butterfly. babies. love.

My children are my favorite humans. They are loving, kind, creative, and funny. They have great memory for the smallest details and appreciate the littlest gestures. They respect teaching and learning in a very sincere way.  They fill my days with joy and meaningful reflection. They have so much to offer the world around them. ...And they strive for perfection. I see a battle of perfection ensuing in my house. It manifests itself in the way I correct my children over that smallest detail or make "suggestions" when they show me their creative works. I feel it in my bones when I fight the need to compare them to their relatives or even to myself at their age. This inner conflict  makes itself known when they get an answer marked incorrect and they are embarrassed (though they performed well above what was expected). But mainly, I see it in the way they simply crumble when they have had an error in judgment. When they see they have disappointed us in any way or they repeate

Here is what I have come to be reminded of: I am in a place of privilege. I have a home. My husband and children are in good health. We do not need routine appointments nor do we depend on medicines or life-saving treatments. Though work looks very different these days, I am still working. I can stay connected to my students and my fellow teachers. I am getting paid for this work, and I get to do my job from the safety of my home. We have enough technological devices for all of us to be learning, attending meetings, and teaching at the same time. This is privilege. We may not be considered wealthy in many circles, but to much of the world, we are. We have running water, and easy access to food and other necessities. While pandemic swirls, threatens, and hovers, I find that people like me must do more. Whether we have the means and strength to do it now or the inspiration and planning to do it in the future, we should be invested in our communities and people. We have to help how and