Teachers are finding new ways to impact students through masks and on screens this year, and it means putting in longer hours than ever.  Teachers, are you worn out?  

I have girls in elementary and middle school, and their teachers have gone above and beyond this year to keep me in the know, keep the kids involved and challenged, and somehow maintain their cool.  Maybe they're flipping out and throwing things on the other side of the screen, but it always seems like they're calm, cool, and collected.

I'm extra grateful for teachers now that the girls are back in school!  I didn't have a clue what I was doing as a homeschooling mom, and I have a new appreciation for what teachers go through every day.  Minus the cats.

Jen Austin - Townsquare Media
Jen Austin - Townsquare Media
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Scholastic said teachers are usually at school 90 minutes beyond each school day for mentoring, after-school help for students, staff meetings, and collaborating with peers. And then teachers spend another 95 minutes at home grading and getting ready for the next day.  That was before the pandemic.  In 2020, teachers are spending extra time creating videos and Google Docs for remote learning, answering parent emails because we're filled with new questions, and researching ways to keep kids engaged in all of the new platforms.

Sometimes I look at the timestamps on emails from teachers and it ranges from 7 am to noon to 11 pm.  Like the rest of us, there is no real quittin' time anymore, and if there is a detail to tend to, teachers are doing it around the clock.

And it's not like teachers have nothing else to do!  They have their own families to take care of, laundry to finish, and toilet paper to buy.  And they're buying hand sanitizer and extra masks to stock up their classrooms too.

Thank you, teachers, for doing all that you do and never expecting anything in return.  We know it's not the highest paying job in the world, and yet you dedicate yourselves to it as if it is.  You are awesome.

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