Moldovan Educators Encourage Their Peers
Throughout the pandemic, Lena and teachers in the Moldova Teachers’ Community have looked for ways to encourage their peers and resource them with helpful tools.
Last December, community members gave teachers across the city a gift to thank them for working tirelessly through the pandemic. The gift included a facemask and a bookmark with contact information so teachers could join their online Facebook group.
Happy, thankful and puzzled, teachers wondered why anyone would care about them.
Many said they had felt forgotten. They were truly grateful. “It was a sunray for each of them,” Lena said.
In December, the Teachers’ Community hosted their annual Christmas party in person instead of online. Many teachers came because they were tired of online meetings, and they were ready to attend an in-person event.
Parenting Class for Teachers
At the party, members of the Teachers’ Community invited everyone to attend a parenting class meeting monthly for nine months. The curriculum equips teachers to coach parents how to improve their parenting skills and help their children navigate school during the pandemic.
Twenty people are now attending the class. “This course is very useful,” Elana said. “It helps teachers talk to parents.”
Because teachers are leading the classes, they feel ownership for the community. And as students come back into the classroom, teachers are happy to belong to a community where they can learn from each other’s experiences.
