To the Educators Who Go The Extra Mile

Hey teachers, you don’t hear this enough, so let me say it to you straight: thank you for all the sacrifices you have made and continue to make over the course of this pandemic so that students in our community can have access to safe spaces!

Thank you to the teacher who knows what each of their students special abilities are. Your ability to remind students of their gifts and skills when it feels like the world is very much pre-occupied with other things is something that they will remember for a long time.

Thank you to the teacher that translates every lesson into every learning style. Understanding that students have so many different learning styles and using your imagination to create ways to speak to each of these learners is inspiring.

Thank you to the teacher that puts the curriculum aside and makes space for checking in and the mental health needs of their students. Sometimes we have to take care of the person first and sometimes we just need a safe space to cry, laugh, rant, vent or share how we are doing. There are many teachers who have done such an amazing job in this and I am so grateful for all of you.

Thank you to the teachers that encourage extra curricular activity and often oversee/coordinate those activities too! These extra curricular activities have gotten so messed from the pandemic but I am grateful that there are still clubs and opportunities for kids to share their skills in non classroom environment with their peers.

Thank you to the teachers that have worked to provide technology like computers or laptops or tablets to their students or even gone so far as to help families gain access to high speed internet for their educational needs. The supports you have provided help that student with their learning goals and their overall connection to others which is obviously so important for taking care of our mental health at times like these.

Thank you to the teachers who have been creative about physical activity. Getting students out of their chairs and into some sort of physical activity is so important for their growing bodies. I know its not always possible to do what you wish you could, but your commitment to the physical health of the students you serve is something we should all be grateful for.

Thank you to the teachers who have ensured hampers, meals or other food related supports were provided to families without shame. Understanding that so many families struggle with poverty, teachers have used their resourcefulness to make sure that their students and their families are taken care of because we all know its impossible to learn on an empty belly.

Thank you to the teachers who provided extra masks, extra sanitizer and other extra pandemic related supplies that you either procured from your own networks and ingenuity or bought from your own pockets. You are keeping us safe and are on the front lines in more ways than one - thank you.

Thank you to the teacher that notices the growth happening in students despite the disruption of the online learning and the pandemic. That you noticed their growth is going to make them feel valued and cared for - it is why I like to say that teachers save lives with the attention they give.

Thank you to the teacher that recognizes their symptoms and takes the necessary precautions to keep themselves, their families, their colleagues and their students safe and healthy. Your example and commitment to public health is an example for the rest of us to follow.

Thank you to the administrators and school leaders who are constantly trying to be creative with the resources they have to ensure that classrooms can try to provide safe connection and a learning environment for students, whatever that means. I have seen such a wide array of strategies employed by educators in this pandemic to honour relationships with their students and further their learning despite all the interruptions.

Thank you to health officials who have tried their best to give advice to systems and the general public, despite the confusion caused by elected officials. They too are educators and we need their medical advice dearly (and clearly).

I could go on about all the reasons I love and appreciate educators and their contributions to caring for kids and families in this pandemic - but I think you get the point.

Last thing to say, is that if you’ve made it this far in what I have written here today, then please accept my challenge to send an unsolicited message of appreciation and love to an educator in your life so they know how truly grateful we all are for them today and everyday. The safe spaces educators foster and create are like islands that provide shelter from the pandemic as well as valuable life lessons that the students will remember, cherish and utilize to live a good and successful life for many years to come.

Thank you for being so extra educators, we see you and we appreciate you!