Beyond the ABCs

October 5^th is World Teachers’ Day.  Celebrated globally, this is a day to reflect on the tremendous impact our teachers have on students, whether it’s supporting young learners with their literacy skills or helping youth understand and navigate global issues.  The role teachers play in their students’ lives is all-encompassing and goes well beyond teaching the ABCs.

Teachers are educators.  They share knowledge in many subject areas, employ a myriad of engaging strategies, and differentiate instruction to meet the diverse needs of their learners. Teachers foster the development of valuable skills, such as critical thinking and collaboration.  They teach how being in a calm state is conducive to optimal learning and provide strategies and tools to support their learners’ social-emotional needs.

Teachers are facilitators.  They seek to discover their students’ strengths and interests and encourage them to take advantage of opportunities at school, such as clubs and sports that connect them with like-minded peers. Often teachers will go one step further and organize activities to foster connectedness and a sense of belonging.

Teachers are learners.  At Hollyburn Elementary, our teachers are keen on expanding their skillsets and adopting strategies which will enrich their practices.  At a recent Professional Development Day, they eagerly shared ideas and learned from one another. They delved into Physical Literacy resources, explored AI tools, and shared strategies to support our school numeracy goal.  The learning never stops.

Yet teachers are so much more than educators, facilitators, and learners. They are:

What happens in classrooms every day is magical.  Students are laughing, sharing, exploring, and inquiring, not realizing they are learning valuable skills that will enable them to lead productive, fulfilling lives.  Teachers are magicians.

Happy World Teachers’ Day to teachers around the world.  And a special thank you to the amazing teachers at Hollyburn Elementary who I learn with and from every day.