Teacher Shortage

 Summer is fading fast and schools are stocked with  Back to School Specials and School Supplies. Teachers and students alike are frantically trying to get one more dip in the pool, one more quick vacation, one more  late night icecream before summer fades into fall. It is so true that summer goes far faster than  Jan, Feb and March.. time is truly a mystery.

The last few years have been..well, tough, for students and staff. Pandemic, school closures,  masks, no masks, masks, virtual learning, virtual teaching,  rules of what can and can't be taught,  children relearning how to literally sit and listen or sit and watch.. mentally and physically exhausting for all.  Due to these issues and more,  many staff are fleeing  the profession.   There are limited Deaf  and Hard of Hearing  teachers  to start with, because the DHH population is only 10% of the   population... and now with staff leaving, where does this leave your child and our teams?

Many districts are choosing to hire teachers without  licenses.  Some feel that if that person was in the military, they know discipline. Some feel that if that person was  a  skilled welder, or  studied History in college, they have the knowledge to teach a subject.  I strongly believe staff need training in how to teach a child.

I believe teaching starts with a child's heart. As Flip Flippen states and teaches, "Capture a child's heart and you will capture their mind."   We need to see children as whole humans. .. whole  children who need love, attention, understanding patience, differentiation and  respect. They also need to be taught their abc's,  reading, science, history and math.  Staff needs support from home and  at school. 

I  believe neither home nor  school can educate our children. We must work together to create safe  spaces for our kids.  Get your kids excited about the upcoming year. Create a resource to share with your child's teacher about their strengths , interests  and areas of need. Help your teacher see your child as the wonderful and unique  person they are. Cheers  to the rest of summer!