As we approach the end of the first month of the new school year, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for educators. We are so fortunate to have wonderful schools and dedicated educators in our community, and I am continually amazed by the work they do each and every day.
Being an educator is not an easy job. Teachers and school staff do so much more than teach reading, writing and math. They get to know our children as individuals. They help them navigate friendships and disagreements, learn how to manage big emotions, build confidence, solve problems, and find their place within a community. They celebrate successes, encourage children when things feel hard, and often see strengths and potential in our children that even we, as parents, may not always see.
Through both my work and my role as a parent, I have the opportunity to interact with our school system several times a week—sometimes it seems almost every day! I am continually struck by how much educators care about children and how deeply they want them to succeed. They show up day after day with patience, creativity, compassion and an incredible amount of energy, often doing far more than what is written in their job description. The impact they have on our children reaches far beyond the classroom and far beyond what can be measured by a grade or a test score.
And while we are talking about educators, I think parents deserve a little congratulations, too. Parenting is, in many ways, the most important teaching job there is. It isn’t just about bedtimes, homework and getting everyone to after-school activities on time. So much of parenting happens in the little moments in between. We teach our children how to respond when someone says hello, how to be a good friend, how to navigate challenging social situations, how to apologize, how to advocate for themselves, and how to manage the big emotions that come with being human.
Whether we are educators in the formal sense of the word or not, we are all teaching. We are all helping children learn how to become kind, capable, resilient and contributing members of our communities.
That is no small task.
So, as we settle into another school year, I hope we can take a moment to appreciate the incredible educators who pour so much of themselves into our children. Send the email. Say thank you. Tell your child’s teacher that you appreciate them. And when the school year inevitably brings challenges, remember that parents and educators are on the same team, working toward the same goal: helping our children grow into the very best versions of themselves.
I am incredibly grateful that our children have so many caring adults in their corner. We truly couldn’t do this without one another.
-Monica Benjamin is a nurse practitioner at Porter Pediatrics in Middlebury.