It’s been about a month since we’ve heard a new tale from Dave Grohl’s Dave’s True Stories.
And after sharing a touching story about his dad on Father’s Day, Grohl’s latest story (now in audio form) is about not only the importance of teachers but his mother, Virginia.
“Every kid should feel so lucky to have that favorite teacher,” Grohl said. “The one who changes your life for the better.”
Recounting how his mother went above and beyond the role of a teacher despite only making about $35,000 a year at the time. “She was one of those teachers who became a mentor to many and her students remembered her long after they graduated,” he said.
With the debate on whether or not schools should reopen in a few weeks, he pointed out the fact that teachers are now having to face more challenges than getting their kids to listen during class.
“Teachers are also confronted with a whole new set of dilemmas that most people would not consider. There’s so much more to be addressed than just opening the doors and sending [children] back home, my mother tells me on the phone,” Grohl said. “Now 82 and retired, she runs down a list of concerns based on her 35 years of experience: Masks and distancing, temperature checks, crowded bussing, crowded hallways, sports, air-conditioning systems, lunchrooms, public restrooms, janitorial staff. Most schools already struggle from a lack of resources. How can they possibly afford the mountain of safety measures that will need to be in place?”
Grohl explained why remote learning is currently the way to go, despite what the current administration is pushing for.
“The solution, for now, is remote learning,” Grohl’s mother argued, although that too presents a challenge for “working class and single parents dealing with the logistical problem of balancing jobs with the children at home,” as well as technological and social issues. “Remote learning is an inconvenient and hopefully temporary solution, but as much as Donald Trump’s conductor-less orchestra would love to see the country reopen schools in the name of rosy optics, ask a science teacher what they think about White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s comment that ‘Science should not stand in the way.’ It would be foolish to do so at the expense of our students, teachers and school.”
He ended the piece with a sense of gratitude for all the teachers who are doing what they can to keep education going and how we all should respect them.
“Until you’ve spent countless days in a classroom,” he said, “devoting your time and energy to becoming that lifelong mentor to generations of otherwise disengaged students, you must listen to those who have. Teachers want to teach, not die. And we should support and protect them like the national treasures that they are. For without them, where would we be.”
Listen to the audio of Grohl’s latest story below.
