“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'” ― Fred Rogers
Mr. Roger's suggestion to "look for the helpers" is heartening for all of us right now. As fear spreads, so do acts of generosity and courage — we simply have to look for them.
Instead of self-distancing, we see heroic healthcare workers self-risking their wellbeing for the wellness of others. Behind the scenes, we see millions of us who aren't at immediate risk make extraordinary changes for the benefit of our communities.
It's helpful that we're all in this together, but it can be hard to learn and grow when our future is uncertain.
And that's where teachers come in. Amid the chaos, teachers are just the helpers we need to make new paths and guide us towards growth.
We're here to help the helpers.
Our mission is "to multiply the impact teachers make on the world." We've never had a chance to put our mission into practice quite like this, and we're up for the challenge. If you’re an educator looking to make a difference in this trying time, we’re here to help you.
In our Distance Educator Resource Dashboard, you'll find quick links to articles and guides that will help you move from in-person to online quickly and creatively. We'll be updating the dashboard with new links, guides, and upcoming live teaching sessions, so be sure to check back.
Two highlights:
- Free live help & support: We've opened our calendars for free, live conversations with Michelle and Christian, two of our expert Guides. They'll be able to help you navigate any challenge you're up against, whether that's moving recently in-person classes or events online or expanding to help more isolated people with only the internet for company. Here's where you can schedule a conversation.
- No fees for COVID-19 training & discounts for educators in need: We're offering free use of Pathwright to anyone offering COVID-19 response training and to individual teachers who need to move their classes online for the first time. We’ll also provide discounted plans and course design guidance for educators offering free or discounted courses or who must quickly move online without the financial resources. See our Distance Educator Scholarship for more information.
If there's any other way we can help, please let us know.
Finally, I'll leave you with another one of my favorite quotes, this one from T.H. White, that is especially apt today:
“The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails.”
“You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds.
“There is only one thing for it then — to learn.
“Learn why the world wags and what wags it.
“That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.
“Learning is the only thing for you.
“Look what a lot of things there are to learn.”
- TH White, The Once and Future King
We're thankful for the generous work teachers do to help us learn in times like these. It's the only thing for it.
Make paths and stay safe.
Using Pathwright is dead simple and doesn’t cost a thing until you’re ready to launch a path.
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