SAN DIEGO — Each school district from around the country nominates and awards a ‘Teacher of the Year,’ but in Del Mar educators believe not just one deserves it, they all do.
Sixth grade Del Mar Union School District teacher Kate Daniel read the letter she sent to all educators and administrators on Wednesday.
“You can pretty much say we're killing it. (And you have. And we thank you),” wrote Daniel.
In an unconventional year, Del Mar teachers agree all are making the grade and nominating each other instead of one ‘Teacher of the Year.’
“How could we possibly choose a colleague that's a superstar when we know very well that everybody is just bringing it right now,” said Daniel.
Del Mar Union School District is one of the few in the county teaching full-time in person learning. It also offers virtual learning called Launch which Kate Daniel teaches in the sixth grade.
“As I was writing it, it kind of was pouring out of me a little bit, just all of these feelings that I had and all of this respect and appreciation and admiration that I have for my colleagues,” said Daniel.
Mrs. Daniel said she wrote the letter after teachers tossed around the idea of nominating all teachers.
She thought about the mountains teachers have scaled and the personal sacrifices they’ve made during the pandemic.
“Some of us have lost loved ones, have missed opportunities to say goodbye. We have gone months without a hug from our aging parents. We have learned how to do our jobs in completely new ways. We have worried about students,” wrote Daniel.
Even after 11 months, all teachers still have obstacles to overcome and continue to show for their students.
“We love these children. We really do. And we love these families and we want what's best for them,” said Daniel.
Kate says because of that pride for themselves and each other there can’t be just one ‘Teacher of the Year’, not this year.
“Our hope is to just inspire other teachers to just feel part of the camaraderie of we're awesome right now. We're doing it. We're doing good. It's hard work, but we're doing good,” said Daniel.
The Del Mar California Teachers Association plans to celebrate all of its teachers at the district board meeting on May 26.
Below is the letter:
February 3, 2021
Dear Colleagues:
On March 13, 2020, the very definition of teaching changed. Of course, we didn’t know it at the time, and like most of America, we believed would close out the 2019-2020 school year as we always have done. But it’s been nearly a year since that Friday in March, and as educators, we have risen to challenges that existed far beyond our wildest imaginations. In Del Mar Union School District, this truth carries both significant weight and tremendous pride. Not only have our students continued to receive a world-class, full-time, and in-person education, but we have expanded our incredible program to include an online option that is truly one of a kind. You can pretty much say, “We’re killing it.” (And you have. And we thank you!) Therefore, as teachers of the Del Mar Union School district, we nominate Each Other as our 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year.
We know, it’s unusual. It’s unconventional. It’s downright strange. But the thing is, we really mean it.
Back in August, during our district-hosted webinar by Dr. Michele Ritter, she shared that during the early weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic, medical professionals faced unimaginable professional challenges. Then she said something else: that as the weeks progressed, she and her colleagues began to feel as if they had grown in ways that would forever change them for the better. She shared that there was not only satisfaction in this growth but also a sense of true accomplishment.
As this letter is penned, it’s the 100th day of school for our students. We, the teachers of Del Mar Union School District, have successfully scaled the summit of this school year’s mountain and we’re taking a breath. We’re reflecting on the accomplishments and struggles that have led us to this peak. And it’s truly remarkable.
Many of us are parents, and we’re balancing home-schooling our own children with our professional responsibilities. Some of us face our own medical challenges that put us at higher risk each time we walk onto the school campus. Others live alone and have lost the community network and support that we all need. Some of us have spouses and partners who are essential workers on the front lines of the pandemic, serving as medical and healthcare professionals, firefighters, paramedics, and police officers. Some of us have lost loved ones, have missed opportunities to say goodbye, or have gone months without a hug from our aging parents. We have learned how to do our jobs in completely new ways. We have worried about students, we have stayed after school to help them catch up. We have lent an ear to worried parents, to teary colleagues, and some of us have provided tech support and tips to our colleagues who are new to the Zoom “mumbo jumbo”. Not all of us have had the same mountain to climb, but each one of us has made immense personal sacrifices.
And we are so proud.
We are proud of ourselves. We are proud of each other. We are proud to be teachers in Del Mar.
And this is why there can’t be just one teacher of the year. Not this year.
There’s a little children’s story about going on a bear hunt, facing a grave storm. It’s famous for the quote, “We can't go over it. We can't go under it. Oh no! We've got to go through it!”
We, the teachers of Del Mar Union School District are going through this storm together. Hand in hand and side by side, we have come together.
So this year, we proudly nominate Each Other for this high honor, because all of us deserve it.