Letter: The pandemic has a silver lining — greater respect for teachers

Genevra Prothero, left, and Kelly Jones, both parents of a students in Davis County, pump their fists as a driver honks their horn during a rally in support of schoolteachers, staff and students outside of the Davis School District offices in Farmington on Friday, Sept. 25, 2020. | Steve Griffin, Deseret News

The COVID-19 pandemic has been inexplicably impactful on the lives of countless numbers of people around the globe. It is difficult to find a silver lining in the midst of all the problems we are now facing. However, there may be one positive consequence of the virus. I believe there has been a renewed appreciation for those who educate our children.

Over the years, there has been a marked decline of respect and appreciation for teachers. This pandemic, which has forced our children to be educated at home — thereby placing more responsibility on parents to oversee schoolwork — has given parents a “walk a mile in our shoes” experience. There seems to be a newfound understanding of the skill and patience teaching requires.

In the past 20 years, the push from Utah’s government leaders to provide more online schooling options has been a concern for educators who understand in-person instruction is a much more effective method for learning. While online learning works for some students, it does not work for most students. In-person teaching is valuable and needed for quality education.

Educators deserve all of our support, respect and gratitude for all they are called on to do — not only in “normal” circumstances, but also in these extremely challenging times. I hope this pandemic has shown us how important our teachers are.

Georgia Fairbanks

Sandy

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