"Even in a small rural town, you're not insulated from the immense forces that shape the world. History happens. Economies rise and fall. Wars begin. Continents drift and mountains erode. One day, the sun will expand and swallow the Earth. Most of us don't get much of a say in any of it. Yet, day after day, people find purpose. They wake up early, show up with intention, and try to make sense of things-not just for themselves, but also for others."
"Teachers do this every day. Not for recognition, and rarely for much pay. It's a repetitive act of maintenance that holds things together. Choosing to shoulder that task, even while standing at the edge of something vast and indifferent, is a quiet act of defiance. Amidst overwhelmingness and uncontrollableness and unanswerableness, teachers-and all custodians of human affairs-keep meaning in the world by steadily and stubbornly tending to it."
Pat Perry completed a mural in Wisconsin featuring portraits of 27 local schoolteachers. The mural centers on the persistence of everyday caretaking amid vast historical and environmental forces that individuals largely cannot control. It emphasizes teachers' daily ritual of arriving early, working with intention, and helping others make sense of complex realities without expectation of recognition or substantial pay. The work frames teaching as a repetitive act of maintenance that holds communities together and as a quiet act of defiance against overwhelmingness and indifference. Teachers and other custodians of human affairs keep meaning in the world by steadily and stubbornly tending to it.
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