Fay Beeler '09

Hello, my name is Fay Beeler, and I retired from the University in 2016 after 27 years on the Bluff. Now that we are in our second year of the pandemic, a couple of things strike me.

Life as we have known it has changed dramatically. Regardless of our profession, we are all struggling.

I have teachers in my family at nearly all levels of education, not to mention many friends who are teachers. Every single teacher I have talked to tells me how hard this year has been. Excellent teachers feel as though they are ineffectual, which is devastating to teachers. Highly passionate, empathetic, and engaging teachers struggle with the fact that they can’t see their students’ smiling faces and, therefore, don’t get the feedback they crave. Because students haven’t been in the classroom for well over a year, they are having trouble adjusting to the demands of learning. Teachers are worn out and need support.

That leads me to my second observation: the importance of support and family. I have been lucky to have all my children live within thirty minutes of me. I know that not everyone is as fortunate as I am and don’t have family around, or don’t have a stable family. I have found that family does not have to refer to the people you were born to, or those that raised you. We can create our own families. We can cultivate family relations in the communities we live in. It could be those we know in church groups, parents of our children’s schoolmates, neighbors, those we work out with, walk or run with, or old school friends. By establishing families through communities, we can ask for, receive, and give support to those around us. We all need help to navigate these arduous times.

If we are able and willing to reach out to our various communities, we can find comfort and joy in supporting one another. During these tumultuous times, it is also imperative that we allow ourselves to receive help from others, too. I believe the old adage “it takes a village” is more true now than ever.

God Bless!