Teacher replies to weatherman who mocked school closings

Rachel Williams Grimes is a tenth grade language arts teacher at Ware County High School who also writes a blog.

In a written piece after the stormy Wednesday across Georgia, Grimes addresses complaints about school districts that either closed in anticipation of bad weather, or released students early because of the threat of tornadoes.

She opens listing teachers across the U.S. who died shielding students in tragedies ranging from school shootings to other storms. She continues:

“I can tell you about these teachers – and others like them – because I, too, am a teacher. Like bankers, who keep up with new federal regulations, and chefs, who learn about the latest food trends, teachers are constantly educated, too. We don’t wile away our days making cutesy bulletin boards and singing songs about friendship: we do real work.

“And a large part of that work is making sure your children are safe. And so we continually think about what we would be willing to sacrifice for your child.”

She goes on to write about the risks teachers take, experiences she has had, the real risks that students are sometimes under and contrasts that with the pettiness of complaints about school closings. The piece has picked up readership from around the state