Teachers are getting tired
Hi, I’m Josey Quinones. I’m the music teacher at Monforton Middle School and I’m asking you to read this entire post because I’m getting tired.
Before we talk about now, let me give you a little background information. I spent 4 years and $35,985 on tuition to earn a degree in K-12 Broad-field Music Education. I worked 50-60 hour weeks in the summers, nights in the dining hall, and did odd jobs throughout the year to make ends meet. After graduation, I had $20,350 in student loans, which my wife and I paid off 8 months after walking across the stage.
As if that weren’t enough, I spent another $15,046 on tuition to earn my Masters of Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Music Education. I completed the coursework for this degree over 2 years while teaching full-time during the school year, and working beyond full time in the summer. All in all, I’ve invested 6 years and over $51,000 in learning to be a Music Teacher. To teach music; like band and choir.
In 2017, I was hired by the Monforton School District, where I currently teach, and have the privilege to be surrounded by some of the most talented, caring, and innovative teachers and staff I’ve ever met. Because we are a small school district, many of us have multiple roles and hats within the district. When I was hired, I was half time, teaching 5-8 band, and I also started a choir program.
A year later, I was able to work with the district's tech coordinator in performing numerous IT tasks. Also, over the first 2.5 years at Monforton School, I was able to grow my choir from 9 to 90 members. Additionally, the band students were playing harder music better, and more students were doing music in high school because they had a positive experience in middle school and elementary school. Enthusiasm in the music program was growing and awesome concerts were planned!
Fast forward to COVID-19. While there are many things about this virus we can’t do much about, it’s impacts are extremely far reaching. I am a licensed music teacher, who can’t teach band and choir because of the associated risks to my students given the conditions of our school. The programs I worked so hard to build are currently nonexistent.
Instead, I have an amazing group of 7th grade students that I spend all day with, every single day. I get to work with them as they learn their core content areas, as well as specials. Essentially, I am a permanent remote substitute for 7th grade, and I teach 1 hour per day of pre-recorded music content to students I can't see.
That's it.
I am not doing the job I signed up for, and I don't have anything to look forward to. No concerts, no personal growth in music. That is making me tired.
On top of that, teachers are tired for many other reasons. Here’s a list of things that shouldn’t be happening but are:
- Teachers are posting assignments well after midnight after staying up all night working on them;
- Teachers are grading papers and lesson planning LITERALLY all weekend long
- Teachers are experimenting with live streaming platforms and are trying to teach several remote students while also managing a classroom full of kids
- Teachers are calling home and making arrangements and accommodations to help kids that are in quarantine
- Teachers are working straight through lunch hour and still going out for recess duty with their classes
When students are learning remotely, they don’t have the immediate support of a teacher in the room, so we call, text, email, Zoom call, and Google Meet them throughout the day to help them. There are so many additional stressors and struggles teachers are going through this school year.
But here’s what really irritates me. I say this knowing that several of my fellow teachers, parents of students, and Montana community members will be able to see this post, and I hope they take this to heart. Teachers, administrators, and school boards all know that students need to be in school. I’m sick of hearing that Covid precautions should be pushed aside because “kids need to be in school for 5 days a week.”
We can’t do this on our own any longer. EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE COMMUNITY MUST DO THEIR PART. It’s really not that hard.
- Wear your stinking mask. I do it every single day, all day long, and so do all of the students at Monforton. If they can do it, you can certainly do it when you go grocery shopping.
- Stop gathering with so many people who aren’t taking precautions. House parties are a prime example of something you could avoid so schools can continue to function.
- Stop claiming your rights are being violated. You want to know whose rights are being taken? The students who have the right, and legal protection, to attend free and public schools!
- Stop making excuses and turning this into a partisan issue. Do your part and care for your neighbor. It really isn’t that hard, my students have learned to stop complaining, do what they do.
For example, my wife and I wear a mask every time we are out in a public building. We don’t eat out at restaurants because we can pick up the food. We haven’t had a game night, bbqs, or even watched tv with friends because we don’t want to expose them or vice versa. We haven’t traveled to visit family; we canceled our trips because of the surging numbers.
We don’t do these things because we are “living in fear,” we do them because we love our family members, community, and especially, our students. We need you to do the same, because we are tired of doing it without you. It’s not working because we need everyone on board. If things continue the way trends are looking, we'll likely be transitioning to remote learning due to an inability to staff the school. This will affect students mental health, academic achievement, and social skills far more than wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart when possible.
From two music teachers and an amazing toddler, we ask you to do your part, because we need you on board. Someday, I'd like to be able to teach band and choir again.
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