The countdown is on. Just a handful of days are left before all students are off for summer vacation, and teachers everywhere are breathing a collective sigh of relief. 聽
The amount of patience and energy required of them 鈥� and educational assistants 鈥� is staggering.聽
A teacher鈥檚 work is never done, from those who run early morning breakfast programs 鈥� or like my neighbour who simply brings a rice cooker and oatmeal to school for her students who show up on an empty stomach 鈥� to those who stay after hours and run extra curricular sports and arts programs because they passionately want our youth to have such opportunities.
They spend evenings and weekends grading papers, organizing assignments, decorating their classrooms and sourcing materials. By the time June hits they are utterly exhausted as they write report cards and recall landmark moments when our children were challenged, or succeeded or could have approached a problem differently.聽
Teachers care about our child鈥檚 learning, but also about their social, emotional, and physical health. They give them opportunities to stretch and grow.聽
In those 鈥渄ifficult鈥� times when a child must do group work and finds they need to adjust their standards (up or down!), when that shy student is asked to get up and give an oral report in front of their peers, or when recess privileges are revoked so a student can experience what it鈥檚 like to be a little more helpful around the classroom 鈥� Your child鈥檚 teacher is trying to educate them about more than just the core subjects. 聽
As parents we need to remember that teachers are in it for the good of their students. They know our children almost as well as we do. When they pair two students who seemingly don鈥檛 have much in common together to work on a project, perhaps it鈥檚 not because they don鈥檛 鈥渓ike鈥� those children, but because they see the chance for each to learn something from the other.聽
One could academically mentor or tutor the other, giving both a valuable lesson. Or perhaps it鈥檚 an opportunity for one with a temper quick to flare the benefit of working with someone whose patience and manner is calm and soothing.聽
It鈥檚 important to keep all scenarios in mind when we parents feel our children are being overlooked, dismissed or mistreated.聽
More often than not, children are quick to share their woes. How so-and-so doesn鈥檛 like them, how they aren鈥檛 listened to or how it鈥檚 not fair that they are (fill in the blank). It鈥檚 hard to listen to these experiences day in and day out and not take them as matter of fact. But before parents jump to any conclusions I encourage you to check in with the other party 鈥� in this case your child鈥檚 teacher 鈥� to hear the other side of the story. Much like we do when children have a disagreement with one another we need to ask for ALL accounts 鈥� even those of bystanders.
What I know for certain is we don鈥檛 often enough hear or see the ways teachers go above and beyond 鈥� like when your child鈥檚 teacher provides extra reading support when she is meant to be doing prep work, meaning she鈥檒l have to do it later that night after her own children have gone to bed, or arrives to work hours early to prepare costumes for a class play.聽
These things happen way more often that we know about. But trust that they are happening, and as you welcome your child home with open arms on the last day of school be proud of their accomplishments, but don鈥檛 forget who it was that helped them get there, every day, along the way.聽
Say thank you. Write that card. Give that bottle of wine, coffee card or more. Let them know you see what they鈥檝e done for your child.聽
And next year, if you haven鈥檛 already, work that gratitude into your routine a little more frequently and see if there鈥檚 anything you can do to make their job that much easier.聽
