What Nature Teaches Us
Please know that our teachers are resilient, like the remaining green leaves cleaving to the tree of knowledge.
I’ve learned about the importance of resilience from nature. This year as the Deciduous trees decide to let their leaves fall; I’ve become enamored with the few leaves that retain their lovely green and don’t fall with the pack. There may be better appreciated when they finally do fall. These green leaves are deciding to hold on to their lovely chlorophyll, which blocks the brilliance of carotenoid and anthocyanin. Our teachers this year are continuing their resilience. It would be easier to allow the pandemic circumstances to dampen their vibrance, but our teachers are continuing to glow and block the urge to release and give in.
Many teachers share on social media how fatigued they are in their new teaching circumstances this year. Hybrid, virtual at school, virtual at home, and blended at school are all versions of what our teachers and students are enduring. Most states have already or are beginning to reopen schools F2F. Our teachers are nervous about those they love. Most are not worried about themselves, but rather are worried about the students and their families. Ultimately, our teachers spend more time worried about their students' home lives than they do about their own families. They would rather teach than allow their students to fall back in their academics or mental health due to a teacher's lack of school time.
Please know that our teachers are resilient, like the remaining green leaves cleaving to the tree of knowledge.
Tell a teacher you know how much you appreciate them. They need to hear your support. Money, food, coffee, and chocolate are always lovely, but please provide a few words of affirmation so that they know you know how hard they are working at being resilient for their students. We need them to continue to model resilience so that our children can learn to be resilient.
Suzanne M. Rogers, M.Ed.
