Teachers: The Way Home Is Through Baghdad

That holiday break we recently finished was not a vacation. It was only a breath, a moment of pause in a pandemic. Sure, many of us rested but how many educators feel refreshed and ready to return?

This piece is not about toxic positivity. No one has the patience for phrases like, “You got this!” or “We are all in this together!” Instead, my message is this: the way home is through Baghdad. The next months might be the most frustrating and demanding of the 2020–2021 school year.