The Latest from VEA

By Joy Kirk

For an event in Winchester, I was asked to talk about the hats teachers wear and, as I prepared, I had a lot of questions. Is there a singular answer? Do we all wear the same hats? How can I begin to explain all the hats one could be wearing not just in a week, or even a day, but in just one moment? We’re constantly juggling hats depending on our students’ needs. Educators wear layer upon layer of hats, but here are a few of the critical ones in my wardrobe.

My primary hat is educator, teacher of young people. I impart knowledge and information to students, hoping to instill a sense of curiosity about the world and how it works. Whether they’re in elementary or middle school, gifted, English Language Learner, or in special education, I want all my students to learn how valuable they are and how to solve problems. I don’t want to give them answers; I don’t have all the answers. I want them to ask their own questions and seek solutions.

Next, I am a healer. I spend part of every day healing. I see and nurture physical, mental, and spiritual wounds. Over my 29 years of teaching, I’ve dried tears from playground scrapes and physical education falls. I’ve seen broken arms, concussions, and oh, the bruises. I’ve also dried the tears of losing a grandparent, a parent, a friend, and a pet. I’ve held and comforted students over the loss of first loves and promises broken. Helping students heal from wounds has to be a priority—you can’t focus on learning when you’re hurting inside.

I am also a nourisher. I provide knowledge to nourish my students’ minds, and I encourage them to read, listen, and explore to nourish their souls and find their authentic selves. I give them brain breaks and we move our bodies to make sure our physical and mental selves are ready to focus and learn. Nourishing and modeling how to take a break is critical for a healthy life balance.

Another hat I wear is provider. I am fortunate that I can provide for students when others are not or cannot. During my career, I have provided school supplies, snacks, field trip funds, and countless classroom materials. Those items are material necessities of school life, but more importantly I provide a safe place to shine. I provide a classroom where we believe in each student’s ability to grow. I provide love, support, and encouragement to every child that crosses the threshold of my classroom.

My most challenging hat is protector, because educators must do their best to protect young people from the harsh realities of our times, from abuses at home, from issues with peers, and even from themselves. I must protect students from all harm—if they don’t feel safe, they cannot begin to learn. A classroom must be a safe place for all.

So, a teacher’s hat collection has to include numerous items. At any moment we might be teacher, counselor, nurse, confidant, parent, sibling, friend, comforter, provider, nourisher, healer, or protector; it’s all in the eyes of a young person. I try to be the person my students need each moment of the day, the person who can look at them and mean it when I say, “You are all bright shining stars capable of great things and I believe in the ability to succeed that dwells within each one of you.”

Joy Kirk, a member of the Loudoun Education Association, is a special education teacher at Leesburg Elementary School and the 2019 winner of VEA’s Award for Teaching Excellence.