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I write YA but I still teach full-time high school English at a large, Title 1 high school. Some folks (even fellow writers) are surprised by this. “You still teach?” I get this a lot. (THREAD)
I don’t teach because it’s a day job or a side gig. It’s hard as hell, but I’ve been teaching for 15 years because I love working with teenagers. They’re so hilarious, weird, curious, and wonderful. How could I not?
So now I’m worried about teacher and student safety and online and going back in person. I teach in Houston and it’s a hot spot right now. I didn’t like online teaching AT ALL but I’m thinking it’s probably the safest choice right now.
But here’s the thing. It’s not 100% safe. Why? Because for many of our kids, their homes are not safe places. Their lives are not safe. Over the years I’ve had to call CPS because I’ve had kids disclose violent abuse in their homes.
I’ve had kids disclose sexual assault, pregnancy scares, food insecurity, parental neglect, and stuff that doesn’t qualify as legal abuse but is just sad, horrific stuff, and I have to bring in our amazing, overworked social worker. (We have ONE social worker for like 3200 kids.)
These kids disclose to me because (I think/hope) they trust me. They see my smile as they come into the room. They can eat lunch in my classroom. They hear my corny jokes. I make myself vulnerable to them. I cry when I read sad poems.
I make myself vulnerable and in return these precious kids, these wonderful creatures, often screw up the courage to ask for help. It’s an honor every time a young person trusts me.
How do I do this over Microsoft Teams? How can I build that trust? I honestly don’t know if I can.
Online learning will keep us safer from the virus, but not all our kids will be safe. For many, school is the only safe place, and now not even that is true.
OUR LEADERS HAVE FAILED US. They have failed our kids, our most vulnerable. They have valued the almighty dollar over lives and health. It makes me so angry. SO ANGRY.
To every teacher stressing over online or stressing over in person or stressing over hybrid because you’re worried about your kids...I SEE YOU. We will get through this for our students. And we will never EVER forget who did this to them and to us. END OF THREAD
