Last week, the Colorado district where I teach announced schools would return August 18 for a hybrid of in-person and remote learning. That means that teachers must face the reality of walking into a school building where little of what we were taught about being a teacher will apply. We will be expected at school five days a week, teaching alternating groups of students while also providing remote instruction for those learning from home.
It is bound to be a shock — one that we’ll be absorbing just as many of us are coming to terms with the upheaval caused by the emergency school closures of March 12, 2020.
We are about to encounter a teacher mental health crisis of massive proportions. In the crucial conversation about how we make things right for our students — and we must — we cannot disregard the well-being of educators.
In this moment, our school leaders should be asking: What is being done to support the emotional needs of the teachers?
-Autumn Jones, Chalkbeat Colorado
Author: Mile High Mamas
