During the 2019-20 school year, all of our eyes were opened a little wider to the school system and how teachers are treated once the buildings shut down and parents were left to fend for their child’s education at home.
Parents were singing praises to teachers all over the nation when they realized how much they needed educators in their daily lives. But not even one year later when the 2020-21 school year started up, those praises quickly turned into backlash in some areas, because schools would still be virtual. It seemed as if the world was in limbo fall of 2020 when the pandemic was still spreading, but everything was partially opening back up again with extra safety precautions.
The struggle came when parents had to go back to work instead of working from home, but some schools were still virtual. They ran into problems where they needed to find someone to stay home with their kids in order for them to be watched over and attend virtual school, but they had to leave for work. Daycares were overrun and babysitters/ nannies were in high demand.
It left us with one big question- Are schools viewed as a daycare for some parents? Is it somewhere moms and dads drop off their kids in the morning, leave for work, and then rely on the bus or the neighborhood carpool to bring them home? Were they that quick to forget how hard homeschooling was during the worldwide shutdown in the spring of 2020?
So how do we as parents get through this 2021-22 school year and still show appreciation for our teachers instead of treating them as a daycare?
- Recognize the value in their work and voice this recognition to them.
- Ask how you can support them as a teacher and if there are any supplies you can donate to their classrooms.
- Regularly check in to see if they need any supplies or help in their classroom throughout the entire year, not just at the beginning.
- Volunteer in their classrooms if you have the time.
- Show appreciation to them throughout the entire year, not just during teacher appreciation week.