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shoebridge: teachers are the new front-line workers. let's give them our constant support

starting soon, teachers will be our new front-line work...

by ottawa citizen

aug 28 2020
read time 3 minute read
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ottawa- august 18, 2020 -- a group of education workers, parents and community members gathered outside the school board office at 133 greenbank to send a message to trustees. school boards must demand that the provincial government support trustee efforts to ensure a safe, equitable and well-resourced september for every student, family and education worker. to-date, school board efforts have been hampered by unclear and unrealistic provincial requirements. jean levac / postmedia news
starting soon, teachers will be our new front-line workers, and they are going to need all the support we can give them.
i have been teaching for 57 years — full-time, part-time and now occasionally — but i have never seen a challenge like the one currently facing teachers. i feel deeply for those heading back to a classroom or a virtual work station.
the health workers have been the real fighters in this pandemic and deserve all the accolades and praise we can muster. they have gone beyond the call of duty. fortunately, they were ready to handle health crises with training, experience, knowledge and equipment for the most part.
teachers are going into unknown territory without any of the above. they are not trained to be health handlers and guardians (or guards).
teachers, too, are going in without a long history of the support or admiration health professionals have and deserve. teachers are mistakenly thought to have easy jobs.
the teenagers coming to class or learning at home online bring not only the regular teenage angst — sexual and popularity concerns, skin and body image worries, sports success or not, plus the challenge of learning — but also having just spent six long months without regular school, friends, outings, vacation and facing other pandemic issues.

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if you can’t stomach that covid-19 will be in our schools even if its quickly dealt with, then you shouldn’t send your kids to school under any circumstances.

how to help your child cope with the transition back to school during covid-19
one way parents can help children build feelings of safety and security during covid-19 is by creating a predictable daily routine.
parents can use coping-focused language that emphasizes the active role that children and adults are taking together to promote things going well.

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and teachers are supposed to carry on teaching a full, regular syllabus? all the time concerned about physical distancing, covid, and their personal health and that of their own families? very easy work, indeed.
elementary teachers and their assistants have an even greater burden each day. they are teaching junior or regular kindergarten to kids who bring a ton of baggage. they, like the older students, have had their educational lives turned upside down with no in-person schooling. and they have seen their playtime with friends end abruptly, with new rules which they can’t comprehend. their families’ lives, good or bad, have had serious changes and strains.
these very young students aren’t yet equipped to handle emotional and psychological challenges in a “mature” way. they need constant reassurance and as they have been raised to expect physical comfort, they sometimes need a pat on the head, a hand on the shoulder, a hug and maybe a cuddle for the very young. not allowed. too dangerous. easy work, eh.
sensible, thoughtful parents will be preparing their children for the new realities. and if they reassure them that all this newness can be overcome, the children will respond in kind.
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then there will be the children of naysayers, deniers and skeptics who don’t believe all this precaution is necessary (in spite of 24 million cases, and at least 811,000 deaths worldwide). they will add another layer of challenge.
teachers don’t teach subjects. they teach an attitude towards learning and life. teachers are examples, every minute in the classroom, and they can make or break a student’s fragile self-image with a remark, comment or even a look. teachers teach souls by leading with their own character and real selves. this fall, it ain’t going to be easy.
so whether or not you have children of school age, think about the people who will be dealing with the young faces in the unforgiving covid world. our support and appreciation must be constant and strong.
tom shoebridge has taught at universities, colleges and high schools in several provinces. he resides in lanark county.
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