What's Your Why?

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” - Aristotle

What's Your Why? That's what will drive you when you think you don't have anything left in the tank, will push you further than you could've imagined, will help you achieve goals you never fathomed. Sometimes it's important to take a step back from the "normal" activities of day to day school to remember why we all chose this profession. We are reminded that while we put a high priority on instructional leadership and student learning, we also serve “A Cause Beyond One’s Self” in making sure that all students are “okay” and safe.

The pandemic has been stressful for everyone and we know that stress affects human behavior in ways that a non-stressful situation wouldn't. We also know that everyone has a different capacity for handling stress and different coping mechanisms. We saw child abuse numbers plummet during the pandemic, but we know child abuse or maltreatment has not ceased. Unfortunately, this decrease is most likely a function of reporting without schools being able to “watch out for” our students total safety and well-being on the same level as we normally would with the contact time reduction with students.

Some statistics about the pandemic and it’s impact on families and children that are alarming. Unemployment rates in the United States accelerated from 3.5% (5.7 million individuals) in the months preceding the pandemic to 4.4% (7.1 million), 14.7% (23.1 million), and 13.1% (21.0 million) in March, April, and May, respectively (Department of Labor, 2020a, 2020b, 2020c). The April 2020 unemployment rate represents the largest 1-month increase and highest rate of unemployment in the United States since 1948, when official records were first maintained (Department of Labor, 2020a). In 2018, approximately 3.5 million children were involved in child maltreatment investigations in the United States, with nearly 700,000 children determined to be substantiated victims of maltreatment (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2020). As the majority of maltreated children are victimized by a parent (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2020), child maltreatment represents a pathological relationship occurring within the family that significantly deviates from expected and accepted child rearing standards (Cicchetti & Toth, 2005). The numbers since March 2020 have drastically dropped from previous years.

What does history tell us about child abuse and maltreatment during times of crisis in our county? Although not equivalent with the COVID-19 global pandemic, indicators of poor economic health during prior economic crises such as the Great Depression (Elder, Nguyen, & Caspi, 1985) and the Great Recession have been associated with increased child abuse (Schneider, Waldfogel, & Brooks-Gunn, 2017; Brooks-Gunn, Schneider, & Waldfogel, 2013; Schenck-Fontaine & Gassman-Pines, 2020; Schenck-Fontaine, Gassman-Pines, Gibson-Davis, & Ananat, 2017), but this association can be complex (Millett, Lanier, & Drake, 2011). These historical data support concerns of increased child abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. Associations between unemployment and increased child abuse have been reported even when the national economy is relatively healthy. In a recent systematic review of prospective longitudinal studies, Conrad-Hiebner and Byram (2020) identified parental job loss as a primary factor contributing to future psychological maltreatment and physical abuse. Prenatal unemployment has additionally been linked with later child welfare involvement during the elementary school years (Baldwin, Biehal, Allgar, Cusworth, & Pickett, 2020). In a 2010 report to the U.S. Congress based on the Fourth National Incident Study of Child Abuse and Neglect, children of unemployed parents were reported to be twice as likely to experience abuse compared with children of employed parents (Sedlak et al., 2010).

The well-being of children is paramount, critical, and should be a calling or passion for anyone in the educational field. Child maltreatment is a significant public health concern associated with impairments in psychological, behavioral, and physiological functioning across the lifespan. Every single adult employee that works in a school, in any capacity, should be dedicated to the well-being of our children. If we are ever going to err, it should be on the side of helping students. In every decision we make, it should be based on what’s best for students. Without students, you wouldn’t need principals, teachers, support staff, coaches, etc. In everything we do in education, there’s a calling and “A Cause Beyond One’s Self” that we are responsible for and privileged to be able to make.

Below is a video and correlated professional development to help take everyone in a school back to "WHY" they chose this profession and why it's an honor to serve in the educational profession!:

The Calling - A Cause Beyond One's Self

Professional Development Handouts to Accompany "The Calling"

Heart of A Teacher

by Paula J. Fox

The child arrives like a mystery box…

with puzzle pieces inside

some of the pieces are broken or missing…

and others just seem to hide

But the HEART of a teacher can sort them out…

and help the child to see

the potential for greatness he has within…

a picture of what he can be

Her goal isn’t just to teach knowledge…

by filling the box with more parts

it’s putting the pieces together…

to create a work of art.

The process is painfully slow at times…

some need more help than others

each child is a work in progress…

with assorted shapes and colors

First she creates a classroom…

where the child can feel safe in school

where he never feels threatened or afraid to try…

and kindness is always the rule

She knows that a child can achieve

much more when he feels secure inside

when he’s valued and loved…and believes in himself …

and he has a sense of pride

She models and teaches good character…

and respect for one another

how to focus on strengths…not weaknesses

and how to encourage each other

She gives the child the freedom he needs…

to make choices on his own

so he learns to become more responsible…

and is able to stand alone

He’s taught to be strong and think for himself…

as his soul and spirit heal

and the puzzle that’s taking shape inside…

has a much more positive feel

The child discovers the joy that comes…

from learning something new…

and his vision grows as he begins

to see all the things he can do

A picture is formed as more pieces fit…

an image of the child within

with greater strength and confidence…

and a belief that he can win!

All because a hero was there…

in the HEART of a teacher who cared

enabling the child to become much more…

than he ever imagined…or dared

A teacher with a HEART for her children…

knows what teaching is all about

she may not have all the answers…

but on this…she has no doubt

When asked which subjects she loved to teach,

she answered this way and smiled…

“It’s not the subjects that matter…

It’s all about teaching the CHILD.”