passion.  Without passion, the world will never know what you have to offer and that means, hard work and perseverance.  You don't give up.

My teacher friends, my colleagues, handled this 2020 year with about as much grace and fortitude as I've ever seen in my life-time.  Our integrity and our professionalism were challenged and our work, our precious work was constrained and limited to what we could do appropriately and morally.  The phone calls, the emails, the hope that our kids would show up to our on-line classroom meetings, all part of our work, our collaboration for their success. Not all chose to take advantage of our efforts and that, for some, hurt. Disappointment is part of the teacher trajectory.  If you allow yourself to be human, you  can and will be disappointed as a teacher.

Our summer is here.  We all need sun, a lake, a beach, a kayak, a good book...peace.  Our kids need our compassion, our strength and they need to feel our courage. Teachers have shown great resilence and bravery in their efforts to make our society appreciate it's educational service. We are in service.  An educated world makes educated decisions and treats it's people with tolerance.  That's why we do what we do and that's why 2020 is one school year for the history books.  We were "brave enough to finish" this school year and we will certainly show even more bravery once the summer is over.

"One Good Turn...Gets Most of the Covers"

“... to be in any sort of relationship where you do not express yourself, simply to keep the peace, is a relationship ruled by one person and will never be balanced or healthy.”― Bronnie Ware, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing

Here it is June, 2020.  Three months of sheltering in place has been beyond difficult.  You can profess to love and honor the one you love and then a real challenge stares you both in the face.  What happens then? How do you both find the patience and the understanding to withstand each other, now that all of your routine has changed.  

It would be easy to constantly argue and find as many reasons to leave as there is to stay.  I now firmly believe that most couples go through a bought or two of "If only..."   But here's some other challenges for couples who married for better or worse:

•  Never argue about who is going to get up at 4:30 a.m. to feed the cats.  We all recongize who knows how to work the system AND...if both of you love and appreciate those kitty efforts...you've won.  That goes for cleaning the litter box too.
• One or the other will ALWAYS want to clean more than the other. Tip...housework NEVER ends.  It NEVER, EVER will end so one or the other has to suck it up and do the triage.
• If one or the other has different sleep patterns support that difference.  Let them watch "Ray Donovan" or "Sex in the City," or some of the fabulous movies of the 70's to the 90's such as "Animal House or The Secret of My Succes.  I will never get tired of John Belushi's, "See if you can guess what I am now..."
• If one or the other falls asleep by 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. no judgement.
• Kiss or hug your partner at least once or maybe twice a day...even when you hate them or they hate you.
• Change the sheets once a week.  Yes, it's necessary.  No whinning.
• When one or the other cooks better than the other...let them.  Clean up afterwards. It's the least you can do considering they well...cook better than you do.
• Support each other's passions and interests.  It is possible to be as different as night and day and perhaps, with a little patience, we learn something new that we didn't know before we exchanged rings.
• If one or the other can't admit they are wrong...Know it anyway and forgive.
• Like a hurricane, everything passes and when it's over, assess the mess and clean it up and rebuild.
• If you have a favorite television show, that's a win-win! Always!
• Never discuss who said, "I love you," first.  It so does NOT matter as long as each of you says it.

The world is quite different these days.  We do not have to tolerate injustice or disrespect from anyone.  Having said that, by this point during this horrible, horrific time in history, love is love.  Those who are fortunate to have found a partnership and a love that is reciprocal  have won.