By Sarah Webster
Gallatin County High School
As I shut down my computer for Spring Break, I breathed a sigh of relief.
A week off.
The team ready for work!
Some teachers relax at home or go on vacations with their family. Most teachers use this time to catch up on grading, lesson planning, or getting ready for the push to the end of the year.
Spring Break is a time to reflect on the year so far and prepare for the end of this school year and the upcoming year. Most teachers do not actually take a spring “break.” We might sleep in, unless our children or spouse or other family member prevent that; however, sleeping in is just a small perk for the hard work we put in the rest of the year.
Like most teachers, I started the week with a little relaxation and time with my two-year-old. We watched the snowfall, played with the dogs, painted our hands, worked on our colors and numbers, cleaned the house, and most importantly to him, watched Elmo.
Focused on the work.
While my son is my pride and joy, I also have more than a hundred kids I work with daily. These kids are also on my mind while I spend quality time with my child. I wonder if they have enough food for the week, or if they are finding time for their passions. I think about each of them and how they have impacted my life. Each one brings their own kind of personality and joy (or pain) to my classroom. I look forward to seeing them again after the break, but I also looked forward to the project we had decided to accomplish over break.
Recently, we had a bomb threat written on a bathroom stall. While it was just a threat and the student was taken care of, it left a lasting impression on my students. The usual high moral and excitement had left the air. My principal and I wanted to find a way to bring that joy back. Looking through Pinterest, I found some great examples of bathrooms being painted with positive statements. My brain was hooked. I presented the idea to my principal, and she jumped on board immediately.
We picked Spring Break and gathered a team of like-minded teachers and school employees to help with our task: the girl’s bathroom.
Walking into the bathroom is a sight for sore eyes. The brown wood door opens to dark prison-grey walls. The red stalls are filled with graffiti of hate messages, meetings, paraphernalia and they are slowly losing their paint. The floor is a dull grey and white tile that screams to be lightened up. The sinks are falling apart, and one of the soap dispensers is missing. Girls are not empowered to be their best version in this bathroom; instead, they walk in, dark and dreary, and walk out even more depressed.
That all changed when on a Wednesday of our Spring break when two teachers, a principal, a librarian, and three cafeteria ladies walked into a dark bathroom with buckets of bright colored paints and inspiration.
With music pumping through our bodies, we set out to bring some light and hopefulness to this drab place.
Sarah Webster with her husband Brandon and son Parker.
Working together to help the needs of our students was our inspiration, and the colorful paint in our hands was our tool for success. We spent more than eight hours in the small room, but our impact will last longer than that.
A once grey and cold bathroom is now a warm and colorful space for our young ladies.
Sarah Webster is an English teacher at Gallatin County High School. She is graduating this spring with her Master’s in English and a certificate in Composition and Rhetoric. She is married to Brandon Webster, CPA and has one soon, Parker, who will be two in May.
