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I keep looking at the reports of teachers teaching while hospitalized for COVID or other things and how insane that is. We are replaceable, we may feel as if no one else will ever teach our students the way we do and while perhaps true, we will be replaced when we die or leave
When I was hospitalized with pre-term labor for our 4th child at 29 weeks of pregnancy, I had no maternity leave sub yet in place due to an admin that didn't think it was very urgent. I wrote sub plans, checked emails and worried about the random teachers in charge of "my" kids
While bouncing in and out of the hospital and trying to slow my body down from giving birth, I had to field questions about kids' needs, create lessons that would work for others to teach and stay focused on the students when that should not have been my focus
And yet, I did it, because that is the cult of teaching we have created. Society has put this incredible pressure on us to self-sacrifice, even to death, as long as we put kids first. And it is killing us. It is wreaking our mental health. It is misplaced and it is dangerous.
Augustine ended up being born in an incredibly traumatizing birth at 30 weeks, 10 weeks early, and I went back to teaching 2 weeks later for half days because there was still no sub hired for me. The admin didn't even speed it up or tell me to stay home
And I thought that was what good teachers did, they gave up everything they needed to make sure their students succeeded. But my child in the NICU needed me too, my others kids at home needed me, my body needed to heal. And that was only allowed as long as I could teach too.
That is the cult of teaching, that is the myth of "teachers as heroes" and we have to be in it for the kids. But guess what, we are replaceable. Our health is not. Our own families are not. We are expected to sacrifice everything for our future and be happy about it.
I wish I had had the courage back then to say no, to refuse to come in, to be with my own children as they needed me, to allow my body and mind the time to heal. But I didn't. And this story is nothing unique. We see it continue to play out.
It saddens and enrages me. This is not the way to teach, this is not the way to live. We give our very best, and then we step away, we are allowed to protect ourselves too. That should never have been questioned in the first place.
So before another news segment is shared about a "hero teacher" teaching from the hospital can the people in charge recognize how horrifying that is rather than heralding it as yet another way teachers are incredible.
Because I should have been able to sit next to my 4-pound baby who was trying to survive without having to make time for sub interviews, sub plans, or emails. I should have been able to heal not work through it.
