Beth Slazak
The hardest part of this post-election period may well be the pervasive uncertainty. What will this mean for education? Are we facing sweeping changes, or just subtle shifts? Will it be business as usual, or is a seismic shift on the horizon? For many educators, this unknown is the heaviest burden. Teachers I’ve spoken with universally respond to, “How are you feeling?” with one word: “Concerned.
James Nash, a high school Spanish teacher, encapsulated the collective mood, noting, “There is just this miasma of disappointment and depression.” He speaks not only for himself but for many of his colleagues who are lying awake at night, grappling with the weight of what might come. Concerns range from the stability of special program funding to the potential rigidity of curriculum mandates and the challenges of supporting individualized education plans (IEPs). These are not small issues—they are pillars of our profession, essential to supporting every student’s journey.
I, too, feel this. All of it. And I respect each teacher’s right to experience their emotions in full. But as we process these feelings, let us turn our focus back to those who depend on us the most: the students.
No matter what transpires in Washington, D.C., children still need to learn to spell, understand the building blocks of a molecule, and conquer the geometry of a triangle. Our role as educators is to provide stability, knowledge, and hope in the face of uncertainty. In these moments, they look to us for reassurance and resilience.
