APPRECIATING OUR ATYP TEACHERS IN TOUGH TIMES

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week; you should not take the fact that Dr. Kelly and I failed to talk about it much to mean that we don’t appreciate our teachers. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Nothing makes ATYP successful more than the hard work and dedication of its instructors. That was true before quarantine, and it is even more true today.

Teaching is more than just a skill set. There is an art to exemplary teaching, and being a gifted instructor for gifted students is a whole other thing. It takes a full grasp of content (because no one is less understanding of a teacher who doesn’t have the answers than a gifted kid),but it also takes understanding, patience, a sense of humor, and humility. You have to check your ego at the door. You have to be willing to grow and learn every day.

The last two months have shown us just how gifted ATYP teachers truly are.

With almost no notice, they adjusted their teaching styles and curriculum to begin holding virtual classrooms. And although teaching for ATYP can be a fairly solitary existence, our staff were particularly impressive in the amount of collaboration they brought to this effort. Perhaps more than ever before in the program’s history, teachers relied on teamwork to guide them in the decision-making process. Pulling together made moving forward possible, and we could not be more grateful for everything they did to make it happen.

Just as importantly, even though ATYP is primarily known as a rigorous academic program, from the beginning, these same teachers took stock of their students and understood the social and emotional issues at play during these tough times. As one, they grasped the need to put kid’s mental health at the center of what they were trying to accomplish. We still need students to learn content, but more than anything teachers know that wellness is the key. They always have the best interests of their students at heart; to us this makes the difference between a good teacher and an amazing teacher.

Parents and students know that ATYP teachers expect a lot, and they have to. We can’t get through the curriculum we do – at the pace and depth that we do – without having high expectations. Our teachers know what students are capable of and understand the standards we are setting. But they also love you, their students, and so much of what they have done in these last weeks demonstrates just how much they care. We knew that before – but now we REALLY know it. And appreciate it beyond words.

If your instructor has made quarantine more tolerable, shown kindness and grace, pushed you to meet goals, lent a helping hand, or just been there to listen, please show them some love back. Let them know that in 2020 we are not just having Teacher Appreciation Week, we are having Teacher Appreciation Year.

Until next time,

Ms. Nan

P.S. If you would like to show appreciation to your instructor in a meaningful way, please consider donating to ATYP in their name! They feel the love, and ATYP receives much needed financial support, which helps support those same teachers. You can donate now by clicking here.