MTC Celebrates National Teacher Appreciation Week with a Special Message
Vice President of Engaged Learning, Dr. Dave Doty, took a moment to recognize and thank MTC instructors in celebration of National Teacher Appreciation Week.
May 3-7, 2021 is National Teacher Appreciation Week in the United States, and our entire Engaged Learning team expresses our appreciation for each and every one of you who teaches in our MTC facilities.
From the day that all Job Corps students were sent home, on March 16, 2020 to the present, it has been perhaps the most challenging, difficult, and uncertain year we have experienced in our education careers.
Over the past few months we have had to face instructional disruptions in our correctional facilities due to COVID-related lockdowns, the conversion of in-person lesson plans and activities to digital platforms to accommodate distance learning, and the lack of access to devices and WiFi among both students and faculty.
We have also mourned the deaths and serious illness of friends and family members, struggled to stay connected during stay-at-home orders that left us socially isolated, and battled Zoom fatigue for months on end.
The bottom line is that for over a year now, you have not been working under normal teaching and learning conditions. You have been experiencing what one commentator has called “emergency remote teaching and learning” or “pandemic pedagogy.”
And yet, through it all, you have risen to the occasion and courageously adapted and forged ahead to do your best for the adult students we serve. You have learned how to use Google Classroom. You have learned the difference between asynchronous and synchronous instruction. You have mastered educational technology tools like Jamboard and YouTube. Many of you have prepared to use new TABE math and literacy curricula.
Most importantly, you have kept going! Your support for students during the pandemic has proven that you are not only essential workers, you are heroes. We couldn’t have done it without you over the past 12 months, and we extend our deepest gratitude for all you do. Thank you!
