Some educators are writing about how this is the part of the school year when teachers can sit back and celebrate the fruits of our labor for the past few months.
According to these well-meaning educators:
Routines are in place.
Children are feeling more comfortable with their peers.
The quiet ones are taking risks to speak up.
There’s a gentle buzz in the classroom as the children work and collaborate with each other ready to bloom like the flowers that have yet to show up this spring.
Alas, that has not been my experience thus far. This has been far from a typical school year for teachers here. First, went on strike in October. We would have stayed out longer but our premier invoked a rarely used clause that stripped us of our rights and forced us back to the classroom without meeting or negotiating on any of our demands.
Next, I was on medical leave for the first two months of 2026. My students had multiple subs and routines were disrupted. The students who struggled to regulate in September are still struggling and it seems as if everyone has taken a step back.
So, let’s not assume that everyone’s classroom is coasting from now until the end of the school year. Some of us are still struggling and it won’t be smooth sailing any time soon. And although I’m incredibly conflicted about how this year has gone it’s going to have to be OK…for now.
Elisa Waingort 
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