Several years ago, I worked as a reporter at community newspapers in both Alberta and British Columbia.
I loved being a reporter and learning all of the interesting things that were happening in the communities I lived and worked in. My favourite part of the job was conducting interviews. I would go to people’s homes, workplaces or recreation locations and get the opportunity to listen to people share their stories. There is nothing I love more than a good story.
In 2015, a report was released that listed newspaper reporter as the worst job of the year in a ranking of 200 common jobs. From what I remember, the decision did not focus on the writing or interviewing components of the job, but on all the extra things reporters were expected to do as technology evolved.
The report talked about how reporters were asked to take photos, shoot and edit videos for websites, monitor social media, and keep producing the traditional news articles that have always been expected. Yet with all these extra duties, salaries remained the same.
I loved working as a community newspaper reporter — it was one of my favourite jobs. I would never have considered it a bad job, but the report did make fair point on the evolution of the role and the diversity of skills that were required.
As I get my daughter ready to head back to school, I can’t help think about the role our teachers have been thrust into. In the same way community newspaper reporters were asked to take on multiple new duties to navigate the changes in how people consume media, teachers have been asked to take on many extras in a short period of time.
In March, teachers had to pivot to distance learning. They needed to learn to connect with students via email, post and grade assignments on Google classroom, host class discussions via video conferencing, and share information on various online platforms and formats. This continued into June, when teachers were still offering online support as in-person teaching resumed.
Now, with in-person classes set to resume, teachers need to plan for curriculum, children’s well-being, physical distancing and ensuring all students are wear masks when required. All of this is happening when all of our worlds have been flipped upside down.
I think we should all take a moment and really think about the impact this has had on teachers and how it will continue to affect teachers as schools get ready to open their doors on Sept. 10.
As parents, we are curious about how things are going to work and how our children will be affected. We want our children to stay safe, get educated and have a happy childhood. These are three big asks. I am certain our teachers are more nervous than the parents and have spent the summer planning how they are going to do it.
This is going to be a school year unlike any other. We need to accept that. I think it’s healthier if we don’t spend our time comparing it to other years, since that will only lead to frustration and disappointment.
As the school year begins and my daughter heads off to school, I am interested in what is going to be done and the creative ways the schools have been implementing recommendations.
It’s a time of trial and error. I am sure some things will go off without a hitch and others will need some tweaking. It’s really easy to judge from the sidelines, especially when our children are on the field, but I think we need to take Dr. Bonnie Henry’s advice and be kind.
We need to be kind to our teachers and to other parents. Some families will choose to send their children to in-person classes and others will opt to home school or find other alternatives. These choices are personal and vary family to family.
This is a topic that I view much like I view religion. Everyone is entitled to select what works best for them. It’s not fair to ask people to validate their decisions or to try and discredit their choice or sway them into following your beliefs.