Politics, Education, and Good Timing

Just yesterday, I scrolled past yet another post of one of my previous coworkers saying that they were leaving the classroom. This year is not for the faint hearted. Those who soldier on in these conditions are beyond amazing. Many educators have decided that this year is the year to put their mental and physical health first, something that is frowned upon heavily by society – even amongst purported “self- care” options. There is no massage that can fix unrealistic expectations, overpopulated classrooms, and countless hours of unpaid planning time. Before the pandemic, teaching was difficult. During the first stages of the pandemic, teaching was a whirlwind of learning new skills and striking a different type of balance. Now, over two years into the pandemic, the weight continues to pile on.

In my state, Virginia, the previous governor, and a bipartisan assembly voted to force schools to maintain 5 day a week, full time in person instruction for the 2021-22 school year – and that schools comply with CDC recommendations. The COVID cases have ebbed and flowed, but there hasn’t been one day that I haven’t received a notice from my children’s school reporting a newly infected student.

I changed positions during the summer of 2021. I wanted to try my hand at teaching elementary school, since I’d been working at a high school for the previous three years. Teaching high schoolers during a pandemic came with its own set of challenges. Making the transition to elementary teaching, in the beginning of the first year back to in person schooling, was more work than I could have imagined. I had no energy for my own children, and I was barely staying afloat. Then I had a car accident, and I decided that I would not return after my sick leave. Part of me felt like a failure but I also felt that I could not provide the students, nor my own children with the type of care they needed while continuing to teach. For the few first weeks that I was home I had a sniffling, coughing, or vomiting child with me at least two times a week. At that time, I felt that there was no way that I could have returned to working full time.

Several months later, money started to run low, so I started searching for jobs. I accepted most of the part time jobs that I was offered. However, last week, I was struggling with the consequences of my choice to leave teaching in public education. I felt stressed and overwhelmed by the intense need to make up my salary and make a difference in the lives of children. The self-doubt that I felt was palpable.

Then, Virginia’s newly elected governor signed two executive orders, which helped me to become firmer in my decision. His first order was to lift the mask mandate in schools. Although there is a law on the books saying that schools must follow CDC guidelines, this order makes parents who are against masks feel heard. His second order was to ban the teaching of critical race theory, which is not technically taught in primary or secondary school. When I read about these orders, I took a deep breath. I am a person who believes that history does influence the present in various ways. All actions have repercussions, including those that have happened in the past. I digress.

The final blow to teachers is that the governor of Virginia set up a hotline to report teachers that were teaching “divisive practices” and for parents to voice their concerns. I believe that parents should always be able to voice their concerns. However, to have a hotline to tell on teachers just adds another layer of pressure onto people who are already hanging on by a thread. The idea of a hotline to report teachers creates and enforces an atmosphere of distrust between parents and educators.

Who would want to teach in these conditions? I left at the right time.