This year for Teacher Appreciation Week we have a special group of teachers to thank - we want to thank the moms and dads that are stepping up and teaching at home, in their kitchens, in their living rooms, in their bathrobes! None of us ever expected to be doing this, but you are doing it and doing it so well!
When our school unexpectedly closed in mid March, none of us thought that this would be our new normal, none of us where expecting months of homeschooling, online schooling, crisis schooling... Whatever you want to call it, its happening and we would be remiss if we did not take them time to stop and appreciate all the hard work that these unexpected teachers are doing!
Teacher appreciation week is normally a time that we reflect on the ways that teachers impact our lives, the lessons they have taught us and the love that they have shared. This year, teachers are still teaching, from home, with packets and online platforms, but they have co teachers in the parents, grandparents, big brothers and sisters that are stepping in and stepping up in a huge way. You see, none of this online work could work, if not for the dedication and hard work of the home teachers. The parent-teachers that are now on 24/7. The teachers that don't have prep time and are doubling as lunch ladies, and maintenance staff, who are teaching and cooking dinner, who are breaking up sibling fights and figuring our Microsoft Teams and Google Hangouts, all while trying to still do their own work!
These parent-teachers are teaching subjects they have not studied in over twenty years. They are teaching math and reading and home ec (at least that's what I call it when my kids do chores now.) They are doing it all without a break (and while possibly wondering how to call in a substitute teacher). There is no handbook for any of this. There are no college classes or praxis exams to set us up for success here. There is just the uncompromising love of a parent that refuses to give up on their child.
So this week our hats are off to you, parents. This week we are acknowledging our first teachers, our forever teachers, our parents. In a world gone crazy you are our constant. You are our sources of strength and our sense of normalcy. You are our north star.
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