Time to Reset

I like her a lot. She is one of those people that pulls you right in, even over Zoom.  Her warmth softens you into thinking you are closer friends than you really are.  It is a type of superpower. 

It can be rare to find a person in authority who moves through the world in this way.  As an Associate Superintendent, she has a lot on her shoulders.  A lot that would make one a bit rough and hard, especially in a tough school year like this.  But not her. And when she shares with me that her schools had to go virtual due to a staffing shortage, I can tell she is truly upset.  Her disappointment hangs between us.

This is not the first time I have received such news.  It feels like schools everywhere are bouncing from one crisis and setback to the next.  Through it all, everyone is trying to do their best, until they just cannot do it anymore.

It has been called the Big Quit, or the Great Resignation, a title given to mark the historic number of workers who left, and are leaving, their profession. And though people are leaving many different sectors, it always hurts when teachers walk away.  Especially for our students.

During this same period, we also have for the first time (that I remember) an allocation of federal emergency relief that can be used specifically for the social and emotional support of students and faculty members.  How is this possible?  How could there be additional funding available to help meet the needs of the people we count on the most and we still have overworked, overwhelmed, and underpaid faculty members walking out of the doors daily?

I am reminded of my interview with Tracey Nance, Georgia Teacher of the Year for 2020 and 2021. During our talk, she spoke clearly about the effort and energy she put into speaking up about the issues she and other teachers really care about.  She can easily articulate the times she spoke up and change occurred, and others when she used her voice, but it was not heard. It is important to note that this exceptional classroom teacher is not teaching anymore.  Advocacy takes a toll. 

My brain has a hard time making sense of it all.  I know first-hand the care and concern expressed by the “higher-ups” and the passion and persistence held by those directly in front of children.  Yet somehow there is a disconnect.  A break between what school is and what we want it to be.  A divide between those in decision-making positions and the decisions that will make a real difference for teachers and students.

Maybe what we really need is time.  To stop for a second and gather our thoughts.  More importantly, gather our opinions and experiences.  We need time to listen to each other and then create a plan together that meets the needs of students and the adults that care for them. 

I think a good number of people would stick around for that.