Letter to the Editor

Praise be to the teachers, coaches, and support staff!

Teaching! Not for the faint of heart or weak of moral fibers or an average person. Teaching is more than a 9-5 job. Teaching is a dedication to a life of continual learning and growth of technique and challenging oneself to push the limits and expand beyond the horizon; a life of generosity and sharing of knowledge and giving of their love and endless kindness.

Coaching is an extension of teaching. Teaching children a set of skills, the rules of a sport, and showing/modeling sportsmanship. Hopefully, the older the child becomes, the more technical skills can be honed: offense/ defense, how to see the multiple avenues and anticipate what the most likely play will be, learning and excelling in teamwork, and the pride of trying their best. Wins and losses both have equal lessons and values to be learned. Pride for the win and refocused effort from a loss, the game is a showmanship of skills, teamwork, and dedication.

Being part of the support staff that helps with the next generation can be rewarding and challenging. Long hours, catching the same cold twice in a year, genuine hugs when helping a child work through a tough issue or problem, and an abundance of caring for all that come into your life.

Teachers, coaches, and support staff are there to encourage children to dig deep and not give up on themselves, to overcome the obstacles that pop up in life or in the game, both on and off the field/court and in the classroom. They are there to help children understand that there will be setbacks and failures in life that a child needs

to learn from so they can get back up and move forward and onward to better things.

In the average year of 365 days, school-age children are in school for 8 hours a day, roughly 180 days, which means 1,440 hours are spent at school. It sounds like a lot, but it's not. Within these 1,440 hours, teachers, coaches, and support staff have the challenge of imparting an array of knowledge into a classroom full of developing minds as well as helping each child understand their emotions and develop the means to express these emotions as they grow appropriately. Hopefully, upon graduation, each child leaves with a wealth of knowledge and vital lessons to be drawn upon and utilized throughout life.

While teachers, coaches, and support staff certainly hope children will arrive with the basic skills needed to thrive and succeed in the educational system, sadly, that's not always the case. Unfortunately, behavioral issues are rising nationwide, and Stockton school is no different. From problem X to behavior Z, teachers, and support staff deal with it daily. Behavior expectations, or lack thereof, begin at home and migrate into the school setting. When parents set up expectations and consequences for their children's actions at home, it helps aid teachers and staff in the school setting with expectations/ consequences and gives all children a safe environment in which to learn and develop.

Backtalk, lip, mouth, or sass, whichever word you prefer to refer to it as is on the rise and has no age limit. To see children at any age talk back to an adult with disrespect and sometimes use hurtful language is heartbreaking within the school setting. Something as simple as telling a child 'No' should not automatically be considered

a bad thing and should not result in a meltdown, tantrum, or dysregulation; 'No' is something that needs to be said from time to time, and children need to understand that parents/teachers/adults usually have a good reason without having to have it explained to them. They can ask, ''Why not?' in a kind and respectful manner, but they need to learn and understand that 'No' can and will sometimes be the final answer from a parent/teacher/adult, even without an explanation.

Teachers can only teach those who want to learn. If parents fail/refuse to understandandvaluetheir children's lessons, will the child see the value in the lesson? Parents and teachers work towards the same goals for a child's education and well-being. Subjects and lessons taught at school can be reinforced at home by encouraging sharing/learning of the techniques/skills that may have been unavailable or something to learn when the parents were in school. Parents, remember you are your child's first and constant teacher. They learn to interact, socialize, and respect people around them from YOU. So, always be mindful of your actions because you always have

an audience when your child is near. I ask you: How do you, as a parent, show and model respect for your child, your neighbors, strangers, teachers/ coaches/support staff at your child's school, and even yourself? Parents, your children are watching you, soaking up all they see you doing and hearing you say, so be mindful of the lessons you're unintentionally giving them.

It takes the effort (accept/adjust/adapt), consistency, and repetition of the entire village, parents/aunts/uncles/ grandparents/teachers/ coaches, etc., to help children learn to thrive and excel in school and feel empowered to overcome and grow from the challenges life throws at them. When parents and teachers work towards the common goal of what is best for a child, they can blossom into well-rounded individuals ready for the world.

Ronald Reagan once said something that has always stuck in my mind: All of it began the first time some of you who know better and are old enough to know better let young people think they had the right to choose which rules they want to obey. It bene- fits us all to help the children in our lives understand and abide by the rules and appreciate why it's essential to follow them not only at school but within and for the betterment of our society.

So thank you, teachers, coaches, and support staff, for showing up every day and being there for the children on good days and bad days!

Name Withheld By Request