September 17, 2021

Greetings Bozeman Community,

Today wraps up our third week of school in Bozeman Public Schools. Our biggest celebration continues to be that all of our schools are open five days a week, we have visitors and community members back in our buildings, and our co-curricular, extracurricular, club, and arts activities are all forging ahead with few restrictions. We’re Back - And It Feels Great!

As I tour the district and visit with our teachers, staff, and administrators I see that same collective gratitude to have our students back in buildings full time. Our educational team sees the ground we have to make up due to the varied instructional models from the past 18 months, and they are collectively excited to meet students where they are and accelerate learning during 2021-2022. They are thankful for those in-person opportunities to build meaningful and authentic relationships with students. We Got This!

I would not be honest or transparent if my message ended there. There is more to the story. During those same conversations around the district I am also seeing our staff, just three weeks into the school year, tired and weary. How Can That Be?

The impact of COVID-19 over the past 19 months on families, our community, and the BSD7 staff is staggering. Add to that the political and social distress across our country on you name the topic (Masks, Vaccinations, Equity, Black Lives Matter, Police, Immigration, Critical Race Theory, Gender, etc.) and it makes sense why our teachers, staff, and administrators are already feeling empty and out of gas. They gave everything in the tank and more last year as they re-tooled public education and provided instruction in a variety of models. Walking in their shoes it is unfortunate to see all of the built up stress, fear, frustration, and anxiety being misdirected at the amazing humans who continue to show up and prioritize the education of our children. They Deserve Better!

One of things that keeps me up at night is the fear of this very sobering but very real math equation:

Burnout + Secondary Trauma = Compassion Fatigue 

Every child deserves the opportunity to be educated in an amazing public school. We have those schools. We also have amazing teachers, staff, and administrators who work tirelessly in those schools. Our children can’t afford educators with compassion fatigue, the stakes are too high after 19 months of COVID-19 challenges. What Can We Do?

Below is a non-exhaustive list of small gestures that could go a long way to boost morale and fill up the tanks of our beloved educational team. Teacher appreciation isn’t formally until May, but we can’t wait until then.  The time is now. Bozeman Community, thank you for rising to this challenge. Bozeman Educators, I see you, we see you, you are loved and appreciated for the work you do on behalf of students. Thank You!

Casey Bertram, Interim Superintendent

You can also use the image and hashtag below across your social media platforms. Thanks Bozeman!