Sisters and Brothers, As move through the second week of this unprecedented shutdown, I want to start by thanking each and every one of you for all that you have done in such a short period to make your students feel safe and secure during this time. Every effort you’ve made, from helping to create take-home packets to hosting video-conference classroom time with students (and more), has been noticed and truly appreciated by the community. While all such activities are completely voluntary, they show how much the HEArt of Haverhill cares for its community in times of great difficulty such as these. It’s clear that for many of us, these activities not only help our students and families but they are also helpful to educators who also strive for some connection to their students to feel a sense of normalcy. The Association recognizes this commitment and would like members to be sure that what you are offering is sustainable – we don’t know how long this will last and we want to be prudent about how much of ourselves we dedicate to these efforts. The following reminders are the Association’s current understanding in regard to expectations for educators during this shutdown:
Please know that the HEA encourages all educators to continue to give of themselves all that they are capable of and comfortable with, even beyond the classroom. We have taken the lead in forming the Mutual Aid Society of Haverhill (MASH) to help our community to access resources they may need. To help us with this work, please sign up for the HEA Volunteer Corps. For more information on how the HEA is taking the lead in caring for our community, see the WHAV article about MASH. In Solidarity, Anthony Anthony J. Parolisi President Haverhill Education Association |