My wife is a hero. She is the ultimate educational “utility player.” When I met her she was a young college assistant professor. Since I have known her she has served anywhere she has been needed in both public, private, home-school and college settings. She has taught high school, pre-K, middle school, college courses and across elementary school grades (she’s a science teacher by training as well as having a Master’s in Counseling). She really is amazing. The Ultimate Utility Player.
This year, the year of the Novel Coronavirus-19, she will be teaching kindergarten because that is where her principal needs her this round. (By the way, she has already passed up a Master Teacher job offered to her by another school in the same district). Can you imagine that? Kindergarten?!? With a room full of over 20 little people who for 7 straight hours will rely on hugs when they cry (because they miss their mommy), need help with going to the bathroom, who will no doubt tug on, swap with friends and wear as a headdresses their little masks (in a room already too small to keep kids 6 feet apart, which won’t matter much anyway since they won’t be able to stay away from one another… because they are 4&5 years old).
Daily, they will all come together from different homes of different families, some of whom will have been faithful in practicing good protocols but others who will unfortunately not have been as vigilant. They will gather and need help with their coats and their little book bags, with inserting their straws in their juice boxes and help when their shoes come untied, while the bigger kids this year get the option of having class “virtually.” Not so for the little ones. They can’t stay at home by themselves so they will congregate and will rely on these wonderful men and women, like my Michelle, to love them, encourage them, teach them, disinfect them, wipe tears, change their clothes (when accidents happen), corral them, feed them and clean up after them all while trying to keep them safe, running tornado, fire and intruder drills and making sure they all get on the right bus or in the carpool line so that they make it home “safely” to their mommies and daddies. This will be happening while all the rest of the world will be social-distancing, masking and limiting interaction with one another. This will be what my highly educated, self-sacrificing, Jesus-loving, “MVP-class” utility-player wife will be doing for some of your kids this year.
I don’t think it’s asking too much to request that you show respect for, encourage, speak kindly to and pray for these teachers who are now being charged by some with being selfish, lazy or uncaring because some have rightly expressed a bit of concern over this current situation. Just wondering… is there any chance our pre-K and kindergarten teachers will be receiving hazard pay from our government this year? Asking for a friend.
Thank you Michelle for always being the loving girl with the big heart God created you to be. You are gift to our family and to every student who has ever been blessed to sit in your classroom. We are all praying for you and your teaching friends. I have no doubt you will love those little people with all your heart, as you always do, regardless of all the extra stuff you have to deal with this year. You’ve always been my MVP.
How did she get licensed and certified to teach in all those settings? Or is this private school?
Her public school certifications are in Elementary Ed (preK-5), Biology (9-12), & General Science (5-12). Plus she was an associate prof in the University of Kentucky system when I met her.
In my state to be elementary ed certified means BEd in Elementary Ed. No substitutes allowed. Then middle school is a separate certification from High School. Biology and General Science require totally different courses. Finally, to be an Associate Prof at a state university requires a PhD or EdD. So, how many degrees does she have? I am dumbfounded.
Hey Mark. Sorry I’m just seeing this. Her BEd program requires two concentrations (which were Biology 9-12 and General Sci 5-12). Then she took additional classes and the Praxis to achieve certification in Early Elem Ed and Elementary Ed (which in LA is called PreK-5 cert). Her Masters degree allowed her to be promoted through Associate Professor (but not full prof which required a terminal degree) where she has taught Bio labs, Gen Sci, Intro to College and then she taught Into to Psy and Child Psyc as an adjunct at Levell College here in NOLA.
I am praying all goes well!
Thank you, brother.
Jay, you need to put this out there on FB. It will probably go viral. ? And if you’re on FB send me a friend request.
Bill Carter
Antioch Baptist Church
Royal, AR
Thanks for sharing. Praying for you and your wife.
I appreciate your encouragement. I did post it on her Facebook page. And many of our friends have seen it. Thank you.
I too would like to share this with my wife (she has taught the babies for over 20 years)and her colleges…what is your FB handle.
Thanks for taking the time to pen and post this reminder.
Not sure how you get to it any other way than to search up Jay Adkins. And Thanks for the kind words.
One of the longest weeks I have spent was 2 days as a substitute teacher in a kindergarten class. She is a hero!
Praying for your wife. It’s absolutely bizarro to me that the safety concerns for teachers and school staff are not even being mentioned in most of this debate about schools opening. I lived through March and April in Queens, NY, and I just can’t imagine some of these places with surging infections re-opening full board.
Praying, and put my kiddo and grandchild on the list also. So far their district is mandating butts in seats at school. Not a good idea, as they are in a high case load area, other districts already are being hit with covid19 in their town and county, and there is simply no way to actually keep the children and teachers safe.
I understand many rely on schools as free childcare in order to work at jobs that benefit older folks covid has made into shut ins, like me. But truthfully I would happily see tax money pay a parent to stay home and supervise online schooling, doing a bit of homeschooling.
I would also say to them “Your choice to have children does not obligate my child to risk his/her life to take care of those children. That is your job 1.”
I will soon take the fetal position to avoid the incoming stones, but I have always believed Titus 2:5 means we moms should wait to have the babies until we are in a stable marriage and then stay home to raise them, letting the dad’s earn the living. If we were still operating on that model it would be fairly simple to support the widows and let the teacher’s teach from home.
But then I am a fuddy duddy who suspects we have messed up a whole lot of societal institutions and God might maybe sorta kinda be using this virus to try to get us back on track. Not punishment but just no longer cleaning up our messes behind us when we don’t do things the way He says. (First stone likely to be wrapped in Proverbs Virtuous Wife story. Every single thing she did can be done while being a SAHM. Not intimidated.)