A Letter to the Education Community

A LETTER TO THE EDUCATION COMMUNITY

As someone who has worked alongside schools and educators since the early 1980s, I have become very aware that the vocation of teaching and education is not what it once was.

There was a time when we thought of teachers primarily as skilled communicators of knowledge, cultivators of curiosity, and guides helping young people discover the world and their place within it. Those responsibilities remain, of course, but the demands placed upon educators today have multiplied in astonishing ways.

The teacher or principal of 2026 must be much more than a good educator. They are often expected to be experts in mental health, child development, conflict resolution, trauma response, technology, communication, social work, and at times even nursing and crisis management. Governments demand more while often providing fewer resources. Parents understandably seek success, stability, and solutions when children encounter obstacles or struggle to flourish. Students themselves are navigating a world of anxiety, social pressure, digital overload, and enormous complexity.

It is, quite frankly, a stressful time to be involved in education.  And yet, despite all of this, astonishing and miraculous things are happening in our schools.

Children still leave us breathless with their creativity, ingenuity, humour, and unexpected wisdom. They continue to surprise us with their compassion, their questions, and their ability to imagine a world different from the one they have inherited.

Teachers, educational assistants, child and youth workers, counsellors, administrators, and support staff continue to do remarkable things. They adapt constantly to new technologies and new methods of communication. They learn new skills, revise old assumptions, and continue to show up day after day for the children entrusted to their care.  This should not be taken for granted.

Too often, education professionals hear criticism more loudly than gratitude. Too often, their work is measured only by outcomes, statistics, or challenges beyond their control. Yet behind every classroom door and every school office, there are dedicated people quietly giving their intelligence, patience, compassion, and emotional energy to the work of helping young people grow.

As another school year draws to a close, I want to say to all of you involved in education, teachers, principals, educational support staff, trustees, office staff, bus drivers, chaplains, custodians, and everyone who contributes to the life of our schools, thank you.  Despite how often the phrase is used, it matters to say it plainly: we see you, and we appreciate what you are doing.

Within our Christian tradition, inherited from our Jewish brothers and sisters, there is the beautiful and sacred wisdom of Sabbath rest. Sabbath is more than simply stopping work. It is a deliberate act of renewal. It is permission to breathe again, to remember that our worth is not measured solely by productivity, and to reconnect with God, with others, and with ourselves.  May you find that Sabbath rest this summer.

My hope for you during these summer months is not simply that you enjoy some time away, though I certainly hope you do. My hope is that you will be good to yourselves. That you will allow yourselves moments of calm, refreshment, laughter, family, friendship, prayer, travel, reading, quiet, or whatever restores your spirit.

And may you return in September refreshed, renewed, and reminded that your vocation matters deeply, your work bears fruit in ways often unseen, and your community is grateful for the remarkable gift you continue to offer.