If you work in education long enough, you learn pretty quickly that the stories that travel the farthest are usually the negative ones.
A mistake gets attention. A disagreement becomes a conversation. A difficult situation becomes a headline. A problem in a school can generate more discussion in a day than months of hard work ever will. And, that is unfortunate, because it does not tell the whole story of education. In fact, it often doesn’t even come close.
Every single day, across our schools, there are teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, counselors, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, secretaries, coaches, and support staff showing up and doing far more than what is written in their job descriptions. They arrive early. They stay late. They cover classes when someone is absent. They spend their own money on supplies. They tutor students during lunch. They attend ball games, concerts, plays, and academic competitions long after the school day has ended. They listen to students who need someone to listen. They make phone calls to parents, and they answer phone calls and emails well outside of the contract hours. They celebrate the small victories most will never see. And, they will do it all again, day in and day out.
That is the daily grind in education. It is not glamorous. It is not easy. And, most of the time, no one is standing around to applaud when things go well.
But, it does matter. Another observation, school employees overwhelmingly want to do what is right for their students. They want all students to succeed. They want schools to be places where kids feel safe, valued, and capable. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves.
Are there problems in education? Of course. Are there employees who make poor decisions? Absolutely. Do we need to address those things when they happen? Without question.
But, acknowledging that problems exist should never require us to ignore the overwhelming amount of good happening around them. We have allowed the negativity to become too loud. Partly because negativity is easy to recognize. It creates emotion. It creates conversation and it gets shared.
The good stories are often quieter. The teacher who stays after school to help a struggling student will not make the news. The custodian who notices a child is having a bad day and takes a moment to encourage them doesn’t get a social media post. The cafeteria employee who knows exactly which student needs a little extra kindness that day doesn’t get an award. But these moments happen every single day. Thousands of them. And, they make up the rest of the story of education.
As educators, we have a responsibility to tell those stories. Not to paint a perfect picture, but to provide perspective. Our communities deserve to know what is happening inside their schools— the perseverance, the compassion, the innovation, the sacrifices, and the successes. Parents deserve to hear about the teacher who believes in their child. Patrons deserve to see students who are accomplishing incredible things. And, our school employees deserve to know that their work is seen, valued, and appreciated. There is far more good happening in our schools than bad. I know, because, I see it every day.
I see people who care deeply about children. I see employees who go above and beyond when no one is asking them to. I see educators who continue showing up, even when the job is hard and the criticism is loud.
Those stories deserve to be told as well...maybe, ESPECIALLY those stories.
Education doesn’t need us to ignore the challenges; it simply needs us to tell the whole story. And, the whole story is— Our schools are filled with people doing extraordinary things in ordinary moments, every single day. We just need to make sure someone is telling those stories too.
Amanda Grimes is superintendent of Fletcher Public Schools.