On March 29th, I wrote the following blog post, “A Personal Message to All Educators.” I’m not sure whether this is simply a follow up, or instead this next blog post is for the general public but regardless, I think it is an important piece to write.
It is easy to recognize our health care professionals and first responders as heroes during this pandemic. Their dedication has been nothing but incredible and I’m pretty confident that their status in the minds of the general public will continue to be extremely high once this crisis ends. They deserve every accolade they receive, plain and simple.
But there is another group of individuals who have stepped it up during this pandemic and should be recognized…TEACHERS! With students not being able to attend school in person, teachers with the support of their divisions, have had to initiate remote learning. The loss of face to fact contact, resources in reach and personal connection has made the majority of teachers feel like it is their first year of teaching all over again…but different! You see, even our most recent graduates from teacher institutes were never prepared to teach remotely. Practical experience was always in a classroom with students present.
Many teachers have previously integrated technology into their practice but this is at a whole different level. In pre-pandemic time, teachers planned lessons for “present” students and utilized a variety of techniques to engage students. Technology may have been used as part of whole class instruction or it may to have been used to support remedial or enrichment learning. But the vast majority of people should assume that technology or any “program” will never be a substitute for high quality instruction within the confines of bricks and mortar.
Yet, we now have teachers who have placed that assumption aside to provide learning that is not a stop gap (as some politicians have suggested) but rather a continuation of what was occurring prior to the closures of schools. It is difficult enough to deliver curriculum to students with immense diversity in learning within any class (which is generally too large) in a face to face scenario and now educators are being asked to do the same through remote learning. Delivering curriculum today is not about telling students to “Read chapter 7 and answer the questions at the end of the chapter”- That is just poor teaching whether it is face to face or remote.
Teachers in this remote world are finding ways not just to deliver content but to also engage students. Their preparation leads to instruction through homemade videos, step by step activities for home use and differentiated assignments. They are searching for new ways to assess the progress of learning, from students who not only have diverse needs, but also within the context of great or little support at home. And most important, they are searching for opportunities to connect with the students they teach, checking on both their learning and their mental health. All these things that good teachers did pre-pandemic, are now being accomplished in a remote environment, where few teachers ever lived or were accustomed. It may not be perfect, but without educators, leading the charge, most children and especially the most marginalized would be falling through the cracks!
In mid- April, I came across actress Drew Barrymore speaking about the struggles she was having “home schooling” her own two children. In the article she states that she has learned to appreciate teachers even more. And that my readers, is the key, not only now but after this crisis is over. We must start to recognize and appreciate the overall teaching profession. It is time to admit that just because you went to school you have no understanding of what a teacher really does during her 24 hours. You may understand the joy or frustration in your own children’s learning but the teacher lives that for ALL of her students each day and often each night.
Yes, there are poor teachers out there. With the exception of two years, I’ve been “in school” since I’ve been six years old. Over that 50 year period, I’ve witnessed poor teachers as a student, as a parent, as a colleague and administrator. But those numbers during my half century educational life are few. While they may be easily remembered, sadly, it is also easy to forget all of those teachers who helped us on our learning journey sometimes overtly but most often in the background, with their influence unknown.
The famous statement, “Those who can do and those who can’t teach” is an insult to those in the educational system. It should be pretty clear in today’s scenario that trying to engage a couple of your own children at home on a daily basis is taxing at best. Teachers do this all the time and not with just two in the classroom but 22 or 32 or sometimes even 42. One of the characteristics of a professional is the possession of a specialized knowledge. For teachers, that is not just knowledge of the curriculum but more importantly the knowledge of pedagogy. Simply put, it is their ability to teach so students can learn.
So if you are reading this as a teacher, take a well deserved bow before you go back to being engaged in continuous improvement and searching for even better ways to improve student learning. If you are a parent, take a minute to contact your child’s teacher and just say thanks. And if you are member of the general public, commit to raising the status of the teaching profession and honour the vital role they play in our society today!
