Editor’s Note: At the end of the school year, EdNC holds our board, strategic council, and team retreat to reflect and iterate our scope of work. It’s our Thanksgiving in June.
This is the blessing Hannah offered us last night.
It is our privilege to do this work, and we are thankful you choose to be part of our story.
A blessing for our public schools, for the passport to the future, the best friend, and a key to locked doors.
Blessed are those who fight to find and share those keys, to make sure all of our students can reach their full potential and walk through whatever door they set their eyes on.
Blessed are all of the people who make a school a school. Blessed are the teachers, the bus drivers, the custodians, the principals, the cafeteria workers, and the teacher assistants. Blessed are the people who show up, advocate for, and believe in our students.
Blessed are our 1.5 million students, who speak different languages, have different abilities and gifts, and come from different places and backgrounds. Blessed are the families, caretakers, and guardians who love, protect, and care for them. Blessed are the students who come to school eager to learn, searching for help, and hoping for affirmation and support.
Blessed is public education, which at its best, meets those students where they are, and walks with them to where they want to be. Blessed are all of the people who advocate for public education — for what it is, all that it does, and all it can and should be.
Blessed are all of you. Thank you for being here, and for the work you do in our state, for our schools and our students.
