They are angels among us.
They are the heart and soul of our children’s education. They are the ones we count on to lead the next generation forward, and over the past year, they have done what no amount of education or experience ever prepared them to do.
They are our teachers. And despite the exhausting and discouraging logistics of trying to teach during a pandemic, our educators have persevered with amazing creativity as they heroically guide our children through this pandemic to the light on the other side.
I have a special place in my heart for teachers, for I come from a long line of educators, myself included. Currently, there are four teachers in my family, each one on a different plan: hybrid, online, full classes, or some combination thereof, all of it often changing depending on the pandemic’s punches.
Daily challenges for our teachers have included so much of the unexpected: witnessing through Zoom the heartbreaking poverty of how some students live; trying to reach kids who for a variety of reasons are not engaged or present; discovering that the lessons they worked so hard at to meet the needs of their students are suddenly squelched by the coronavirus game changer. Every day must seem like a surprise quiz with multiple choice questions but few answers.
And so, this is a Valentine of gratitude to all our teachers. Know that despite all the pandemic controversies, you have been a beacon of light for all our children, leading them through this darkness with compassion, resilience, and grace. For despite being on a road not traveled, you, dear teachers, are the ones who have made all the difference.
I’m Marnie O. Mamminga and that’s my Perspective.
