Teacher Talk Tuesday

I am declaring April- 

National Hug a Teacher Month

Parents: Before you send that oh-so-important e-mail informing your child's teacher about the amount of times  your child uses the restroom during the day, the patch on your child's head that they aren't supposed to scratch, the note you found in their bag with inappropriate words on it that must be from another student, or that your child will be picked up by a neighbor in a white SUV that they'll need to be personally walked to at the end of the day because they get confused and scared... take a breath... and listen to a little bit of what may be going on, on the other end of that email. *Each scenario based on a true story... for real

In the Des Moines area, April is the month before teacher contracts are due. This means this is the month that crucial decisions are made about your child's teachers job. Until now, they have attended numerous meetings informing them of the large cuts to be made. In some cases, they are visited by their principal on a daily basis letting them know that, for that day, they still have a job for next year. In other cases their principal knows little to no information because the decisions are made in an office far far away by some higher up. Basically, April is the month that young teachers have little to no control over their future in the only profession they could ever see themselves being a part of.

Wait until May... 

May 1st you can send that e-mail. 

Until then, 

while it's still April... 

hug a teacher!