Dear Drillers:

Lean into the page and listen as I tell you a little secret all the adults teaching you probably wouldn’t want you to know: we are utterly terrified of failing you.

We are all first-year teachers. We are all swimming in an ocean with waves we have never witnessed with life-jackets we barely know how to use. And yet, we want you to do more than survive. We want you to ride these waves in ways we never imagined possible. The older I get, the more I realize how much I am not in control, how much I cannot move, the extent to which forces larger than me decide my daily fate.

And yet, no matter what the Fates throw at us, no matter how high or frequent these waves might be, a few things cannot be changed by the situation we all find ourselves in.

1) Education is still the most certain path towards achieving your dreams and living your best lives.

2) Being responsible means doing the things you do not want to do. Students who achieve great things today did the work yesterday that others did not want to do.

3) Every day is a chance to learn, to grow, to become a better more resplendent version of yourselves. COVID, quarantine, or distance learning do not rob you of the opportunity to learn things you didn’t know, work harder than you have ever worked, and bridge the gap between your dreams and your reality.

You are not pawns of tragedy. Times are tough, yes, but you have the power to take advantage of this time in your life. Seize it! Define it! Reach high, hope hard, and dream big.

Sincerely,

A Teacher