Why Educators Matter in Challenging Times

In my thorough disappointment in this political cycle, one of my greatest concerns is how my students will be impacted. This discusses how I do my part to educate kids in a diverse public school despite the impending political storm.

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For the past 29 or so years, I have been an arts educator in a culturally diverse school. Our students and their families come from all over the world. Their native languages, family traditions and educational experiences are often widely different from my own.

With that many differences, it can make education, particularly in the arts, an exhausting challenge.

If it’s so exhausting, you wonder what makes teaching in this setting worth it? Why do I get up every day at 5:30 a.m. and continue the grind if it is so draining? Why do I continue to choose to stay?

Originally, I made that choice because of this: the impact an educator has on children matters. That impact is especially important during times of uncertainty, apprehension and lack of trust in the support of our government. In November 2024, we in education find ourselves right smack in the bullseye of that trifecta.

I am now in the sunset period of my career. If I’m being honest, I am looking towards the change in the upcoming political administration and it feels daunting. As early as November, I see daily signs of much more difficult times ahead for so many people.

In that light, it feels necessary for me to maintain my energy and focus. Part of my job is to provide a stable, safe space for students. Knowing how chaotic they feel, they need as much stability as educators can provide. Moreover, so many have personal lives rooted in instability. The least I can do is be there to welcome them, give them structure, and help them to express themselves.

When I show up in these ways for them, they return the favor in their own ways.

These moments fill my cup

The other day at my lunchtime duty, I heard exuberant strains of “Hi Mrs. Tirro!” as they passed me in the hallways. Fortunately for me, this is a daily occurrence. I love to see the smiles emerge as we make eye contact.

In class, I witness epiphanies when they successfully perform a dance combination they just learned. Seeing the excitement emanating from them energizes me. When they were once-withdrawn and the light bulb starts to glow, I get a warm, fuzzy feeling. I see them taking corrections, engaging with effort and applying new knowledge. This is what jolts my educator’s heart.

I still feel a connection with my students. In the hallway, it would be very easy for them to look the other way. Adults can be an afterthought in their adolescent consciousness. But these kids are, and always have been, really good people. They are social creatures and I like who they are.

For the most part, they appreciate the adults in their lives who demonstrate their support every day. When they randomly stop in and say hi, offer a hug, or ask for advice, I know I’m in the right place.

I definitely feel the Mom energy when I’m in school. This is another reason why teaching these kids, and the realities of their lives, is so hard.

Facing the reality…

…of students

Through all of the feel-good energy we share, I know that they all have personal stories, many difficult or tragic. The weight that many of them carry on their shoulders is immense.

To give a quick snapshot of our student demographics, our school alone has a minority enrollment of 98%. Of those kids, 81% are economically disadvantaged (US News and World Report). I won’t further data mine; this just gives a sense of the real struggles our students deal with every day.

The immigration stories and their home situations are often too much to bear. Many fled from literal gang violence. Some saw family members shot in the streets of their home country. Their only hope was to leave everything they knew. They took a lifetime of risk to come to the safety of the United States.

Many kids are not here with their parents, rather a relative or family friend. Many of our kids are living transiently, in substandard living conditions, with too many people crammed in small spaces. Many don’t speak English, don’t understand the American culture, and are getting a crash course in both.

As a whole, we are dealing with more mental health issues, both treated and untreated, than I ever remember. Layer on poverty, lack of resources and massive culture shifts, and schools bear a much greater load than ever before.

As schools take on the responsibility of educating these kids, we are charged with embracing them. We commit to teaching them, despite their challenges. We don’t think twice. Many teachers have had to adapt, making big alterations to our teaching methods in recent years. It’s been hard, but as we respond to their needs, we see them start to thrive. That level of work is hard, but never in vain.

…of culture and politics

I don’t typically write about political matters. However, in this moment, my heart hurts.

Our families are vilified and blamed for the perceived ills of our country. This misinformed, myopic narrative simply serves political gain. It soothes the discomfort many feel who are unwilling to accept change in our society, even it is for the greater good. This mindset of “othering” seems preferable to working through their own challenges and coping with things they cannot control. It’s the blame game at its worst.

We have elected someone who uses the blame game to execute his mission of tearing people’s lives apart. In doing so, he will be doing harm to most people in this country, without blinking an eye. He and his supporters will think that the damage done is righteous. I think about the election outcome and I suspect this will terribly impact my students and their families.

I fear the further degradation of our public school and health systems. The new leadership seems keen on dismantling these systems. What keeps swirling in my head is that we are spiraling fast into a self-sustaining idiocracy. I cannot fathom the thought that this is the direction we are headed. Inept people are being elevated to positions they have no business managing.

And I get dinged if I don’t have my unpacked learning target posted on the board. But, I digress…

What do I see?

I see a President-elect that views a huge part of our community as criminals. He would rather send them all away than accept what they have to offer our community.

I also see kids coming to school every day, assimilating, managing, looking to feel successful in some way. They all feel the same adolescent anxiety. They struggle with school assignments. They help each other out. They navigate and problem solve just like everyone else. They are also learning a new language and communicating with teachers who do not speak theirs. 

More than anything, I see kids wanting to feel safe and secure.

I see families determined to provide a good life for their children. They are people who work hard and contribute to our community. I cannot imagine the stress they will bear in the months and years to come. I hear students wondering what will happen to them. Their parents are talking about going back to a country that they left for a better, safer life.

From my little bubble, I am also seeing the unabashed ugliness that resides here in America. The once-veiled racism, misogyny and bigotry is now enjoying a white-hot spotlight. It’s although, in large swaths of the country, the humanity of Americans hasn’t evolved even one bit. Rather, the perpetrators of hateful expression have been given full license and protection to parade themselves righteously. Sometimes, that rancor is in our own backyard.

The latest election cycle has provided further challenges to our country’s peaceful existence. The undercurrent of impending chaos is real. Undoubtedly there will be a lasting ripple effect in our educational, economic and healthcare institutions for years to come. I believe there will be pandemic-sized effects, without the deadly virus.

This is our collective reality in education

Despite all of the above, educators must show up. Now, more than ever, students need us to help bolster their sense of stability, self and community. It has always been the job of educators to fill in the emotional gaps. In our classrooms, we help kids navigate the insecurities of growing up. We guide them when they are away from home.

I am no stranger to challenge. For almost three decades, I have taught students who do not speak my language when they enter school. Most live in some degree of poverty, some are displaced, homeless, and living in sub-standard conditions. And yet, they come to school looking for stability. They are tired, hungry, and dealing with much more than they’ll ever let on. For many, their reality just got much more complicated.

Over the years, teaching my students has been a huge challenge. Virtual education during the pandemic was hard enough. Teaching a diverse student body who spoke multiple different languages that was not English raised the expectations into the stratosphere.

I have written a lot about my experiences regarding the complexities of educating shifting student demographics. Here’s a quick list of some of the articles that I’ve shared in this light:

Teaching strategies: 
Translanguaging in Arts Education, 
Teaching ELLs  
A Teaching Toolkit for Student Success.

The emotional challenges of teaching:
You Have To Go Through It  
I'm Tired. 

Reflecting on student feedback: 
What High School Students Need

If I have learned anything, it’s this: building strong, trusting relationships with our students is of prime importance. No matter what language we speak, we must find effective ways to communicate, in any form, to build that trust.

Trust is gained and maintained when your “why” is clear. It is maintained when they understand your “why” and you show how you’ll be there for them every day.

This is my “why”

A trusting student/teacher relationship is mutually beneficial. Just by being there, my students have offered me endless gifts in the form of learning and personal growth:

• They teach me every day how to better communicate in their language.
• They translate for me.
• They laugh when I am acting silly.
• They show compassion and kindness. 
• They show they care by showing up and giving the best they can.

Adolescents are already riding a bumpy path of complex decision-making. Even so, they embody the opposite nature of the one who will soon be leading our country. My goal is to nurture their inherent goodness. Maybe that will help to counteract the forces that try to crush their spirit.

The task at hand is large. We need the adults of the world to generate a brighter light than the white-hot spotlight on hate. We must hold fast to the goodness in the hearts of children. If they feel embraced, maybe they will continue to be brave and keep up the fight.

That is my “why.”

This is how I will be there for them

• I will provide consistent presence and stability in my classroom.
• I will be human and recover gracefully from mistakes.
• I will ask how they are and acknowledge their truth in the moment.
• I will consider the impact of my words and actions on their well-being.
• I will model the attitudes and actions I want to see them embrace.
• I will respect their boundaries as I try to nudge them out of their comfort zone.
• I will praise them for their efforts, especially when they are uncomfortable.
• I will look them in the eye and be as kind as I am honest.
• I will treat them with love and care, as I would my own children.

These are the things I would want from a teacher. In this moment, it is especially important that students have teachers in their life who show up for them. So many things feel out of our control, many of which fill us with great anticipatory anxiety. If I am the adult in the room, I want my students to feel safe and secure. At least while we are together, they can take a breath and enjoy some calmer space.

Moving forward, I must make this my mantra:

Wake up, show up, get things done.

In my last few years, I will continue to bring my best self to school. I cannot control the decisions made by others. What I can control, I hope will counteract some of the social challenge created by this election cycle.