Jennifer Horath, M.Ed

Teacher, Mentor, Advocate for Educators and Students, UWyo Teacher Mentor Corp, lifelong learner, Mom, Wife

[Dr. Bryan Pearlman #MaslowBeforeBloom @DrP_Principal]

Why I Love Public Schools
My answer is simple.

Because I've seen what happens inside schools that most people never get to see.

The headlines rarely tell the whole story.

Most people don't realize that public schools are one of the few places in our society that welcome every child, regardless of ability, income, language, disability, background, or circumstance.

Every child.

If a student has autism, ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, depression, a traumatic past, a medical condition, or a physical disability, public schools don't get to choose whether to serve them. They do. Every single day.

If a student is exceptionally gifted and needs greater academic challenges, schools work to provide those opportunities, too.

Through IEPs, 504 Plans, gifted programming, counseling, speech therapy, occupational therapy, school psychology, nursing services, social work, behavioral supports, English learner services, and countless other programs, educators work tirelessly to meet thousands of individual needs.

That is an incredible responsibility.

Here's something else many people don't know:

Our teachers are among the most educated professionals in the workforce. More than half of public school teachers have earned master's degrees or higher, and nearly every school administrator holds graduate degrees with many completing specialist or doctoral programs.

These are highly trained professionals who could have chosen careers with higher salaries and fewer demands.

Instead, they chose children.

Research consistently shows that the single most important school-based factor affecting student achievement is the quality of the teacher standing in front of the classroom.

Think about that for a moment.

One caring, knowledgeable, encouraging teacher can literally change the trajectory of a child's life.

I've seen it happen thousands of times.

I've watched teachers buy winter coats with their own money.

I've watched custodians quietly become mentors.

I've watched bus drivers become the safest adult in a child's day.

I've watched cafeteria workers learn every student's name.

I've watched counselors save lives.

I've watched school nurses comfort frightened children like they were their own.

I've watched paraprofessionals celebrate the smallest victories that most people would never notice.

I've watched principals lose sleep because they couldn't stop thinking about a struggling student or staff member.

None of those moments show up on a standardized test.

Every year, millions of students graduate from public schools and go on to become architects, nurses, electricians, plumbers, engineers, teachers, therapists, entrepreneurs, military service members, first responders, artists, scientists, mechanics, parents, physicians, and community leaders.

They build our homes.

They care for us when we're sick.

They protect our communities.

They invent, create, teach, lead, and serve.

And almost every one of them can point to a public school educator who believed in them before they believed in themselves.

Are public schools perfect?

Of course not.

No organization made up of millions of human beings ever is.

There is always room to improve, innovate, and do better.

But don't let the challenges overshadow the extraordinary work happening every single day in classrooms across this country.

Every morning, before the sun comes up, millions of educators walk into school with one goal:

To make life a little better for someone else's child.

That deserves our respect.

That deserves our gratitude.

And that deserves far more attention than it receives.

To every teacher, school counselor, social worker, psychologist, paraprofessional, nurse, secretary, custodian, cafeteria worker, bus driver, coach, administrator, and support staff member...

Thank you.

Thank you for believing in children.

Thank you for seeing potential where others sometimes see problems.

Thank you for choosing a profession that changes lives, often without recognition.

[Jennifer Horath, M.Ed @teachingtells]

@WeinsteinEdu @teachergoals 💜

[Fixing Education @FixingEducation]

After 24 years, a teacher says the biggest change isn’t the job… it’s parents, students, and accountability.

More pushback. More debate. Less alignment.

Teachers: Is this accurate?

[Brian Tolentino M.Ed @TolentinoTeach]

Students need all kinds of teachers.

- The extroverts who bring energy.

- The introverts who lead with quiet thoughtfulness.

- The serious teachers who bring structure and focus.

- The silly teachers that put students in a state of relaxed alertness.

- The spontaneous teachers who model a creative spirit.

- The organized teachers who bring clarity and consistency.

Part of education is learning how to work with, learn from, and relate to people who are different from ourselves.

[Jennifer Horath, M.Ed @teachingtells]

Starting year 33!

[𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 @DrBradJohnson]

If you have served in public education for 20 years or more, this post is for you.
You are part of the roughly 28% who entered public-school teaching and were still in the profession two decades later.
So for the veteran teachers and staff who have served for 20 years, 25 years, 30 years, and beyond, this is to celebrate you!
You have endured some of the most difficult changes education has ever faced.
You witnessed standardized testing grow into an overwhelming system of high-stakes pressure, excessive data collection, and constant documentation.
You adapted to new standards, new technology, new programs, and an endless cycle of initiatives.
You carried students and families through COVID, even while facing your own fears, losses, and uncertainty.
You have watched respect for educators decline while expectations continued to rise.
You have been asked to do more with less, solve problems you did not create, and meet needs that extend far beyond the classroom.
And yet, you continued to show up.
You taught the lesson again.
You encouraged the struggling student.
You supported the overwhelmed colleague.
You welcomed the nervous parent.
You kept schools functioning during some of the toughest years education has ever experienced.
Most people will never fully understand what it takes to dedicate decades of your life to serving students, families, and communities. They will never know how many evenings, weekends, personal dollars, and pieces of your heart you have invested.
There are adults walking through the world today who are stronger, wiser, and more confident because you once believed in them.
To every teacher and staff member who has served for 20 years or more:
Thank you for your dedication.
Thank you for your sacrifice.
Thank you for your wisdom.
Thank you for caring for our children.
Thank you!

[Jennifer Horath, M.Ed @teachingtells]

@jenteach13 Reteach it.

[Brian Tolentino M.Ed @TolentinoTeach]

If you haven’t taught in a classroom post-Covid, you don’t know what it is like to teach the modern student.

The students have changed.

Teaching has changed.

You have to be in the classroom daily to understand what I mean.

[Jennifer Horath, M.Ed @teachingtells]

@jenteach13 As the administrator I come and remove the child so the rest may learn!

[Jen @jenteach13]

Nobody talks about the student who came ready to learn, sat through the disruption, said nothing, and fell further behind while every adult in the building focused on the one who made the most noise. She is still waiting for someone to notice she was there, too.

[Jennifer Horath, M.Ed @teachingtells]

@FixingEducation The kids ❤️

[Jennifer Horath, M.Ed @teachingtells]

@Kristinartz Smart

[Jen @jenteach13]

You want to fix education?

Close the Chromebook. Confiscate the phone. Hand them a pencil.

[Daniel Buck, “Youngest Old Man in Ed Reform” @MrDanielBuck]

I’m sorry, if a kid throws a chair, I don’t care what’s the root cause or what unmet need they’re trying to express

The school cannot tolerate that behavior and the kid has to be expelled

[Jennifer Horath, M.Ed @teachingtells]

@FixingEducation Screen time as a babysitter. No one reads to them, spends time talking about their day… very little face to face interaction

[Fixing Education @FixingEducation]

When kids choose NOT to brush their teeth, should we blame the dentist? Obviously not.

Why do we blame teachers when students choose NOT to complete even the most simplest of assignments?

[Fixing Education @FixingEducation]

Schools are meant to support families, not replace them.

That means parents need to actually parent, and the govt & communities need to stop treating schools as the fix for bad parenting.

Educators who think otherwise might be influenced a bit too much by “teacher hero” movies.

[Brian Tolentino M.Ed @TolentinoTeach]

If you haven’t taught in a classroom post-Covid, you don’t know what it is like to teach the modern student.

The students have changed.

Teaching has changed.

You have to be in the classroom daily to understand what I mean.

[Jennifer Horath, M.Ed @teachingtells]

@MatrixMysteries Most are not necessities- coffee creamer 2 packs (kids drink that?) downy fabric softener (not necessary) paper plates… use regular and wash them, gogurt (fun treat).

[Jennifer Horath, M.Ed @teachingtells]

AMEN

[𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 @DrBradJohnson]

If a student assaults a teacher or staff member, they’re out of school for a year. Kentucky got this one right.
There’s a difference between behavior issues… and assault.
We’re all for second chances. Third chances.
That’s part of working with kids.
But there’s a line.
And when a student in grades 6–12 crosses that line into physically assaulting a teacher or staff member, the response has to match the act.
This isn’t about being harsh. It’s about keeping people safe.
Safety doesn’t just matter.
In today’s world, it matters the most.
You can’t build a culture of trust and respect if the adults in the building aren’t protected.
What Kentucky did matters.
They said:
This is where the line is.
And if it’s crossed, there is a real consequence.
And let’s be honest…
This should’ve happened 10 years ago.
This doesn’t mean a child’s education ends.
We have online school.
We have alternative placements.
There are still options.
But you don’t get to assault someone
and come back like nothing happened.
If we want great teachers to stay,
if we want schools where people feel safe,
we have to stop blurring the line between misbehavior and violence.
Kentucky drew the line.
Now the rest of the country needs to follow.

[Jennifer Horath, M.Ed @teachingtells]

@gotrice2024 Not finesse, steal!