Being an educator consists of so many different things.
An educator is a parent, friend, counselor, sibling, grandparent, adult, nurse, chef (the one who feeds), and the one who loves,cares for, educates and helps these children to learn and grow That is what education is really all about;at least that is what it was designed to be about. We are educating children to grow upon the manner that their minds allow them to pursue, to adventure, to journey, to touch, to smell, to hear, to taste, to see, to feel and to hear whatever the teacher is bringing to that classroom.
Be it art class, where there’s beautiful drawings, papier-mâché — and if you are blessed enough to have a kiln — some clay objects to create. What great experiences! I have seen some phenomenal art teachers; as a matter of fact, one is a good friend of mine — a gifted artist.
Then we have the special education teachers, along with the general education teachers — two different set of teachers with the same one common goal: that is, to help children touch and reach the sky by way of their reading and math skills, and the exposure to science, social studies, and the outlets of music,computer training, gym,health, and in some cases, a variety of sports to play. Great outlets!
This is what school was designed to be. This is the design of a good school — the outcome! Wow! The many memories I have of my after school activities — be it an art class, field hockey, volleyball, bowling or tennis, it was always powerful.
Children today —prior to the COVID-19 pandemic — haven’t had those kinds of experiences 100% across the board. There may be a little spit here and a little spat there, a little dibble and a little dabble. However, education has changed to the degree that there is some of that spit spat,dibble dabble that we tend to miss.
And then we don’t fight for the right for our children and their education , let alonethe process of getting what they need. We’d rather go the school and…oops– let me pause there!
Some parents don’t come to the school at all unless it is a discipline problem or to fuss at a teacher about what they are doing unfairly to their child. It appears some parents don’t foster the care of their children as they did when I was growing up.
I attended a Catholic private school and then a Philadelphia public school in my middle school and high school years. Whew! Transitional, oppositional, drastically changed environments, yet, I was able to prosper and achieve.
Today, it appears, there may be a handful of children that are able to prosper and achieve. There are so many barriers against the child, the children, the process, the teacher, the parent, and the administration. What the hell is going on? What happened to the old fashioned way of just sitting in a classroom and being taught whatever the teacher is set out to teach you for that day, that week, that month, that year, and then having the student elevate to a new teacher with the same expectations of elevationgrowth, and learning in order to have them become someone unlike any other?
March 13, 2020 is when everything changed. Although some children were already learning virtually, that was a choice.,
However, without the voluntary choice of homeschooling, virtually learning is what is in. That is the new fashion, the new statement that is going around — virtual Google classroom or virtual learning by way of Zoom.
Whatever your district is allowing or not allowing as an educator, you know what your parameters are and are not. Teaching virtually has been one of my most challenges in all of my years of teaching. The requirements are very costly. The expectations are always on point, that will never change, but online teaching and online learning is a completely different bag. I have never seen anything like it before, nor have I experienced anything like it before, willing and openly. There is no choice in this matter!
So virtual learning — what does it consist of? It consists of someone who is willing and is able to commit themselves to be live on a screen with children teaching the vast subjects and requirements for children to learn and grow so that they can one day become as powerful as they can be to survive in the world of their future!..…PEACE!
…cj is a poet, educator, motivational speaker, and inspirational writer who resides in Philadelphia. She has been creating and writing for decades with the desire to share with you, the reader. Stay tuned as she will empower, uplift, motivate, and change a thought or two. Share your thoughts at: [email protected].
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