We, the Teachers, have a right to teach in an environment free from anxiety and the judgment of other people whom have never spent one single day in the classroom.

We, the Teachers, have a right to conduct our classrooms as we think fit and necessary during a worldwide pandemic. (If that means everyone in the classroom wears a mask, others need to respect that decision.)

We, the Teachers, have a right to feel anxious about how we are going to teach in a less “loving” environment without hugging and interacting freely with our students when we have always done it differently.

We, the Teachers, have a right to seem a little nervous about a student who has traveled out of our area on the weekend and returned to us on Monday with possible exposure to COVID-19.
(You, the friend of that family, have a right to remind the parents that We, the Teachers, are sometimes part of the high-risk group and that their child may need to stay home for quarantine purposes.)

We, the Teachers, have a right to make mistakes, both big and small, as we navigate this unprecedented road in education.
(You, the parents, have the right to expect a lot from us, but not expect the impossible task of teaching flawlessly both in person and online while also helping our own children and families at home navigate this journey.) 

We, the Teachers, have a right to work before, during, and after school on our lessons but also have a right to leave our work, emails, and texts to go home for the evening in order to rejuvenate so that we can do it again tomorrow.

We, the Teachers, have a right to have fun at school in the midst of the seriousness (and possibly seem a little crazy at times) in order to survive this school year.

We, the Teachers, have the right to love your children in the best way possible in the best way we know how during the hardest year of teaching in the recent history of America.

We, the Teachers, will do whatever we can whenever we can in order to meet the various needs of our students.

We, the Teachers, truly appreciate the hard work and dedication of our local school board members, Superintendent, and Principals during this trying time in public education.

We, the Teachers, need for you (parents, politicians, grandparents, community members) to do the best job possible at loving us and being supportive of us while we are teaching your children in the best way we know how during this uncharted year in public education.

I, the Teacher, appreciate your help and understanding immensely as I navigate my highly-anticipated final year of teaching during a worldwide pandemic. 

**I began teaching in 1988 and have loved every school and every district in which I have been blessed to teach. It has been an amazing career with no regrets and thousands of amazing students and colleagues!! I couldn’t be happier with my life as a middle school teacher and hope that my two daughters feel the same way about their journeys in the field of education.  My final year of teaching is going to be a memorable one, for sure!! Best wishes to all of my amazing colleagues and to all dedicated teachers around the world as we begin our 2020-21 school year in the shadows of COVID-19.  Let’s do this!