It's Time We Show Up For Our Kids

On March 16, 2020 the Los Angeles Unified School district closed the doors to over 1000 schools, forcing over 600,000 students to embark upon a journey of remote instruction. Originally the call to action was to be for three weeks- yet here we are 36 weeks later still delivering instruction from the comfort or prison of our homes. COVID-19 pandemic rummaged our Globe killing over 1.4 million people and facing an alltime high infection rate in my backyard of Los Angeles, CA and yet education leaders have still left the future of our students in limbo.While this pandemic has been killing Americans and ripping physical bodies from families daily, the lack of innovation, creativity and courage is killing the minds and spirit of thousands of students across the district. This harsh reality is plainly evident in the rising D and F rate among inner city middle and high school students and the declining attendance rates. In the district the numbers have never been so troubling and I honestly am frustrated with the apathy, excuses and lack of urgency displayed by my fellow educators and here are the three reasons why.

1. I believe the children are the future, teach them well and let them lead the way, show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier. Yes the late great Whitney Houston began one of her award winning songs with these lyrics but they ring so true when working without youth. The reality is that our current situation sucks- like really really bad however this current reality is not our future possibility. There are a lot of adult leaders who don’t know what the hell they are doing and unfortunately make decisions that are awful for our children. If we want to see change, then we must protect, nurture and prepare our most valuable assets, the youth as they will be the leaders of tomorrow. So why are we not making them a priority RIGHT NOW. Our youth are suffering- their most basic needs are not being met. “We must Maslow before we Bloom,” yet so many educators are caught up in their own whallos that they have forgotten why they got into this profession in the first place. We all have challenges, and are going through something but imagine if the Chief of Respiratory Medicine and the ICU Nurses did not report to work because of… where would we be? Listen, I get it- educators are not respected in prestige nor pay like we should, but now is the time for us to show up and show out and prove to this nation that we deserve our seat at the big boy’s table.

2. If I hear “I can’t connect with my students through a screen” one more time I’m going to scream. If this were the case, Tinder, Bumble, eHarmony all would have been out of business years ago. Connecting with students is a CHOICE and takes intentional effort and sincere practices. I’m willing to bet that we spend more time on Facebook and Instagram interacting with our families and friends than we do trying to connect with our students. A five minute FaceTime call with a MIA student will make a lifelong impact on a child and the best part about it is that you don’t have to do a thing to prepare. Just hop on the call and simply ask them,” what did you today?” Send your students a postcard (snail mail) on a random day “just to say hi.” And if you really feel inspired- order a pizza and have it delivered to a student just because- not only will you make they feel like a million bucks, so will you. Showing up to a Zoom session is not the only measurement of student-teacher connection; it goes beyond that and we are the educated folks that must figure this out sooner than later.

3. So many of my colleagues agree that they are working harder now remotely than they did when we were face to face with our students. I don’t know how I feel about this- does this mean that we were just skating by when we were in the school site setting? Hey don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying if our teaching pedagogy had a strong foundation from jump, we would then need to make a few shifts here and there and then all would be good right? Maybe- the jury is still out on this but what I know for sure is that for some of my peers, the truth about what was happening behind their closed classroom door is now out for all to see and the students are calling bullshit. Here is the deal, we must focus our practice on QUALITY instruction not QUANTITY- there is no place for busy work during remote instruction- and there sure is no room for Homework. Seriously, all work is homework when you are working from home. Come on people- we have to do better. How many of you enjoy receiving “homework” after a faulty meeting or professional development? I’ll wait..

So where do we go from here? In the words of my late great shero Rita Pierson, “Every child deserves a champion,” and that champion is you. That's right, you're right there reading this article! It is up to us educators to be INNOVATIVE and REVOLUTIONIZE how we educate our students. Now is the time to step out of the box and try that new strategy, pilot the lesson and play that new game you have always wanted to do with your students. We must also live up to the expectation of being lifelong learners and figure some shit out. Your students should not know more than you- and if they do then they damn sure should not know this. “Fake it to you, make it” has never meant so much more to our industry- we see our district and political leaders have mastered this. Look, everyone knows that teachers don’t make enough money and we work a billion hours a week [insert eyeroll] so let’s move on and continue to do what we do. Just because those cameras are not on does not mean they are not watching. Now is the time to SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT. Wake up like you have to drive into campus, comb that hair, get that lip gloss poppin and even spray a little smell good if that is your thing. Dress to impress (even if it’s only from the waist up) and prepare to take center stage. Find a corner in your house and spruce it up with good lighting, maybe a small plant and an inspirational quote. If not then google a virtual background but danggonnit makes it look like you took the time and energy to prepare for your students. Set a goal to learn something new, connect with a new student and do something FUN with your kiddos. The internet can be overwhelming so maybe start by asking your students what their favorite app is and then YOU take the time to learn it and figure out how to implement it in your virtual classroom. Here’s the deal, I believe in my heart of hearts that yes the children are the future, but we are the CHAMPIONS that will help prepare them and guide them on their journey. This job is hard, my oh my it is hard, but we can do it. “I called you, I qualified you. You aren’t walking into anything you’re not qualified for. The degree is their qualification, not mine.” - GOD

Principal Charne’ M. Tunson is the Founder and Distance Learning Coach at the Classroom Free Educator. CFE is a movement created to support parents, students and teachers as we navigate the unforeseeable future of public education. This platform is created to share resources, tips and personalized training for educators all across the world.