Legislative report submitted by UEA Policy Ambassador Ana Alcala, Spanish teacher at Hidden Valley Middle School in Jordan School District

Teaching during a pandemic is difficult. Oftentimes we think that educators are hired to only spill information and hope that students memorize and regurgitate information. Behind the scenes is a different story. What the general public, legislators and district leaders don’t understand is that it takes a whole team of individuals from administrators, counselors and teachers to collaborate and come up with a learning plan that addresses students’ needs.

Educators/teachers are constantly changing their curriculum, adding activities that will reinforce concepts, and analyzing data to address learning gaps. We reteach until the student has what I call an “oh-I-get-it moment.” It’s in that moment where we see a student’s success. This success does not come from standardized testing, it comes from multiple “oh-I-get-it moments.”

Teachers wear multiple hats. We are not just creating content, meeting with counselors and reassuring students that they will be okay. We also have a personal life and oftentimes our personal time gets pushed to the bottom of our priority list. This is because at the heart of our vocation is student success.

So, I hope that today or a day in the future, you take a second and thank a teacher, an administrator or a counselor. Those two little words make the greatest impact on an exhausted teacher. It does take a village of dedicated educators, school administrators and school staff to assure student success.