When I saw the sign pop up in a neighbor’s yard celebrating their new kindergartener, it startled me to realize she is stepping into her school journey as part of the Class of 2037.
While the date sounds far into the future, it’s really only 13 school years away. What I hear so often from parents and teachers alike is “the days are long, but the years are short.”
If that’s truly the case, then what are some ways we all can fit into the picture to ensure our students are safe, healthy and given the best possible opportunities?
Burnout rate
And for the best results, should we focus first on teachers, classrooms and the overall school culture?
The burnout rate among teachers continues to grow, according to numerous education-related reports.
The Schools That Lead team of educational professionals describes the burnout situation among teachers at “crisis” level, which threatens school cultures and student outcomes.
“Prolonged work stress causes talented educators to emotionally withdraw, underperform or exit the profession entirely,” writes Taqwanda Hailey, chief analytics officer for Schools That Lead.
“The associated costs of high teacher turnover negatively impact the quality of classroom instruction and, ultimately, student outcomes,” she states in the blog post at schoolsthatlead.org. “Teaching is both a service and a call that demands passion and unrelenting grit. However, it can be one of the most time- and emotion-consuming professions.”
Think about the teachers in your life. They may be part of your family, close friend group or community. You most likely can look around your church family and pick out a few as well.
When you think about them, what’s one thing you have the ability and/or resources to do that could lighten their load today? Even the smallest effort can make a difference.
For a few of the more involved opportunities, consider signing up to be a volunteer teacher’s aide, offering to bring a different experience to detention hall or developing an after-school program for students.
Discovery Clubs
In the Birmingham metro area, an after-school program called Discovery Clubs is already in place, so the development and organizational side is covered. The schools merely need volunteers who are willing to spend an hour a week with the children. Find out more at discoveryclubs.org.
Another idea is to ride along on the bus to entertain the kids and let the bus driver focus solely on driving.
Or better yet, become a bus driver yourself or help someone you know take the classes, get the proper licenses and step into the role.
Schools across the state are in need of more drivers, and the opportunity to be a positive presence in the lives of students getting on and off the bus each day is priceless.
Sometimes that one thing we can do to help make a teacher’s day less exhausting isn’t related to school at all.
It might be dropping off a meal one school night a week, helping with laundry or volunteering to tutor a teacher’s child in your area of specialty.
While teachers are likely among the best tutors, I’m guessing it’s hard to come home after teaching all day to settle in to help with homework, especially if more teaching is required.
The ideas are endless for what could be done. Teachers and school administrators have varying levels of responsibilities beyond the school campus, and we sometimes don’t realize what could be weighing heavily on them each day.
I’m going to start by remembering to pray regularly for the teachers in my life and stay alert to ways I can help lighten the load for those the Lord allows my path to cross.
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