Reflections of an Educator

Since hearing about the terrible tragedy that took place in the elementary school in Connecticut on December 14th, I have had various thoughts.

-I can't begin to imagine what the parents, who lost children, are feeling.  I pray for the parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts/uncles, friends, and family of these children.

-I pray for the surviving children and educators.  How do you walk back into the school knowing what you know and experienced?

-I pray for the first responders and others who worked this tragedy.

-The teachers and administrators were so heroic.  The principal and school psychologist were killed as they lunged at the shooter to try and overpower him and get the weapons away from him. A first grade teacher was killed while to hide her students wherever she could within the classroom.  Another first grade teacher barricaded herself and her students in the bathroom, and she did all she could to keep them calm.  The Librarian or Librarian Aide, along with a few other adults, barricaded a class of 4th graders and themselves in a storage area, and they gave them crayons and paper to keep them calm.  The Music teacher protected his/her students by keeping them quiet and hidden.  The gym teachers moved the children to an office and kept them quiet/safe. The stories of the teachers in the building go on and on. Teachers on conference periods did what they could to get to their students who were in electives at the time. The custodian ran throughout the building warning everyone.  What amazing people!


-What would I do if it had been my child?


-What would I have done in that situation? My thoughts on this in a bit.


These thoughts led me to the following thoughts.

On Tuesday and again on Thursday, I had a conversation with different teachers about how the general public view educators/education.  It started when a teacher said that someone she knows was making fun of/being mean about the fact that we get 2 weeks off at Christmas, a week off in the spring, 3 months off for summer, a week at Thanksgiving, and various other days throughout the year.  I just had to give her something to say in return next time.

We don't get a whole week at Thanksgiving, but that isn't my point.  We do not get paid for all those days off.  We get paid for 187 days.  Our paychecks may be spread over the 12 months, but we only get paid for 187 of work.  BUT . . . we work far more than 187 days a year. The majority of teachers, good teachers, work 24/7 August through the beginning/middle of June.  Teachers take home papers to grade.  They can't go to sleep at night for thinking/worrying about at least one student or a situation or what/how they are going to teach the next day/week. If they go to sleep, they may dream about a child/family or wake up to think/worry about at least one student or a situation or what/how they are going to teach the next day/week. Many evenings include school duties or programs, professional development, planning, grading, and more.  Summers include professional development or preparation for the next year.  Teaching/Education is not a 187 day a year from 7:30-3:00 or 8:0-4:00 job. It is so much more than that.


I have read Facebook post after Facebook post praising teachers or wanting to thank teachers for what they do.  Sadly, maybe this horrific event will remind the public what exactly educators do on a daily basis.


We are with the children more waking hours than their parents.  We are their teachers, counselors, nurses, secretaries, care-givers, confidants, and so, so much more. We teach them far more than reading, writing, and arithmetic.  We teach them right from wrong, how to get along with others, public speaking, to care about others, manners, patience, prepare them to survive in the real world, and more.


Almost any educator you meet will tell you that the children assigned to his/her care for those 187 days become "our" children.  We become possessive of them, want what is best for them, and care very deeply for them. We really care for them for the rest of their/our lives.  Once a child passes through my class, I wonder what they become, where they go to college, and how they and their families are. For no particular reason, a name or face pops in my head, and I begin remembering that child and then wondering about him/her.


The children are our children, and we will do whatever it takes to protect them.  We don't pick and choose or put ourselves first.  Our first priority is the safety and education of the children the parents send to use everyday.


I have had the privilege to work with 1000s of children throughout my career. I have made mistakes, been the person parents curse, learned from my mistakes, stepped out of the box, and grown, both as an educator and human. The one thing that hasn't changed . . . I would do whatever it takes to protect the students in my care or within my vicinity. No, that isn't part of the job description, but it is who I am and who educators are.


This deep feeling of compassion may not be understood by the general public, both other educators completely get it.  Thank you, fellow educators, for all you do for the children of America and elsewhere.

This was shared on Facebook via The Farmer's Guesthouse and a few Pastors, including mine.
“To parents who aren’t educators, this may be hard to understand. Five days a week, we teach your kids. Joke with your kids. Console your kids. Praise your kids. Question your kids. Beat our heads up against a wall about your kids. Gush over your kids. Laugh with your kids. Worry about your kids. Keep an eye on your kids. Learn about your kids. Invest in your kids. Protect your kids. Love your kids. We would all take a bullet for your kids. It’s nowhere in our job description. It isn’t covered in the employee handbook. It isn’t cited on our contracts. But we would all do it. So, yes—please hug your kids tonight—really, really tight. But on Monday, if you see your kids’ teacher, hug them too.”