Crystal Michels

Minot

As my summer winds down, I look forward to the end of August with a mixture of emotions.

First is excitement. I am entering my eleventh year of education as a teacher of language arts, speech, and theatre for some of the most inquisitive minds today. Yes, I teach teenagers, and I enjoy every day of it. I love teaching my Central Campus 9th and 10th graders. At this age, they are beginning to develop their own sense of the world and start navigating their way through it. I am able to watch it happen.

However, my second emotion is concern. For the past few years (yes, even before COVID) I’ve noticed the new teacher lists presented for the school board’s approval growing exponentially each year.This isn’t something that is an issue at my district, but a problem I hear about from teachers all over the state. Teachers are being asked to do more with less, and it is exhausting them. People choose public service because they want to do good in the world. They need to know that service will be thanked in the long term as well as in the moment.

My final emotion is hope. Hope for our future. I see what students can do with the right resources, families, and teachers. I have hope that my community will join with educators and advocate at the state legislature for the needs of our students and educators. If we speak clearly together, our communities will thrive.