"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." - John Lubbock
"And that's a wrap..." I would be lying if I said that this year, this year of teaching was a piece of cake. It was more of a piece of poorly seared steak. Chewy, full of grizzle and very, very difficult to digest. I am sure that our brains, hearts and well, egos were tremendously bruised by the current climate of the "My cell phone first" generation. I am sure that the levels of frustration reached insurmountable heights and yet, YET, there is summer... Summer. For those who don't quite understand, summer means restoration. Summer means reflection and a quiet pause for the profession of teachers in this country who never stop caring; who never stop working on themselves, who never stop believing that they are doing the single most important job in the country...next to parenting of course.
As summer approaches, I am left with this constant thought..."We did it. We did about as much as we possibly could with all of our students." The kids who are emotionally damaged. The kids who are apathetic. The kids who believe that "opting out" is a right. We witnessed our kids either seep into depressive tendencies or soar to find a passion they never knew they had. This is precisely why summer is so important. We are tired. Fierce love and devotion make any one in the teaching profession tired. It's really that simple. We are accountable. We are all diverse and we are constantly learning new ways to confront overwhelming social egregiousness that is not preventable. We try, but it is not preventable. Unless...UNLESS...we are supported by the society that sends us the very youth we are accountable for 180 plus days a year. When we get the support of a parent, success is inevitable. When the relationship is built, there is NOT one child who will not remember that connection.
What is sorely missing is the importance of the human connection. The evidence is clear. Texting and social media although fun and entertaining do not build a society that understands critical thinking, problem-solving and most importantly, the ability to cope with disappointment. There is nothing that can replace the face to face interaction of friend to friend, colleague to colleague, teacher to student, parent to child. No test will measure all those things. It just has to be part of the mathematical equation that equals "family."
What I realized this week is that my colleagues are family. We don't always agree or even like each other. We commiserate. We fight for the copier. We cry. We laugh. We retire and wake up with the morning sun, not the 5 a.m. alarm. We celebrate those who have devoted many years to the potential of those kids who never knew what they were capable of until a teacher showed them, usually after school hours. For those who rejected our efforts and our help, we are sorry. We did NOT give up. We just let you figure out that the world owes you nothing except the chance...the chance to move beyond the disappointment and the hurt you have witnessed. Only you can put one sneaker in front of the other and move forward to the life you were meant to have, not the life that hurt you.
Summer is coming. We are tired. I would go as far to say that many are tired, just like the teachers are. My hope is that through the exhaustion and the frustration that at least one person notices and that the changes that need to happen, promote more kindness, more tolerance and the importance of education. We are all responsible for the education of our youth, not just educators. Public education needs public support. Summer is coming. Let it be time for all of us, to prioritize and put education first and foremost ahead of politics and ego. Summer is coming. Let the sun heal. Wiggle your toes in the sand. Watch a firefly or two. Pay attention. We are always capable.
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