Teaching Through Tumultuous Time

Our founder, Steven Van Zandt, has often said that teachers are on the frontline in the war against ignorance. Not only does this description accurately reflect the extreme importance of the work of educators but it also aligns these professionals in the same category of essential services as firefighters, social workers, nurses, and doctors.  Stevenâ€s inclusion of teachers in this same category is also apt because, like the rest of the above-named jobs, so much of teaching goes beyond what happens in a classroom full of students during 50-minute intervals, five days a week. There are some of the more obvious facets of the profession: calls home, providing additional support before or after school, lesson planning, and grading. Then there are the less obvious facets of the profession, connecting families in need with community resources, and home visits to name a few. This was of course true prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, a situation which in many cases has only magnified the most challenging aspects of the work of being an educator in America.

    As was the case with so much in 2020, the pandemic upended nearly every established facet of contemporary educational practice. Couple the stress of having to reconsider the very nature of oneâ€s career, along with running commentary about what and why an entire sector ‘should do†ranging from the White House to the house next door, and the end result is simply that many teachers are struggling like the rest of us. To add insult to injury, the additional work-related stress being experienced by many educators is something that far too many are quick to dismiss as if grief counseling and risk of serious illness and death is also just part of the job. 

    Although the concept of teacher burnout is nothing new, there are many that are optimistic that an overall increase in conversations about wellness and mental health, one of the few upsides of this year that has kept everyone collectively on their toes, may also be an opportunity for change. Kevin Fine, an administrator in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in Milwaukee Public Schools, views self-care as an educational best-practice, “I am encouraged that mental health and self-care have become topics that we are talking about more frequently. Being aware of what we need to be the best version of ourselves is something that is crucial to our success both in and out of the classroom. I always strive to check in with myself and see how I am feeling and what I am craving. Sometimes, that means an extra workout, a few more hours of sleep, or a new plan for something I am working on. Reflection practices belong in the classroom and I am hopeful they will continue to evolve.”

    Granted that self-care is as individualized as each one of us, Harvard Medical School recently highlighted self-care tips for riding out the duration of the pandemic. The first is to acknowledge the turbulence--in a society where toxic positivity is common and people do any number of things for Instagram likes and Retweets on Twitter, for some, admitting whatâ€s bothering them is the hardest part. This is particularly challenging for educators who so often put aside their own feelings in order to either project much needed calm in hectic situation or comfort someone else. The rest of Harvardâ€s list are things that have been said a thousand times before: get enough sleep, get some exercise, etc. Perhaps then, it makes more sense and would be potentially more healing to do the thing that is not so commonly spoken about and own the importance of our work. We are serving the public as educators in a way beyond that which weâ€ve ever done previously. We should be proud, and loud. Not just about our accomplishments, but about the weight weâ€ve borne along the way. This has been a hard year for nearly everyone, but not everyone was tasked with helping the nationâ€s children cope. This is not a time to worry about our roles in changes in test scores, it is a time to recognize that teachers create a secondary family for the children of this nation. And we should be proud.