"I've never worked so hard in my life to try to reach students, and yet never felt like such a big failure. That carries a lot of emotional weight. But when we are dismissed to 'just figure it out', we're not actually given credit for all of the incredible work that has happened."

Those are the words of my guest Pernille Ripp, a 7th grade ELA teacher, author, blogger, keynote speaker, and passionate advocate for education.

We are here to hold space for you to process the heaviness of the past year. Pernille illuminates some of the common emotions that come from teaching in a pandemic under the weight of so many expectations, and talks about the impact on her own mental health.

We're offering this conversation to you not as advice and how-to tips, but as a release valve for the pressure that so many educators are feeling. We're dismantling the narrative that kids have "lost a year of schooling" and are "falling behind," and examining how teachers have been the easy scapegoats for the systemic problems COVID has exacerbated.

Pernille talks about the challenges of teaching while also supporting her own 4 children in their learning. And, she shares how she creates moments of joy and things to look forward to for herself, her family, and her students.

"I don't know what the future is going to hold, so I'm not going to prepare for it," Pernille says. "But I'm going to focus on the things that will continue to sustain me as an educator and as a human being. I'm going to try to be in the best mental state that I can to welcome all of the kids in and to say, 'Whatever happens, we're going to meet it together, and I'm going to be by your side, no matter what that looks like'."

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