A huge shout out, hug, aloha and mahalo to all of our teachers. As my children were readying to begin their first day of online school at Hawthorne Elementary, wailing gusts were blowing by our home. The sixth grader was able to log on to Zoom and began her class discussion, but the little guy, in second grade, couldn’t connect to his teacher, as the school had lost power and internet.
As we, the parents, texted each other and frantically tried to figure out what was going on, our amazing teachers in the district were once again reaching out to us, kids and parents alike, to let us know things were going to be OK; not to worry, all the fun of the first day of school would move to Thursday. Our teachers have done such an incredible job of caring and educating our children, comforting and communicating with parents, and presenting a positive outlook as we have endured a pandemic, an earthquake, and hurricane-strength winds.
Teachers, we thank you all so very much for helping to keep our family units and communities strong during these times. Thank you for working overtime to get lessons prepared for the new school year. Thank you for learning the ins and outs of Zoom and Canvas, even during your time off. Thank you for being there for us. Although you have always been there for us, we haven’t done a great job of thanking you and recognizing you for your efforts. We, as a community, are so lucky to have you. Thank you for choosing to be a teacher.
Kerry Magiske, Salt Lake City