That old song started playing in my head this morning. It's just the nature of things these days. Seems as though that's what so many us are doing - parents, students, teachers...everyone!!
Turns out we will be receiving at least some information this Thursday - July 30 - when the governor will announce state recommendations and directives around the start of the 2020-2021 school year. As a teacher whose wife is also a teacher in the district we live in, we are pretty consistently asked some version of the question "So, what do you guys know about school this fall?" The thing is - and this is the frustrating/stressing/beguiling/liberating part of it all - we don't know any more than any other neighborhood resident. Let's be honest: almost nobody does. Right now, all any of us can do is go about our business, starting thinking and planning mentally (and probably emotionally) for any scenario, and be ready to respond and act to directives handed down.
My hope and goal is to take this specific situation being dealt and turn it on itself...to make this an opportunity to grow, learn, and develop new skills as an educator. Surely new methods, skills, problem-solving, and collaboration will be needed over this next school year. Some of the lessons from this past spring will prove to be quite valuable. Things thought to be true and self-evident from the initial go-around with distance learning may prove to be false or misleading within the context of a larger time period. Students and families will need more (and sometimes quite unique) assistance and resources than during a 'typical' school year. Many students will come into this school year with a new/updated/altered world view, shaped by the pandemic, a new civil rights push, and families no doubt impacted in many different ways within the last six months.
So, right now it's hurry up and wait. Wait to see what we have to work with and within. Many around me are eager and anxious to hear what's next. I'm going to relish a couple more days of the quiet, before we all spring into action for the year to come.
We got this; we will get through this; we will be better on the other end of this.
