I have been reflecting a lot in the last few weeks about the fact that it has been five years since teachers, school leaders and students all shifted to an online emergency remote teaching situation. I remember thinking at the time that we had a real opportunity when we came out of Covid restrictions to address the systemic issues we were dealing with in education at time — class size, complexity, food insecurity and access to technology being among the issues.
The spring of 2020 was extremely challenging, to say the least. It was often a struggle to stay informed on what was even happening, as advice and the direction of government seemed to change hourly. What we thought and what we were told to expect would quickly spiral into something else until it was hard to know what would come the next day, the next week, the next month.
My hopes of addressing the issues plaguing the profession were dashed, as Covid dragged on for a lot longer than many of us anticipated. We all had to be in survival mode, to pivot to the ever-changing situation and make the best of it for ourselves, our students and our communities. Despite the dark days we all experienced, the one thing that never wavered was my admiration for and pride in teachers and school leaders whose resilience, bravery and creativity were on display daily.
As you know, the mood and sentiments of society changed dramatically over the course of the pandemic. Society as a whole became more divided on issues. The banging of pots on our balconies to celebrate the public servants who were working to keep things going quickly turned to finger-pointing and upside-down Canadian flags. Unfortunately, the provincial government passed several policies that seemed to add fuel to the unrest. Again, things were challenging, and we found the divisions in society were creeping into our schools and classrooms — and why would they not? Our classrooms mirror what we see in society.
Here we are five years later, marking this strange, somber anniversary, staring down more issues and policies that could lead to more difficult times.
It’s important as we work through the next few months that we remember who the antagonist of the story is, who is served by division. There will be attempts to pit us against each other. We will need to remember the resilience and creativity we had in the early days of the pandemic. Let us stick together and keep our focus on the things that matter most to us, as professionals and as a profession. ❚
