The Increasing Difficulty of Teaching
Elizabeth Nicholson is a 4th-grade teacher at Broadus Wood Elementary School who teaches every subject a 4th-grader needs to know, instead of having different subjects for different teachers. She has been working at the elementary school for 23 years, and she loves her job. Nicholson has won the local Teacher of the Year award several times by being nominated by her students. She loves forming a connection with her students and teaching them important material, and how to improve academically.
On July 9, 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 33 to help bring cell phone-free education to Virginia schools, which includes elementary schools. This ban has become extremely controversial amongst students and teachers alike. There have been discussions about potential safety concerns when it comes to the inaccessibility of one’s phone. But smartphones have become understandably distracting for students and can cause disruptions in class.
Nicholson was hesitant about the ban being passed. She firsthand knows the issues that can come with her kids having phones in class, but she is still resistant to the ban. “I have mixed feelings on it, but I also abide by it and follow the rule, but I don’t get to take pictures of my kids when we’re out on the playground or when I see them in really cute moments because I don’t have my phone near me,” she said. She would often use her phone for research reasons or to play a song for the children to start the school day. Something that was once unique to her teaching style and character; she is no longer allowed to do.
When asked about the appreciation and pay for teachers, she was very vocal about how, although teaching is one of her passions, she can’t help but feel underappreciated by the school board. “The pay doesn’t equal the profession, and then they give us a job where they don’t provide all the required materials, so we use a lot of our own money to supplement what the profession doesn’t provide,” said Nicholson; “Even after I got my degree, which cost me like $40,000, I had to take a $300 test to prove I was a teacher.”
Being underappreciated by her students was not a concern for Nicholson. She knows how much of an impact she has had on her classes for the last 23 years, and her teacher of the year awards are physical proof of that.
Nicholson is a proud 4th-grade teacher. She wears her heart on her sleeve and welcomes new students with open arms, confident that she can have a positive impact on them. Even though every school year has new challenges, she continues through the years with a smile on her face.
