A Week is Hardly Enough!

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BY: RACHEL WUMKES

In a World where many things seem to be upside down, people are hanging on wildly by just a few fingers, holding tight to that last little shred of sanity and control like a lifeline.  Parents are stressed.  Children are stressed.  Teachers are beside themselves with worry about their students.

Who would’ve ever thought when we left early the Friday before Spring Break that our kids would not go back to school until the fall?  I’d never dreamed something like this could happen in a million years.

And I thought all those days at home due to the Polar Vortex were bad.  Boy, was I wrong!!!

It seems fitting, and so much more this year than any other, that we recognize our extremely dedicated educators during National Teacher Appreciation Week.  Let’s celebrate them, and their incredible ability to adapt to a totally new way of teaching at the drop of a hat.

As part of this weeklong celebration, they’ve also established National Teacher Appreciation DAY, which falls on the Tuesday (today!).  The day is a day for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting impressions they leave on our lives.

Even as an adult, we all have that ‘one’ teacher, right? The one we remember who went the extra mile or did something that steered the course of your life in a certain direction.  I had an entire childhood of those kind of teachers, all of them caring, understanding, and boasting a level of patience beyond words.  I may not have realized it as a kid, but each of them had a part in making me the person I am today.

It makes me sad that our kids missed out on so much of that experience this year.

It was a Sunday evening when we got the call – “This is a notification from Clear Lake Community Schools.  School will be cancelled for 30 days to do the Governor’s orders.”

I will never forget that feeling, my reaction and the complete disbelief of the entire situation.  Sort of like the morning of September 11^th when I woke up to hear the Trade Center had been attacked.  It’s just one of those things I will never forget.

The teachers at Clear Lake Schools, they didn’t take much time to dwell on the sadness or uncertainty of the situation.  Nope!  They got to work the next week, creating content for online learning, bagging up belongings for every student and organizing the seamless pickup for parents.  Since then, we’ve been in a new routine of normal.  A new way of learning.

None of it has been easy.  Parents are navigating their way through these unprecedented times with a blindfold on, juggling the balance between work and homeschool with technology and subject material they’re unfamiliar with.  Guilt weighs heavy on the shoulders of many who just cannot do it all.

Yet, the teachers are there.  Guiding us.  Helping us.  Celebrating our children’s small victories when they suddenly understand fractions or learn how to master that one letter combination in reading that gives them trouble.

They are there.  They’ve been there.

And they’ll always be there.

Because teaching is not simply a job.  It’s not just a thing you do everyday to collect a paycheck and go about living your life.

The heart of a teacher is a vast canyon, making room for a new class of students each year who they care about, root for, and love.

So, enjoy your week, teachers, and especially today.  I think everyone realizes now just how unbelievably valuable you all are and have a new sense of appreciation for the work you all do.  We tip our hats to you.  We salute your hard work and dedication to ensuring our kids get the very best education.

I encourage you all to take a moment and thank a teacher today!