Back-to-school season has finally settled, and — for me — this year has left a lot of room to unpack both purpose and positions within schools for all stakeholders: students, teachers and leadership alike. Although the pandemic is not done with, this does feel like the first “post-pandemic” school year (since 2020). As such, our new and old status quo should be examined closely.
During the pandemic, there was so much discourse around not returning to “normal.” Peak pandemic time was one of adaptation and compassion across the board. We saw the flaws in systems that have needed to be rebuilt for a very long time. Some people were just coming to that realization, while others watched them play catch up, finally recognizing their peers’ long-spoken sentiments. Whether it was the need for social-emotional learning, the truth about standardized testing or the inequitable technology access, a bright light was shining on it all.
Now, during a pandemic plateau and decline in public health measures, we are more or less back in those old ways. Don’t get me wrong: Great strides have been made in the past two years that are very valid. Nonetheless, the school system is a conflicting one in which to work, because, on the one hand, it is one of the most important jobs in the world to shape the minds of the future, and, on the other, it is still an institution that does not always center the humanity it is meant to serve.
That humanity comes from the connections we missed online and the ones forged during the hardest of times. That is why there needs to be something said about the fact that we are currently experiencing a mass exodus of educators. I hear about burnout caused by exhaustion that is taking good teachers out of the profession when we need them the most. For students, school can be a volatile place at a volatile time in life, and we need to build support networks that can reliably help young people navigate through such times. There are ups and downs with every relationship, including the one we have with school; while we can’t control the system, we saw during COVID that community always pushes us forward. That is the energy we need to maintain in our buildings, not just online.
Our goal should always be to make each year better than the last. That means allowing students and teachers to enjoy each other’s company and energy and looking forward to innovative, equitable practices inside the classroom. Schools should be seen as one of the brightest places on earth: I implore us to start seeing and uplifting the beauty and potential within them.
Alexis Mburu is a high school junior in Tukwila. She is involved in racial equity advocacy and community engagement
organizations such as the WA NAACP Youth Council.
Read more of the Oct. 19-25, 2022 issue.