"I See You"
Iâve kept quiet long enough. But Iâm one of those educators who stayed, In a district they call broken. In buildings theyâve long forgotten. And Iâm ready to say what so many of us have been carrying for years.
They say we should leave. Go where thereâs more pay, better resources, and less struggle. But some of us donât. Some of us stay, not because itâs easy, but because we know leaving would mean abandoning the very kids we were called to serve.
 âThey not like usâŠâ That line hits. Because theyâre not. They donât know what itâs like to teach through trauma. To walk into a room with broken lights, broken systems, and still shine.
Iâve taught with rats running down the halls and paint peeling from the walls. Iâve coached teachers through grief, hunger, eviction notices, and burnout. And Iâve stood in front of students with more diagnoses than support and still managed to teach them love.
âThey not like usâŠâ âAsk the homie why they ain't slide, and they still ainât slidâŠâ Because they donât slide for us. Not the policymakers. Not the decision-makers. Not the folks who take photos in our schools but wonât stay for the meeting.
But I do. I stay. We stay. Even when the school board doesnât listen. Even when the media villainizes us. Even when the system sets our kids up to fail and dares us to say something.
This ainât about survival. Itâs about resistance. Every day I stay, I am resisting the narrative that our kids are disposable. That our schools are hopeless. That our communities donât matter.
âEvery time you in the booth, itâs a lot of cappinââŠâ Letâs talk about that. Because I hear folks preaching equity from platforms they bought with privilege. But when it comes time to fund the fight? Silence.
But weâve been loud in the classrooms. Weâve been loud in the hallways. Loud in the lesson plans, the IEP meetings, the late-night calls to parents. Loud with our presence. Even when nobody saw us.
So if you want to know why I stay, itâs simple: Because they need me. Because we need us. Because if everybody leaves, who will remain to fight?
I donât teach for claps or cookies. I teach because I believe in our kids, even when the world doesnât. And I walk through these doors every day like:  âThis ainât a gimmickâŠâ
To the teachers who stay, I see you. To the coaches, paras, deans, and nurses holding it down, I honor you. And to the students we serve  you are not forgotten.
So yeah⊠They not like us. But weâve never needed them to be. We built something out of nothing. And weâre just getting started.