Park Tudor Blogs

“We are, in effect, always close; always close to the ultimate secret: that we are more real in our simple wish to find a way than any destination we could reach; the step between not understanding that and understanding that, is as close as we get to happiness.”

- David Whyte, “Close”

Recently, the horizon has seemed closer than ever—the end of the pandemic, the end of the school year, the end of winter. We’re close, maybe too close, as the poet David Whyte suggests, because we never reach destinations; they are an illusion, perhaps a necessary one, but still, we must admit that a focus on the horizon impedes our gratitude for the “simple wish to find a way,” for the creative human endeavor of solving problems along the road to, really, nowhere. We pause, therefore, as a ritual reminder to say thank you for the moment, and this is what Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week is all about - though there is a heightened sense of gratitude for our faculty this year, who have risked and sacrificed to ensure the best possible conditions for learning still exist at Park Tudor School.

Teachers are not unique in having to reimagine their jobs this year. They are unique, however, in having to enter this COVID year of teaching with a beginner’s mind, knowing that tried and true methods have been undercut by social distancing. Creativity has been requisite, and as with all creative endeavors, at times, we fail. Who you thought you were as a teacher—the core of your professional identity—was and continues to be challenged this year. The pandemic has tested our emotional resilience, and actually, all of this is good and positive. We need stress tests occasionally; we need to be catalyzed by forces outside of our control. We need to rethink. But it hasn’t been easy, and the students’ affects—their smiles and laughter—have been hidden behind masks. I don’t think any of us really understood how much their expressions feed our enthusiasm, our endurance. 

We are joining our PTPA in thanking teachers this week, not just for the experience they’ve been able to provide our students despite current conditions, but also for being humble enough to let go and completely reimagine what their courses and programs look like. We thank our educators for taking on the role of teacher and student, as they revisit what it means to be a lifelong learner, which has, by all accounts, turned into an incredible success. We thank teachers this week because what they have accomplished is remarkable, and they have grown, they have cried, they have risked, and they have overcome because what matters to them most is your children; the discomfort they have experienced pales in comparison to the success and happiness of our students. 

We are not finished yet. Taking time out of your day this week to send an email or letter, to call or to speak in the pick-up line and thank a teacher personally matters more than you may know. Your support lifts us up and is part of your role in the Park Tudor community. You shouldn’t have expected less, of course, knowing the expectations we have always held for our teachers, but in trying times, we all require a little more.