Let Them Teach

I have heard the cries of teachers I know, family and friends, the caretakers of our children. I have watched as their passion has been eroded by the demands of the career they have chosen, demands that have nothing to do with teaching. I have taken their words in hopes of giving them a voice. By doing so it is my hope that the gatekeepers of education will listen, hear and let them teach. That they’ll be given the freedom to lead the next generation anchored in the grit of an educator, laced with unending grace.

I am a teacher. I sit in my classroom each morning being welcomed by the tender little faces hanging up their backpacks, chattering all the way to their desks. The greetings from these rambunctious little bodies range from a quick hi to guess what I did last night!

I attended college for this. I have labored through countless hours of education, spent years being mentored by seasoned professionals that still loved their job. I have hugged, challenged, sought to inspire every child that landed in my classroom so they leave me with so much more knowledge than when they came.

Seeing the light go on when the math problem is finally conquered. The understanding that shines through a student’s face making the statement they now know what they didn’t before.

The hugging of a book close to their heart because they finally mastered the words within the pages discovering the new found treasure it held.

The curiosity ignited when a discovery of science opens doors as yet unopened, making each student eager to learn so much more.

I love these moments, the ones that will change the course of my student’s lives and this does happen when I’m allowed to teach.

I did not become a teacher to perform limitless tests, spending entire weeks of teaching time to collect one more set of data.

Let us teach.

I did not become a teacher to sit in countless meetings being asked to learn a different set of standards when every teacher knows they will change by next year.

Let us teach.

I did not become a teacher to learn new theories mounted to teach a subject, often by someone who has never entered the classroom I live in every day. It is the teachers who remain on the front line of education that understand what it takes for our students to learn.

Let us teach.

One of the main reasons good teachers are leaving their jobs is because they are not being allowed to do what they love. We are teachers, not testers, not data-collectors, not students of every new theory. We strive to be the inspiration and offer the education every student needs.

We are Teachers…. Please just let us teach.

By the way, Teachers, We’re Praying For You!
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