Supporting educators

We didn’t get to this point haphazardly. As we see hope on the horizon, we may forget the large-scale scramble that took place to move children to remote learning, and to address challenge after challenge we had no idea was coming just a few months prior to March 2020. Moving to hybrid learning, contending with testing protocol, distancing, masking, sanitizing and divergent philosophies on all were incredible challenges on top of emerging behaviorial issues, learning loss and the day-to-day challenges that come with educating our children. Earlier grades likely have the most vulnerability when it comes to behavioral issues as development milestones were met outside of a traditional classroom setting. Yet even high school students have a new world to navigate as things get back to normal.

There have been other instances of large-scale disruption in our collective history, specifically after World War II when the majority of college and high school teachers and even students either enlisted or took on war jobs. Restarting normal life was a time of transition, though, the new manufacturing capacity created by the war effort and the large-scale destruction of European infrastructure kick-started the rapid expansion of the U.S. economy while also providing new educational opportunities for many.

This one feels different because we are in its midst but, make no mistake, this pandemic is equal in that magnitude. We will look back in time and recognize its great impact on us all. Yet, there is now opportunity for success and we see what modifications we can make from completely new ways of doing things. There is also a chance for cracks to emerge. These cracks could come in many different forms, and have learning loss and mental health issues at its center. As we get back to normal, teachers who may already be feeling exhausted must keep an eye out for emerging issues among their students while also keeping track of their own well-being. Administrators will be feeling the strains of old expectations, on top of new ones, on top of emerging ones, while keeping tabs on the needs of teachers and parents as all keep in mind the well-being of the students in the classroom that will shift with new developments and the ebbs and flows of the coming school year.

Now the real work begins. Educating our children was already a challenge, with teachers needing to meet children where they are as they return to school from a summer away. After a pandemic, that meeting point may be harder to identify and even the most veteran of teachers will need community support in this effort.

So what can we, as parents, do? Be patient. A school is a unique ecosystem that operates inside a larger district one, which is connected to our community as a whole. As we restart the ecosystem, the people inside it have to find their way into patterns that are simultaneously new and familiar. That can take time.

Teachers, staff and administrators have been in crisis mode for more than two years that started with turning an already complicated system on its head by going to remote learning. Unwinding from that mindset takes time for some, however, others may be able to shake it right away. It is also important to note that educators have gone through a global pandemic and all its personal challenges just like the rest of us.

Our children have been through a tough time as well. Some will fare better than others, but there may be latent anxiety along with new relationships to establish and old ones to renew. Patience is key for all.

This should be an exciting time. There is nothing quite like the beginning of a school year and the more we appreciate what we’ve all been through and the potential before us, the better we will all be. We got through the pandemic together, and we can make it through the transition back to our new normal as well. We have learned a lot, and there is more learning ahead. The key, as always, is to be mindful of others and their own transition while always considering the very simple act of supporting our educators in every single way we can.

Jon Mays is the editor in chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com. Follow Jon on Twitter @jonmays.