You start the school year with a fresh new candle.
It’s meant to last you till the last day of school. Every hour spent in class, grading, lesson planning, chaperoning, meeting with parents, etc. burns your candle a little more. But you don’t worry, because by the time June rolls around, the sun is up longer, and soon you want need to use the candle as much, at least for a little while.
The thing is, the candles you start each year with keep getting a little smaller, year by year. “Budget cuts,” they tell you. Add to that the ever-greater needs of your students – needs you’re happy to use your candle to accommodate. And then add a pandemic environment that seems to have altered the air in the room so the candles burn slightly faster than before.
With that, I look around now in May to see many of my fellow teachers holding candleholders with nothing but wax drips. It’s a crisis, and it’s not getting better.
Teachers, it’s not your fault if your candle isn’t shining anymore this year. Hold on, give what you can, and then let’s see about improving the candles teachers start the year with – and making sure they aren’t expected to use them up too fast.