On Jan. 6, riots erupted at the U.S. Capitol.
While D.C. may have looked different on Jan. 7, the rest of the country went back to the daily grind — and my daughter opened her iPad for school as she did on any other day.
“Mama J,” her high school government teacher, took to Zoom for her regular class, but it was anything but the usual. Instead of focusing on the “what” of our government, Mama J used current events to detail the “how” and “why,” from our country’s history, to how our government works, to the current state of politics in the U.S.
I’m an adult — far past my high school years — yet I found myself captivated by how gracefully and fearlessly Mama J engaged the students with current events, injecting real life into her U.S. government class. She talked about Vladimir Putin, his time with the KGB, and Russia’s shift toward, then away from, democracy. Mama J wove in history to help students understand how fragile democracy is and their responsibilities as future leaders and voters. Her storytelling skills engaged the students and resulted in thoughtful and compelling dialogues. Mama J embodies the ideal of teaching for lifelong learning.
Of course, not all teachers can readily incorporate current news. That doesn’t stop Ms. Burnell, who turned her English class away from traditional classics by incorporating texts that teach students about contemporary issues.
She assigned one of my daughter’s now-favorite books, “The Other Wes Moore.” This nonfiction account follows two black men who share a name and childhood neighborhood as they go through life, on drastically different paths. One Wes authors the book, while the other ends up imprisoned for life. The details in the story illuminate privilege, adversity, and the challenges many black and African Americans face in a system and culture that is inherently stacked against them.
Mo, the childhood development teacher, often sounded like a science teacher as she walked students through human reproduction, birth and child growth. She’s addressing subjects that will play a role in many students’ adult lives.
For my daughter, who is looking forward to having a family someday, hearing about what children need to grow into healthy adults, both in body and mind, is more than essential, it’s incredibly interesting and tangible to her. Yet, one day she logged off dismayed after learning that classes like child development, foods, and others could eventually be dropped from the high school curriculum.
Of course there are numerous other stories I could share about what teachers are doing to prepare our children for life, and how they’ve rapidly adapted to teaching digitally, without losing their charisma or impact, but that is not the point. Teachers are taking the news and issues of today and weaving the information into history, government, science, English and other classes — as they always have. It just wasn’t as visible beyond the classroom before.
This year, arguably, has been one of the worst for most everyone. We’ve all been challenged, tried, and are tired. The pandemic has worn everyone thin — yet the teachers don’t show it.
An often undervalued profession became the core of my daughter’s day-to-day life. While we all can’t wait to stop wearing masks and dressing in more than our designated “upper-wear,” Zoom has brought parents and students closer to their teachers and learning than ever before.
Pre-pandemic, my daughter didn’t actively look forward to going to school each day, but now it’s the biggest daily event she can rely on. School brings structure to an otherwise tumultuous and unpredictable time. But at the end of the day, high schools are just buildings — it’s the teachers, administration and staff who make all the difference.
Thank you, Utah K-12 teachers.
Tanya Vickers
Tanya Vickers, Salt Lake City, is the parent of a Highland High School senior