When we as teachers take the time to get to know our students' needs, interests and values, we create a learning environment that is more meaningful and relevant to their lives.

After a rough start to a teaching career during the pandemic, a thrid-year educator is happy to have stuck it out and stayed in the profession.

Just like the students, teachers and schools needed last year to transition back to business as usual, though perhaps with a new definition of usual. Already I can recognize and appreciate the changes my administration has made to address problems that were exposed in the last year.

The past two years have been filled with unique and challenging experiences that taught me the essence of grit. I have come to realize that slow progress is still progress.

I can honestly say that when I shifted my goal from “How much can I get done in a day?” to “What are the best ways I can teach my students today?” I began to feel more comfortable and confident in my classroom, says a third-year special education teacher in the Bronx. 

The expectations that society puts on teachers are as old as time, but this year, it’s gone to a whole new level. I knew going into this year we would have our work cut out for us.