Teacher Appreciation Week: I See You

Teacher+Appreciation+Week%3A+I+See+You

Nikki Smith, Teacher Writer

I see you.

I see you worrying about if your students’ basic needs are met. 

I see you creating brand new lessons and resources overnight to help students understand the curriculum. 

I see you calling and emailing students and parents to make connections, check-in. 

I see you adapting to the ever-changing policies enacted at the local, state, and national levels. 

I see you learning new technologies to better reach students and then sharing these new learnings with your colleagues.  

I see you stressing about the inconsistency of equitable circumstances for all students to thrive.  

I see you coming up with the most creative solutions to create a “classroom” environment at home.  

I see you juggling your own home life and personal worries with that of your students. 

I see you embracing seemingly silly projects and videos beyond your “expectations” just to make students smile.  

I see you going outside your comfort zone every day.  

I see you missing your students and grieving the moments you won’t have together. 

I see you attending Zoom meeting after Zoom meeting trying to figure out this new normal. 

I see you managing a new kind of paper load.  

I see you navigating all the unknowns — the known unknowns and unknown unknowns — with grace and professionalism.  

I see you.  

And I appreciate you.  

Distance learning is not what any of us had in mind when we went into teaching.  But, if there is any group who can handle it, I know teachers can.  We got this. And whatever comes next.