An Open Letter to Educators & Those Who Care about Educators

Friends, 

We know this year has been an indescribable challenge for educators across the country and world, and the current conditions of teaching and learning in our schools should be setting off alarm bells beyond just the walls of classrooms and school buildings that things are not okay. 

This letter goes out to all of the educators who continue to show up every day for students,  families, and colleagues amidst a surging pandemic.  To the educators who aim to provide the best learning experience possible, all the while helping students to feel emotionally and physically safe.  To the educators who continue to unselfishly give their full selves to their students. We see you. We care about you. We’re angry on your behalf. You deserve more - more praise, more resources, more support. All of us at CSET appreciate you more than we can ever possibly express in words.  

This letter also goes out to everyone in our extended community who cares about educators and education.  Our educators need our support and attention now more than ever. As CSET enters 2022, we remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting excellence in teaching and to doing our part to disrupt systemic inequities. We know the work of identifying and addressing systemic problems of practice that have disproportionately impacted historically marginalized and underserved students takes all of us being all in all of the time. To that end, we’re challenging ourselves, our colleagues, and our broader community to not get complacent when there’s so much work to be done. 

It’s also imperative that we reach out to and do what we can to lift up educators. For more resources on addressing current educational realities, as well as how to support the mental and emotional well-being of educators, to center joy and humanity in schools, and to be intentional about doing less, we offer these links:

In support and solidarity, 

Center to Support Excellence in Teaching