I’m on the outside looking in on Teacher Appreciation Week. I left the field of teaching for greener pastures (and they definitely feel greener).
My brain is trying to take me to a negative, cynical place during this week of celebration for school employees. Not anything towards the school employees, but to the facade that the school districts and politicians actually appreciate them and the work they do
(I switched to using school employees instead of teachers, because in my mind every single person that directly interacts with students on the daily teaches them. Every single person.)
Instead, here is my thank you note to school employees.
- Thank you for caring about students so much and giving them all of you when you have them in class.
- Thank you for uplifting the voices and humanity of all students to make sure they feel cared for.
- Thank you for owning and working on your biases when interacting with students and colleagues! We are all human and have so much room for growth.
- Thank you for making students more important than grades.
- Thank you for taking your sick days! You deserve to be healthy.
- Thank you for taking your personal days! You earned them!
- Thank you for walking into your work space at your contractual start time. You are showing students, your colleagues, and administrators that boundaries are important!
- Thank you for standing with your colleagues when administrators violate your contract. You worked hard to bargain for that contract, and you deserve to have it honored!
- Thank you for leaving your work space at your contractual work time. You are showing students and your colleagues that there is life outside of paid work.
- Thank you for voting for pro-education and pro-human politicians at every single level. You deserve political support in getting the pay, benefits, personnel, and resources you need to best support students and to fully live your life!
- Thank you for participating in your union! You lending your collective voice to the thousands in your district and millions across the nation is powerful and can be used to enact change!
- Thank you for holding your elected officials accountable through direct action! Many politicians need the extra encouragement and reminders of who they work for.
Some reading this might say, “Oh, I never do that. I always come in early and leave late.” To those folks, I say ‘thank you’ to you too. And I’ll also make the request to pause this week and think about your own power on the job, as well as those within your school walls and your respective districts. What would you best appreciating yourself on the job look like? Could you join up with other teachers to begin creating that culture? What if 3.6 million teachers across the nation walked into their schools at start time and walked out together at their contractual end time? I wonder how that would be different…
I wish teachers around the nation peace and the ability to put down the boulders that have been heaved upon you. It is not your burden to carry. Once the burden goes back to those who placed it, change will come.
Much love this Teacher (i.e. School Employee) Appreciation Week.