Submitted by Dan Quigley
In Appreciation Of Our Teachers.
At the center of any successful, civilized society is its ability to educate its children, and the heart of a great education system is its teachers. They are there to ensure that our children are equipped with both the knowledge they will need to advance forward and the compassion and empathy for others that will make them better people. Our teachers provide our children with the tools they need to embrace the adventures and challenges of a lifetime of learning.
In light of Teacher Appreciation Week, I want to thank all of our GPS and Independent school teachers for their hard work and dedication. They deserve it now more than ever.
The range of issues confronting our teachers today have made their jobs significantly more complex. A rise in students with special needs has put additional pressure on our GPS teachers, who must manage the nuanced challenges of each and every different student with equal care. The disturbing frequency of school shootings, unique to America has added a layer of danger to their job that did not exist when I was a student. They are no longer expected to simply guide our children academically, but to also act as their protectors. In some tragic cases, teachers have sacrificed their own lives to protect those of their students.
Our teachers have also become embroiled in the political culture wars concerning curriculum and teaching methods. This is not specific to Greenwich and has unfortunately gained traction nationally as a political campaign issue. This hinders a teacher’s ability to teach creatively and will stifle classroom debate, not foster it. It can also have a detrimental effect on the learning process. Restricting a teachers ability to discuss important historical topics or answer students questions about current events curtails rather than creates learning opportunities.
This comes on the heels of a period where our teachers had to navigate the obstacles associated with a global pandemic to do their job to the best of their ability under unorecedented circumstances.
As our son nears the end of his time at Julian Curtiss School, I want to say a special thank you to all of the incredible teachers who helped him successfully navigate the complexities of elementary school. We will be forever grateful to all of you for guiding him on the path to growth and success.
As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, I urge everyone to give them thanks when you see them, to contribute to a class gift or give one of your own. If you bump into a former teacher, let them know how they impacted your life. Our teachers work hard to find new ways to inspire in our children an interest in learning and to help spark their imaginations to think creatively. They have an outsized impact on our lives, and they deserve our thanks and appreciation.