Seven Reasons Why We Are Educators: Reason 6- Why We Should Be Considered Essential Workers. (270)

Essential, vital, indispensable, key. We are essential because we educate. We model. We are present in children’s lives every day as they enter into the relationship of teacher and student. We are a voice of reason, love, and respect. We are key to how children see the world because we help them navigate their world.

We are vital because the future of our country depends on growth oriented, mindful, individuals who have been given the opportunity to think for themselves- but more importantly- given the opportunity to teach themselves how to think. We are not simply bearers of curriculum: facts and data, we are messengers.

Messengers of inquiry, curiosity, and possibility. We are conveyors of the map. We may have plotted the borders and measured the elevations- we are after all the topographers of knowledge. Yet, we are not the navigators or the surveyors. We leave that up to them. This is our gift.

I say to my students, frequently, especially on days of struggle- “I am not here to teach you science, I am here to teach you how to teach yourself science.” This is our burden and our blessing. A burden for we must be patient, we must refrain from taking over. Our blessing because when we get to see it unfold- the moment of realization and recognition takes place; it is pure joy.

We as educators are indispensable because not everyone can teach. Teaching is a skill. A well-designed performance. A well-timed musical number, after months of rehearsal. It is knowledge, staging, production and acting. It is confidence and humility. It is an unscripted theatrical work determined not by actor but by audience. And, audiences are fickle.

We are key. Not just because we are the foundation of our educational system. Not just because we have the expertise and dedication to bring together classrooms full of students and turn them into learning venues both engaging and progressive. Not just because we unlock potential, unlock curiosity and swing open the door of possibility.

But because we are all of those and more. We are energy, emotion, eagerness, and electricity. We are the fulcrum of wisdom, growth, acceptance, and trust. We are the caregivers outside the home. We are essential because we are we, - we are there- we are now, and we are helping set the then.