A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Voices from the Classroom: From every possible perspective, there’s no way to thank teachers enough


By Chris Wright
Dayton High School

The 2019-20 school year, in many ways, has felt like an out-of-body experience to me. For the past 11 years, the only role that I held in P-12 education has been teacher. This year witnessed a personal dramatic shift as I moved into the roles of parent and administrator.

With this, my perspective on teaching has shifted dramatically. I have always been proud to be a teacher. There will likely never be a point in my career when someone asks me what I do where I don’t immediately think “teacher.” But as proud as I have always been to be referred to as a teacher, I’ve never been as proud of the profession as I have been viewing it through the lense of my new roles.

Chris Wright is a teacher-become-administrator and a parent, and he has a very special reason to appreciate teachers. (Photo provided)>

As a parent, it was more than easy to feel trepidation as my son entered preschool this year. Entering school is a big step in a child’s life. It is easy to wonder how the other kids will accept your child, how his/her specific learning needs will be met, will school be a place that brings him/her joy.

As a first time school-aged parent, this is what I observed: a classroom built around respecting each other, where other students flock to my little buddy, where he has grown immensely both academically and socially, where he will run inside and be excited to start most days.

These were huge steps for my son, particularly considering that he is only three-years-old and he is on the autism spectrum. When the Covid-19 outbreak shut down schools, I found myself lamenting the fact that my buddy had made so much progress and worried that school would essentially be over for him. Even as a school administrator, I didn’t grasp what NTI (Non-Traditional Instruction) could look like for a preschooler.  

What NTI has looked like is this: games put together that he could play and learn (he’s particularly fond of letters and numbers), strategies put together to continue his various types of therapy, learning toys dropped off on the front porch, class zoom meetings and social distance visits from his teacher.

As a parent, I couldn’t be more thankful and appreciative of the job Mrs. McDermott and the rest of our buddy’s preschool educators have done. Thank you to the Ludlow preschool crew and to all of the other teachers who go the extra mile, whether through traditional or non-traditional forms of instruction, to ensure that their students received the best educational experience possible.

Becoming an administrator has had every bit as much of a profound impact as becoming a school-aged parent.

At the beginning of this school year, Dayton Independent teachers were challenged to identify their mission. That is, they were tasked with articulating, in eight words or less, why they are teachers. The responses were profound and included such statements as “Lift Them Up,” “Be The Light,” and “Help Kids Reach Their Potential in Life.”  

One overarching theme that I have come back to throughout this entire year has been the teacher’s desire to holistically build into kids. And our Dayton teachers, like their counterparts across the Commonwealth, don’t just talk about doing this-they very much walk the walk. They walk the walk by teaching the whole child, not just the standards. They walk the walk by celebrating their students’ wins and helping to guide them through their struggles.

When the school buildings physically shut down a month and a half ago, the missions didn’t change. Teachers quickly flipped their classrooms, making their assignments accessible online or through carefully constructed folders. Teachers quickly learned new ways to connect with their students, whether it was through Google Meet or even by using Youtube and TikTok, masterfully teaching their students lessons and making them laugh during challenging moments.  

And teachers continued to celebrate their students. Recently I was invited by one of our teachers, Angie Buschle, to participate in a “drive-by” style birthday party and singing of happy birthday. From my perspective, it not only made the students day, but it provided me with one of the highlights of my career.

I can’t articulate how thankful I am for our teachers. As a parent, as an administrator, as a fellow teacher, I can only hope that our teachers understand how much they mean to our students and to our communities.

From the absolute bottom of my heart: thank you!

Chris Wright is assistant principal at Dayton High school


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One Comment

  1. ruth bamberger says:

    A beautiful tribute to teachers, Chris. Your comments confirm what an effective teacher you were in those years in the Ludlow school system.

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