Persistence
The timeline for producing the Maine Educator is determined in advance, and I set my own deadline for submitting the President’s Letter well before the actual time our Communications Department absolutely must have it, just to be sure I get it done on time (not that I am known for punctuality—I seem to have adopted a habit of having a ‘grace period’ at times—but when my being late means holding up someone else, I make an extra effort to stray from my customary behavior).
Writing the President’s Letter for this issue, however, has proved to be even more difficult than the last. I struggled then due to the unexpected increase in challenges that were hitting as the school year began. I literally am writing this letter just a day before the deadline. In ‘normal’ times, the message would be about reflecting on the past year and looking forward to what the New Year will bring. But this year is so far from ‘normal’, that just won’t do. How do I find the right message to our hardworking, exhausted members that will acknowledge all they are dealing with while also somehow lifting up their spirits? I’ve been saying ‘Stay strong’ and ‘Hang in there’. But with the frustrations around the continuing pandemic– quarantines, stress, workload, angry people at school board meetings, unruly behavior, new variants of COVID– I keep thinking, how do we cope when too often we may feel like we’re at the end of our rope? How do we somehow still hold on to hope, hope for things to be better in the New Year?
I shared my difficulty in coming up with what to write in a conversation with my husband, who remarked that something he has admired about me is my persistence, that I just don’t give up. His comment got me to thinking—persistent? I always thought I was just plain stubborn, even ornery! But maybe in that orneriness there really is a persistence to carry on, even through a global pandemic. I am sure that is what each of you also must have—whether you were born with it or have developed it because of the nature of the work we do working with and for students.
Coincidentally a recent article in Ed Week caught my eye, “The SEL Skills That May Matter Most for Academic Success: Curiosity and Persistence”1. The article is about a recent study conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), “Beyond Academic Learning: First Results From the Survey of Social and Emotional Skills”2.
I know some of you are “SELed out”, having had training on teaching social/emotional skills to students, and you already know how important such skills are for students to learn and reach their potential. But it does seem persistence is more important now than ever—and especially for us—the adults! The various teacher evaluation frameworks include the word ‘persistent’ or a similar characteristic–tenacious, determined, relentless even! For those not involved in classroom instruction, I’ve heard some may not view themselves as ‘educators’—but believe me, you are! Whether transporting students or providing them with meals or whatever your role is, in all your interactions with students, you are also instructing students in many various ways, and you are essential to our students’ education; you also must have, or have developed, persistence as a characteristic.
You are also likely tired of hearing about ‘self-care’—but, since I am ornery—or stubborn—or persistent and relentless—I am going to end this message with urging you to be sure that you all do take care of yourselves and engage in whatever form of self-care—safe and healthy, of course! —not only over the upcoming break, but in the months to come. Please do whatever might help you to continue to be persistent. We need you—your colleagues, our students, our communities—we need you to carry on so that we will get through these most challenging times. We will persist!
Stay strong! And hang in there! And reach out to MEA, and to me, any time! We are here for you!
In solidarity,
Grace
1“The SEL Skills That May Matter Most for Academic Success: Curiosity and Persistence”, Ed Week, Oct. 29, 2021, by Sarah D. Sparks
2”Beyond Academic Learning: First Results from the Survey of Social and Emotional Skills”, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/92a11084-en
