I thought as the years of teaching ticked higher that it would get easier; I’d finally become the seasoned teacher who could handle anything thrown at her. Year 14 took that hope and shattered it along with far too much of my trademark spirit and enthusiasm. I didn’t even get a few days under my belt. Day one brought with it the tide that would keep me spinning still to this day, and the catalyst for it all finds his name on a ballot to be the State Senator for our district.
An open house at the start the school year led to a co-worker and me having pictures of our classroom plastered all over community pages and being labeled “groomers” because we had ally signs visible that were passed out to staff members years ago from our LGBTQ+ Club at school. Thousands of people who followed the page saw my name attached with a disgusting word that was opposite of everything I am and represent, a word that ruins careers and lives. He vowed to contact my administration, school board, and the state attorney general to ensure we were fired, and a hope that we’d burn in hell was tossed in for good measure in the comments.
“Let it go, Erin. People who know you know you’re not.”
This phrase echoed like a symphony over the next few days and weeks as I tried to find my footing, but because of the incident and some unbelievably disappointing related events after, my whole perspective shifted. The light I was expected to be for students and staff, one that used to burn brightly, was now one that I had to fake every single day. For me, it was always supposed to be about educating and empowering kids, but it felt like some people on the outside were just fine excluding those they didn’t feel worthy of entrance to a safe and welcoming environment. Even more, I felt like I couldn’t say a thing about it.
However, my time in Teacher Leader Bootcamp, Level Up Leadership, and Teach Plus have pressed upon me the need to advocate for the profession and those who are in the trenches. I love my students, co-workers, and district far too much to stay quiet.
I do not care what this man had to say about me or about his opinion of me, but I do care about his voice being in rooms where decisions are made about education and about kids. I care about his opinion of educators, who are the spark to the flame that lights the way for a better life. They are selfless and are tirelessly pushing through disruptive and false narratives plastered in headlines just to be used for political fodder. They put their heads down and keep fighting for kids, but someone who can flippantly attack teachers wants to be the one writing laws that could make it nearly impossible to do their job ethically and with a shred of humanity.
I do not want to tell anyone who to vote for, but please do your research about those claiming they deserve your vote. Saying something opens me up for far more ridicule and issues, but saying nothing is far more dangerous in my opinion. He gets to have his own views and beliefs, just as I do, but my deepest hope is that those views stay within his heart and not behind Indiana laws.
I have given everything to my career, and I’d do it over and over again. Supporting all kids doesn’t make me or anyone else a groomer. Supporting kids is my job. I don’t tell them who to be, what to think, how to feel, or anything else that has to do with their identity, but I do love them exactly as they are so that they feel safe enough to be able to learn while they are with me. I am not ok with someone who finds that idea abhorrent having the power to make laws about how I and thousands of others operate in our classrooms.
Please support teachers and our schools.
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