The Choice to Teach...and Why Nashoba Brooks Employees Make it

Art teacher Lisa Stanley in year 38 of teaching at Nashoba Brooks

THE CHOICE TO TEACH… AND WHY NASHOBA BROOKS EMPLOYEES MAKE IT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC has brought with it a seismic shift in how people think about their work and their work-life balance. Americans across multiple industries have left their jobs in record numbers in what a variety of news outlets have dubbed the “Big Quit” or the “Great Resignation.”1 As employees across multiple industries were having to simultaneously work from home and care for their families, they reassessed the nature of their work, and recalibrated their expectations for their work environment, in-person engagement, and compensation, among a host of other things. Education is an area that has been hard hit by this process; teachers have left their positions in large numbers over concerns about unreasonably high community expectations, unsafe work environments, and low compensation.

By the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, AP News was reporting on the challenge to fill teaching positions in school districts across the country: “Teacher shortages and difficulties filling openings have been reported in Tennessee, New Jersey, and South Dakota, where one district started the school year with 120 teacher vacancies. Across Texas, the main districts in Houston, Waco, and elsewhere, reported hundreds of teaching vacancies at the start of the year. Several schools nationwide have had to shut classrooms because of a lack of teachers.”2

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Surveys conducted by both the National Education Association and the RAND Corporation explored the impact of the pandemic on teacher stress, burnout, and choices whether to take a break, retire, or choose another profession altogether. The RAND survey also highlighted the fact that “One in three teachers were responsible for the care of their own children while teaching.”3 In this context, it is no surprise that the early days of the pandemic caused many teachers to stay home in order to care for their families. Some school districts in Massachusetts also faced challenges this September with filling much needed rosters for substitute teachers.4 In spite of the upheaval in schools and districts across the country, Nashoba Brooks School started the 20212022 school year retaining an impressive 90% of its employees from the previous year. The School entered into the second year of its hyFlex learning model continuing to prioritize in-person and synchronous learning experiences for students. Prioritizing health and safety, and keeping key COVID-19 protocols in place remained essential, but the School was also able to expand its offerings to reopen specialized learning spaces, reintroduce before- and after-school programs, and relaunch interscholastic athletic offerings. Throughout this process, School employees were steadfast in their commitment to preserve a high quality, in-person learning environment for our students. During a professional

development day in the fall, employees took some time to reflect on the things that inspire their outstanding commitment to Nashoba Brooks School.

As our community adapts and grows in the context of COVID-19, we want to share a few employee reflections on why they teach and what makes working at Nashoba Brooks School a uniquely special and rewarding experience. Their care for students, passion for teaching, and shared sense of purpose shine through in their reflections and display a heartfelt dedication to inspired education at Nashoba Brooks School.

Derek Thompson. “Three Myths of the Great Resignation,” The Atlantic, 8 December, 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/12/ great-resignation-myths-quitting-jobs/620927/.

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Jocelyn Gecker. “COVID-19 creates dire US shortage of teachers, school staff,” AP News, 22 September, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/businessscience-health-education-california-b6c495eab9a2a8f1a3ca068582c9d3c7.

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Elizabeth D. Steiner and Ashley Woo. “Job-Related Stress Threatens the Teacher Supply: Key Findings from the 2021 State of the U.S. Teacher Survey,” Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2021, https://www.rand. org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1108-1.html.

3

Nicole Shih. “Low pay, shrinking substitute teacher pool leaves schools scrambling to cover classrooms,” Telegram & Gazette, 2 September, 2021. https://www.telegram.com/story/news/2021/09/02/substitute-teachershortage-spikes-central-massachusetts-pre-pandemic/8244646002/.

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Ioana Carter, STEAM “Nashoba Brooks School creates an innovative, integrated curriculum unlike any school I have ever been a part of. Having a creative space such as the Shilling STEAM Lab encourages students to participate in project-based learning and problem solving. It creates an environment where students can think outside of the box and become makers, scientists, and engineers.”

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Megan McGuin, Physical Education “What makes Nashoba special is working with an amazing team of colleagues who truly care about the whole-child experience. They motivate and inspire me to bring my very best each and every day. Plus the excitement and eagerness of kids that show up, want to learn, move, and meet the everyday challenge at hand, is contagious!”

Patrick Sedney, Middle School Science “Teachers here are constantly rethinking, reevaluating, and revising their curriculum. We are able to shape our lessons to reflect current events, the values of the community, and the learning needs of our individual students. Everything here is a team effort. Whether it is collaborating on a project, helping navigate a student issue, or celebrating the success of an individual, the faculty and entire community is working together.”

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Kara Angeloni Williams, Lower School Art “I believe that the arts have the power to change how people think and feel, and, ideally, take action in the world as responsible citizens.”

Susan Lewis, Middle School Science “This is an extraordinarily supportive and inspiring community of educators. I am continuously awed by the creativity, passion, patience, warmth, and dedication of my teaching colleagues, administrators, and other staff members.”

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Kate Noel, Grade 1 “I love the students here! Each year is different and brings a whole new group who inspire me to be a better teacher. This year, one of our morning sharing activities was to share what you love about NBS. Here are a few of the students’ thoughts: we are inclusive; people are flexible in their thinking and take turns; people help each other; we have a school motto (and chanted the whole thing). I was blown away by their thoughtful and genuine responses. We truly have an amazing community of learners here!”

Kirsta Davey, Lower School Literacy “I like the excitement of the classroom and making a difference in a student’s life. Each day at our closing meeting, I ask my students ‘what was your favorite part of the day’ and often kindergartners say ‘everything!'”

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Maritere Mix, Latin “I feel working at NBS has made me a more empathetic educator through the work we do in the Middle School to help students internalize our core values.”

Sarah Thomsen, Middle School Math “I went to an all-girls school that gave me the support and push that I needed, and it changed my life. I want to give that to my students, especially in an all-girls environment.”

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