Editor’s note: The following is a letter send by Brian Betze, Robbinsville superintendent of schools, to educators in the school district. The school district requested that it be published in the Robbinsville Advance.
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For educators, September is a time of rebirth. It is our renewal, a time to start over. Unlike other professions, this happens every September. It’s something that I find very invigorating and look forward to.
Yet something troubling is happening in our schools, both locally and nationally.
After two years of upheaval because of COVID, masking, vaccinations, diverse political beliefs, personal loss, and the trauma these and other challenges bring, we are all feeling the stress.
Having the energy to invest in our craft of “going above and beyond” is a daily test.
So how do we move forward?
We need to go back to basics and embrace the core functions of our jobs in ways that may have felt impossible lately. We cannot focus on distractions that don’t help us educate children.
We need to get through all the static and clutter. We cannot lose the passion of our mission as professional educators, the noble practice of educating future generations.
September is a time to reflect on the sacrifices and accomplishments of the past, and on the hope, excitement, and responsibility of the future.
Together, we need to be intentional. Every interaction within our schools matters because every interaction could be the one that our students remember forever.
And we must never forget our core mission: Keeping students physically and emotionally safe, while ensuring they all feel important and welcomed.
As educators, we have an ethical responsibility—today more than ever before—to ensure our students, the future generations of our world, understand acceptance and let go of labels. We need to nurture a community where our students accept all people for their differences and better understand our similarities.
And if we are successful, then they will all be prepared to learn every day.
Please remember why you became a teacher, why you sacrifice for your students and why you have so much passion for what you do every day.
I encourage all educators to remember your personal “why” and hold tightly to those reasons. The challenges of COVID will soon be a memory. I’m eager to focus on the profession we love and making a difference in the lives of our students in the 2022-23 year.
I look forward to this very exciting year ahead and I’m very proud of each and every one of you.
Brian Betze
Betze is the superintendent of Robbinsville Public Schools.
