DEDICATED TEACHER GRADES PAPERS IN HOSPITAL ON LAST DAY
Over 30% of teachers take work home every day, and according to a 2023 survey in America, teachers put in 53 hours a week, which is seven hours longer than the typical schedule of other working persons. While this indicates how passionate instructors are to their pupils, this often leads to them placing kids before themselves, even at their most vulnerable times. Such was the case of Alejandro Navarro, a Texas teacher who tragically passed away and made national news for working tirelessly into his final hours.
In a since-deleted Facebook post, Sandra A. Venegas, Navarro's daughter, detailed his predicament as a teacher at Del Rio Middle School in Texas. The teacher, who was born in Mexico, had dedicated his career to helping pupils who were learning English as a second language. Because of this, Navarro's family believes he recognised himself in the students he taught.
He was sent to the hospital right before Christmas break after his condition deteriorated. He packed his laptop and charger so he could continue working while in the emergency room because he was still worried about completing grades for progress reports. Navarro, who passed away in 2020, had long been dealing with heart issues and kidney damage.
Venegas, an elementary school teacher herself, reminisced about her father’s determination. “Doctors were coming in to see him,” she wrote. “They were running tests, they were telling him he needed to decide what he wanted in the event that his heart stopped: CPR and intubation or to go in peace. He’d answer their questions and resume with grades.”
According to the teacher's daughter, who spoke to KENS5, Navarro loved his students and always gave them his best effort. Venegas stated, "He simply loved what he did and never wanted the attention to be on him." "He always did it from the bottom of his heart with such enthusiasm." Nevertheless, she wished she had done something when he was working all day, recalling the last time she had seen him at home. Venegas remarked, "I wish I had shut off his laptop and relished our time together." "Teachers work a lot of overtime, which many people are unaware of."
Although nothing can replace her father, she hopes that this loss will highlight the work that educators do.“Thank your teachers,” she wrote. “If you are married to one, help them set boundaries; if you are the daughter/son of one, don’t let them work once they’re home. Treat your teachers with kindness. "Teachers, let's not normalise working beyond hours, let's not normalise remaining at work late," Venegas added in her parting message to her peers. You are replaceable at work. At home, you cannot be replaced.