Salvete, amici amicaeque. χαίρετε, ὦ φίλοι.
Perhaps like me you are just starting to emerge from the psychic miasma that was the 2020-2021 school year. Perhaps this missive finds you deeply ensconced in personal projects, pleasure reading, or joyful time with friends and family. If so, I won’t keep you long.
I’m writing to congratulate you (us) on collectively making it through the past 10 months. For many of us, the emotional and mental costs of this past year are only just being tallied. We have had our faith in our own identity and worth as teachers profoundly shaken. Some have left jobs (myself included) or left the profession entirely.
But you know all of this. I want to tell you something you may have forgotten: you were enough this year just by showing up for your students. Here’s what I mean. On the last day of school, one of my students said, “You know, Magistra, this year wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been because I got to see my teachers and friends every day, even on Zoom. And I knew that all of my teachers were still there for me, ready to help and support me when I needed it.”
Just by showing up, ready to help and support, you were a lifeline for your students this year. And maybe sometimes they were also a lifeline for you. That’s all, and that’s everything. Yes, we are teachers of classics, but we are humans teaching other humans first. In this most human of crises, we have held one another up, and we have helped one another survive. dīs volentibus, may we never endure another year like this one, but it is worth knowing that we can. I urge you to remember that as you look toward the fall with both its hope and its uncertainty.
And in case you need something concrete to feel hopeful about, I am pleased to announce that we are planning on an in-person annual meeting this November! Date and location TBA, so stay tuned. It will be a true joy to share space with you all again.
In the meantime, please do whatever you can to refill your metaphorical cup after the most draining of years and don’t hesitate to reach out if ClassConn can help in any way.
curate ut valeatis,
Lindsay Sears