#publicschool

MET GALA 2026

SKEPTA

A$AP ROCKY

JAY Z

JAAFAR JACKSON

COLMAN DOMINGO

DAMSON IDRIS

WISDOM KAYE

JON BATISTE

JEREMY POPE

Hello. I am a middle school teacher.

I’m gonna mention something to you something today, my school-age friends- we know you are exhausted, we know you are working hard to the capacity you can, we know you are living through a huge and uncharted amount (I could say unprecedented but WE ALL HATE THAT WORD NOW) of historical traumas. We do. And we have very little control over what the district forces us to do to make it seem like you’re “learning”.

Yeah. We know you can’t really learn in this. Shit, we can’t really teach in it.

So here’s some info from the union table- teachers can’t bargain, or fight, for students at the table. We can only fight for things for teachers. We try, we REALLY DO, but they pull legal and shut it down.

Do you need less time in front of a computer staring into the void of zoom?

Do you need more social and emotional support?

It’s scary, but there’s a way to let school districts have it for refusing to meet student needs.

Board meetings. You can call in, email in, have your adults do it, but you can advocate for yourselves and your friends/peers this way. Shit, I will proof read and help you find the legal shit if necessary (I bet other tumblr teachers would too) because you all are drowning and we see it and it boils our blood and breaks our hearts. (Not all, I know we got some sadists teaching. We hate that too).

And it doesn’t stop there- homophobic, racist, misogynistic, sexist, bullshit policies? Fight them. Let them have it. They HAVE to give you the floor.

Don’t like the creepy programs that let teachers see your screen? Cause it’s weird and an invasion of privacy? LET THEM KNOW!

Organize. Get a group to call one after another. Hold the floor. Demand a student council with student representatives at the board.

We can back you up. We WILL back you up. We just can’t bargain on your behalf.

1. Mahirap makipag-communicate sa bata at magulang/guardian ngayong pandemic pero kailangan mong kayanin as a teacher at di mag-give-up para maitawid ng bata ang pag-aaral nya. Kahit pa abutin ka ng isang buong workday para makausap lang sila. O minsan dalawa o higit pa. Hanggang sa makain na ang buong workweek mo ng simpleng pagkausap at pangungumusta sa kanila. Minsan, all they need is just a little push from you. Iisipin mong malaki na sila pero kailangan din nila ng motivation mula sa'yo.

2. Bawat bata, may kanya-kanyang problema yan sa sarili, sa pamilya, sa kaibigan, sa kapitbahay, sa community, sa acads, sa trabaho, sa jowa, name it. I had started keeping an online tracker na andun lahat ng updates tungkol sa kaso nila para reminded ako kung ano ang pinagdadaanan ng bawat isa para mas madali ko ring maunawaan ang kalagayan nila and para maibigay ko yung tamang kalinga and consideration na kailangan nila.

3. Wag expectorant na kaya nilang ma-devote nang 100% ang oras nila sa studies lalo na sa'yo bilang teacher nila kasi, for one, nasa bahay sila. Hirap kaya nun na nape-pressure sila to deliver and perform kung nag-aalaga pa sila ng kapatid or may sakit na kamag-anak, gumagawa ng household chores, tumutulong magkaron ng additional income ang family, at kung ano2 pa.

4. Wag ding tanggalan ng "life" ang bata kasi may passion pa yan sa buhay at talents and skills na kailangang i-nurture by spending time on their interests. Di rin pwedeng pigilan si learner na mag-work if yung salary nya will add up to their family's savings or panggastos man lang sa araw-araw. I was once a working student kaya danas ko yan. Advice them lang na i-manage ang time pero hindi totally itigil yung interests nila or part-time job kasi, for one, baka dun nawawala ang stress nila brought about by distance learning. Mental health of our learners is important.

5. Sabi ni Moira sa kanta nya, "Ba't 'di ko nakita na ayaw mo na..." Every time a learner expresses intent to stop schooling, feeling ko ako yung failure—na nag-fail ako as a teacher. But we teachers have to stop feeling that way dahil walang may gusto nito—na nahihirapan tayong lahat because of the pandemic. Such a feeling has to stop lalo na kung na-exhaust naman na lahat ng means para lambingin si learner na bumalik at mag-module na ulit. "Mahirap labanan ang tinadhana" na "no longer participating in learning sessions" #NLPLS na talaga si learner. Minsan, kailangan ding mag-let go kung ayaw na talaga...

6. Hindi kailangan ng learners natin ngayon ng teacher na maangas, mayabang, at mapagmataas—iyong hindi kayang magpakumbaba o ibaba ang sarili para maabot sila ng estudyante. Let us not play god na magmamataas at ipipilit yung gusto natin na sundin ng mga bata to the point na halos sambahin na tayo. They are not robots—they're human beings na may pakiramdam at may kakayanang mag-isip. Human beings na nade-drain ang energy at brain fuel at napapagod din. Nabo-bored din sa dami ng papel na hinahawakan. Wag nating alisin sa kanila ang maging masaya. Mas importante ngayon na matapos ang pandemic na buhay pa sila at masaya sa ginagawa nila kesa naman buhay pa nga ngayon pero unti-unti naman nating pinapatay sa dami ng schoolwork. 😑

Like guys I don’t care if boron has 8 valence electrons I need out of this overstimulating room *now*

Be like my chill choir teacher who lets me sit in her office during class if I’m having a bad sensory day and plays Hamilton songs after class for my friends to vibe to because she likes us for some reason