(Op-Ed submitted by Candace Spilsbury, chair of the Cowichan Valley School District’s board of education).
Tuesday, Oct. 5 marks World Teachers’ Day and the Board of Education for the Cowichan Valley School District is proud to mark this day and recognize the exceptional contributions of educators in the Cowichan Valley, and indeed, the world over.
As a community, we have been relying on our teachers to provide steadiness in the storm of this pandemic for nearly two years. From their pivoting to online learning to re-imagining in-person classes and now, to helping our students navigate into a near-normal school year, we have relied on the steadiness of teachers to calm the storm and ensure our students were provided with exceptional learning opportunities, as well as providing for the social and emotional development of each learner.
The agility and adaptability that teachers have shown over the last two years has been likened to building the plane while flying it, and doing it without a blueprint. As a board we are happy to support our teachers and continue to be impressed with their commitment to our learners and to our community.
While teachers have done tremendous work, they continue to need community support. Our schools reflect our larger community, and the issues we see day to day in our towns and cities are reflected in the classroom. The community, and specifically families and learners, can continue to support teachers by helping to ensure our schools stay safe places to learn and work.
It is due to the thoughtful efforts of our teachers that we continue to be able to support each and every learner on their journey to create a world of their choosing.
Thank you, teachers, for your efforts to encourage, support, and lift up our learners though this last year.