I’m not a teacher, I’m a nurse. But I never could have become a nurse without my teachers.
What if I came to work but I had to bring bandaids and supply IV kits from home? What if I had to bring bedpans with me and foley kits? What if my own funds had to supply the resources I needed to help my patients become successful? And what would happen if I ran out of supplies and medications because not only am I underpaid but I also have a family of my own at home that I have to feed and have bills to pay? Do I just let my patients suffer?
That’s what they are expecting of our teachers. Them to pour thousands of their own dollars into creating a learning environment and having the tools to be successful.
What if I got paid based off if my patient’s actually took my discharge advice? I go over the discharge paperwork thoroughly with the patient, I try to relate the information to their lives as best I can, I give them ideas and I pack them with the tools they need to go home and be successful, but I still see the same people come in for the same thing all the time.
That’s what they are expecting from our teachers. Funding based off test scores. This only continues to keep low socioeconomic classes, low.
What if our funds cut our social workers, security officers, pharmacist, or case management just as you have cut music teachers, art teachers, counselors and school nurses! Members of the team that play a KEY role in the success of my patients and your students.
When I go home after a long shift, I get to decompress, relax and try to carry on about my day. When they go home from a long shift, they must prepare their lesson for the next day. They work at work and they work at home.
What about safety? If I’m in danger, I simply push a button on my phone and security and other staff are there within seconds. What are you doing for the safety of our teachers and our children? Besides doing away with school security officers, their first line of defense.
We get it, teachers.
We get it. We get being understaffed and having ratios that are overwhelming and workloads that seem unrealistic.
We understand that feeling of being spread a hundred different ways by your students as we do with my patients.
We get being frustrated, disrespected and talked to certain ways and having to maintain a professional approach.
On the other hand, we also get the joy it feels watching your student succeed as we do when our patient comes back thanking us for saving their lives.
We understand the pride of clocking into a job you actually enjoy when you put aside the burnout, ratios, numbers, and ever changing curriculums and policies.
Our teachers aren’t just fighting for better salaries (although, let’s be honest, have you ever heard of anyone complain of getting a better salary? I’d love a better salary for my hard work!). They are fighting for adequate supplies, classrooms that actually promote learning, resources like security and school nurses. They’re fighting to give these kids a chance to succeed and become productive members of our society. They’re fighting for something much larger than pencils, wages and respect by society. They are fighting for OUR FUTURE. Fighting for the little people of the world who will one day be taking our place, who will be our leaders. Why would we not invest in the future of our country?
We just want to let you know that we are thankful for you. And we stand by you. Because you shape the little nurses, little police officers, little teachers, artists, musicians, builders, and doctors of the future. And without you, there is no us.
So keep fighting for what you and our children deserve. We support you.
Love,
Your Nurses
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