Bedford’s public school teachers, bombarded by the exigencies of the Covid-19 pandemic, are actually feeling the love.
That’s according to testimony from the four building principals at last Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Bedford School Committee.
The subject came up during a discussion about resources available to support teachers and staff through the counseling department.
“I would love to see this topic revisited frequently,” said committee member Brad Morrison. Then he asked about any details of peer-to-peer support. “I would love to hear voices from the front lines about what people are doing to take care of each other.”
“Overall, morale has been high,” said Kevin Tracey, principal of John Glenn Middle School. “We have been keeping lines of communication open and having very frequent faculty meetings to make sure people get timely answers. I couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve done.”
Davis School Principal Beth Benoit said, “The teaming that the teachers and staff have been doing, the work they have been doing collaboratively, has been remarkable.” Teachers are going “above and beyond their own planning time to talk about what teaching and learning look like during these times, to offer ideas and support.”
Bedford High School principal Heather Galante confirmed that “the morale is really good.” Galante said the “main office team” interacts with teachers in the classrooms and hallways, “checking on what they need.” She also previewed “a little faculty gratitude campaign involving lots of students” sometime next month. “People are working so incredibly hard. Our students and families are so thankful, and that means the world.”
Lane School Principal Rob Ackerman said the teachers “always live up to the challenge.” He said that includes new teachers who “had no idea what they were getting into.” The faculty, he asserted, “is going to do the best job they can.”
School Superintendent Philip Conrad said his office “makes sure our staff has the resources they need to do the work they need to do.”
He said Alicia Linsey, director of counseling for all the grades, also “makes sure that parents are getting the resources they need.” He mentioned the recent Zoom webinar featuring counselor Jon Mattleman speaking on student anxiety.
“Alicia has been working on providing support to staff in many different ways,” he continued. Indeed, he said, her work began before the start of school.
Conrad pointed out that “many staff members are not only trying to juggle their own families but also their complex work. The Counseling Department has really been instrumental in making sure students, staff, and families are supported.”
The superintendent said he has been in contact with the teachers’ union, the Bedford Education Association, on conducting a wellness survey, “and gathering info from a variety of sources.”
Also at the meeting, the School Committee approved Amazon Adventure, a high school Science Department students’ field trip to Ecuador, for April 2022, the second straight year of postponement due to the pandemic.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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