Voice: September 2018

Educators and support professionals spend countless hours every summer getting their schools and classrooms ready for students to arrive at the start of the new school year.

One of my favorite parts of the job as PSEA president is to showcase your creativity and hard work. The time and energy you put into getting your school ready for students was too good an opportunity to pass up.

So, a few weeks ago, we put out a call to PSEA members on Facebook for pictures of their schools or classrooms as they get everything set up for the year. Our members sent us dozens to choose from.

The photos reflect the promise and potential that characterize the start of every school year. In these pictures, I see members who are excited to begin their journey with a new group of students.

It made me happy to see these photos and know that educators and students will spend more time this year in these amazing classrooms teaching and learning – and less time on the high-stakes PSSA tests.

That’s because Gov. Tom Wolf implemented changes to the PSSA tests this year that will reduce exam periods by one week, set testing time later in the year to give students more time to prepare, and reduce testing time overall by 20 percent.

By now, all your schools and classrooms are bustling with students and activity as the school year is well under way. I just want to take a moment to step back and appreciate what you do behind the scenes, before the hustle and bustle rolls in.

This is a powerful reminder that PSEA members care deeply about their students. So much so that they give up part of their summer to create welcoming, engaging, beautiful classrooms that invite students to enter, come together, and learn.  

Email Dolores McCracken: dmccracken@psea.org.