A Letter to Teachers Returning to “School”, From a Principal

Communication, Principal, Retention, Teachers / /

KIPP Sunnyside School Leader, Rian Wright, penned this post on Facebook. Her now-viral letter to teachers represents the hopes and challenges for teachers and principals in the coming weeks.  KIPP Sunnyside is in its third year as a Possip partner. year

Letter to Teachers

To the teachers returning to “school” on Monday:

We’ve got your back. Like you, we have so many questions, we want to know how to meet the needs of our kids while also meeting your needs. We know some of you are alone in Houston. Some of you are taking care of your own children, your elderly parents, or partners. We know some of you now live in a household in which you are the sole earner because of recent layoffs. We know that you aren’t Rian Wright Letter to Teachersfamiliar with all the technology we’re about to use and you’re not sure how to deliver specialized or project-based instruction (like Engineering design) via Google Classroom.

Administrators don’t have it figured out either. We’ve been working tirelessly to figure things out for you and our kids. Like you, our lives have changed. Nevertheless, we persist. What we (and I) cling to is your willingness to honor your deep commitments to our kids. We know that you have such a belief and passion in the content you teach that you are unyielding in your desire to learn new modalities to teach your material to our kids. WE ARE ALL aligned on the belief that our kids cannot spend 2.5 months away from learning. We also know that for many of our kids, schools represent a constant place where they feel loved, challenged, and supported and we don’t know how to replicate that via Google Meets.

The public discourse about the relationships between administrators and teachers hasn’t always been positive or affirming. I just wanted to take a moment, in this moment, to share with the teachers and leaders at my school that I appreciate you, I love you, and I KNOW we can do this work. An abundance of grace, trust, and a relentless pursuit of excellence will get us there. There is NOBODY BETTER to do what we have to do for kids than you! You all teach in dynamic classroom environments every day. You all adapt to change in the moment and navigate unchartered territories all of the time. In this season, our uncharted territory is distance learning.

We got this, family!