The Winter Storm
I recently completed a watercolor picture showing horses in a snowstorm. It looks cold out there in the field without shelter.
As I spend my time visiting classrooms in the numerous schools I am often dismayed at what I observe. Granted, most of the time it is just in passing since my intern teachers are doing an amazing job in their classrooms. But, I often see rooms that feel negative and students who look and act beaten down by cynical and unprepared teachers. Why do teachers take a teaching job if they don't really like teaching? There are times I want to send a teacher home and take over the class just to give the children some joy and engagement. To me, these children are like the horses in the picture. They are out in the cold without shelter. The horses have no protection and no way to stop the bombardment of the snow. Students are often stuck in a classroom with no protection, being bombarded with snarky, degrading attacks.
My goal has always been to prepare wonderful, nurturing teachers who can replace those unkind educators who would really prefer to be somewhere else. It is our job as teachers to be the constant and supportive part of a child's day. For some children, teacher support may be the only support they feel in the snowstorm of life. As educators, let's all be the shelter from the storm.