The traditional greeting of the Maasai people in Africa asks, "And how are the children?" The response, "The children are well."
As educators, we spend countless years of our life ensuring that in fact the children are well. However, right now, during this pandemic there is a second question to ask, "And how are the teachers?" Unfortunately, the response right now from most teachers is, "We are not well."
If we do not take care of our teachers, right now, we will not have anyone left to take care of the children in our public schools. It is just that simple.
I spent the morning of October 19th listening to the International Summit on the Teaching Profession (#ISTP21). It was an important conversation that included education and labor leaders from countries around the world including the United States.
What struck me was the overwhelming focus on teachers and their wellbeing.
As an advocate for teachers and their wellbeing, I was heartened to hear so many discuss the reality that teacher wellbeing and student achievement are linked — something we all know but seldom hear acknowledged so openly.
Much of the discussion was focused on a cultural shift within education. I could not agree more with that! However, what needs to happen, in my humble opinion, is to rebuild trust. Teachers have lost trust in those making educational decisions to utilize their expertise. Even when we have good leadership at the state and federal levels, teachers are weary. They wonder how long it will last and whether any good initiatives or thoughts will be able to sustain once those leaders are no longer in those seats. That is why we need a complete and utter cultural shift within education.
We are in a pivotal moment for education. One where we must think transformatively about the culture we want to create in our schools. However, we cannot get to where we need to be without valuing, honoring, and listening to teachers. For far too long we have talked at them, to them and around them. Policies have been top/down and test/punish. Teachers and their schools have been placed on lists without any rhyme or reason and without the necessary supports to help them achieve and grow.
Here are some straightforward steps we can take to help rebuild the trust that has been eroded:
- Listen to teachers and value and respond to what they have to say. Ask what they need and then give it to them. Check in with them without punishment to see how it is going, monitor, and adjust as needed.
- Fund public education in P12 and higher education. Invest in education. Provide the funding promised so teachers can innovate, create, and imagine a culture of education that supports the whole child and the whole teacher.
- Fund and provide high-quality embedded professional learning for our teachers like the type we provide through NYSUT's Education and Learning Trust. We must ensure our teachers are supported as they navigate the challenges they face.
- Do away with systems that test, punish and sort teachers, schools, and children into inequitable categories they cannot shake.
NYSUT has just put out our Future Forward report with five pillars to keep our public schools as the center of every community. You can read it here: NYSUT's Future Forward Report And, as I shared earlier, NYSUT has professional learning to help all educators attend to their wellness and the wellness of their students. Go to www.ELT.nysut.org to learn more. Don’t consider ELT PD; consider it time for yourself, because until each and every teacher can answer the proverb with the answer, "Yes, the teachers are well," we are not doing enough to support our schools, colleges, educators, and of course, the children.
