Tharptown Elementary School

First, let me begin by thanking and acknowledging all of you for everything you have done over the last few weeks as we have dealt with this difficult, unprecendented event in our lives. It has been such a whirlwind of new information and changes on a daily basis that we have had to adjust to very quickly. Who could of imagined a month ago that we would be doing a faculty meeting over the Internet! Although that was quite out of my comfort zone, it made me very happy to hear your voice and see your faces.

I'm not going to lie, yesterday at Tharptown Elementary School was a hard day for me. There was an eerieness that floated throughout the building and it felt as if the heart beat was gone. In fact, a couple of times I thought I heard "Ruby". :-) With all that silence, however, it reminded me that even though our school buildings are closed right now, the life and strength of our school is not gone, but rather, very much thriving. I believe we are currently more engaged and involved with our students and parents than every before, and I am confident we will come out stronger because it it.

One of my favorite movies of all time is Apollo 13. Perhaps it is because the events of Apollo 13 took place during my younger years. Perhaps it is because it has a happy ending. Perhaps it is because there are so many life lessons to be learned throughout the movie. Regardless of the reason, one of the most powerful parts of the movie is in the video above. After so many individuals had worked together to solve a major problem, under a tremendous time crunch, there were those who were still unsure, wondering if they would be successful. However, there were also those that believed in what they had done and believed it "would be their finest hour."

Through all the problems, stress, uncertainty, and worry that we have been through over the past few weeks and how were were going to educate our students with school closing, I can honestly say, "I believe this will be our finest hour!" I believe our parents, community, state, and country will begin to understand and realize the value of teachers. I believe they will not take educators for granted as they have done in the past, but will come to realize the many roles we serve in the life of a student. I believe they will look at educators as more than "givers of knowledge", but also as problem solvers, social workers, care givers, and protectors. ...and I believe we will provide many wonderful learning opportunities for our students so that their learning will not stop, but will continue for many weeks to come. Because of you, school nor learning has ended. It has only changed in location and format!

I am convinced this event has caused us to step out of our comfort zone and do things we thought were impossible and unrealistic. We have been forced to explore things that have challenged our beliefs, our skills, and our experience, yet, all of you have demonstrated resiliency, understanding, and determination. No one has found reasons why we "can't" do what we need to do but rather, have looked for ways to make it possible and make it happen. I can honestly say, I believe we will all come back to school, better, stronger, and with a new set of teaching skills that we can bring to our school. We will all have grown in our profession, as well as in our personal life, and will have developed a greater appreciation for the many things we may have taken for granted ourselves over the years!

I saw something on Facebook this week that I wanted to share with you:

Teachers: In 20 years, your students will be talking to their own kids about our current situation. They won't remember how we sent home packets of work to complete or how we set up a Google classrom for them to find work. What they will tell their own kids is that you (their teacher) sent them letters, called to check on them and see how they were doing, and showed them the constant in their otherwise hectic world. You will be that constant that they will always remember!

With that being said, don't forget to reach out to your students/parents at least twice a week to let them know you care, that you are interested in how they are doing, and to answer any questions they may have concerning their assignments. Please make sure you are providing the students/parents with adequate learning opportunites while keeping it to no more than an hour of work for the student per day. While we do want to continue the learning of our students, we don't want to create a level of frustration during this already frustrating time.

As I said last week, if you have any questions/concerns, please don't hesitate to call, text, or email me. Remember, we are a team and we are all in this together. "Alone we are strong, but together we are stronger." I also encourage you to check on each other. We are all trying to adjust to a new normal and that is very difficult on everyone.

My one last encouragement is for everyone to stay in and stay safe. I am thankful to Mr. Hamilton who has been charged with making difficult decisions, but all of his decisions have been for the sole purpose of protecting students, faculty, and staff. For that, I will be forever grateful in what he has done to protect me and all of you.

Even though you are having to say inside, don't forget to keep you light shining for your students. For many of them, it is all the light they will see each day! Be proud of yourself for everything you have done so far. I certainly know I am proud of all of you!