School Start Up

BACK TO SCHOOL

Back to School is not the same this year. NOT AT ALL! Back in March when schools went virtual we all thought things would return back to normal in a few weeks. Weeks turned into months, spring break turned into summer break and now as we approach fall, things are still not ‘back to normal’. While things don’t look and feel the same as they did last September the world is moving ahead with the rhythms. Ready or not it’s time for back to school.

WELCOME TO THE ‘NEW NORMAL’

So here we are, at the start of a new school year and things still are not ‘back to normal’. It’s time we accept that this current reality is ‘the New Normal’ which is ever-changing as we ride out the wave of this pandemic and all the uncertainty. The scheduled school day looks different with kids are arriving and departing at all different times with masks on their faces and hand sanitizer in their back packs doing their best to social distance and unsure of what the future holds.

WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER – ALBIET 6 FEET APART

Such a cliche statement but so true. Everyone has been affected. Everyone has had their own disappointments and frustrations with regards to COVID 19 – events, celebrations, milestones of all shapes and sizes cancelled or postponed or downsized, trips that never happened, plans cancelled, staying at home rather than moving off to college, new babies you can’t hold, grandparents you can’t visit, loved ones you cannot hug or worse still loved ones lost. This is hard for everyone and we all have our list of Covid inconveniences and heartbreaks.

NOT JUST GRIEVANCES BUT GRATITUDE

While we all have our list of grievances and can rattle off all the things Covid-19 took from us let’s try and see the silver lining and search for things we can be grateful for. Maybe its a hard ask, but it’s good to focus on the positive – like extended time with loved ones, kids returning home, more family time, dinners shared, discussions had, games played, movies watched, and technology that makes this big world feel a little smaller as we can see and speak to others all over the globe, money not spent, skills learned (like baking sourdough), the new Covid puppy, books read, walls painted…come on, there has got to be something.

SO HERE WE ARE

The pandemic has not disappeared. Opinions are varied about how to move forward with life and with school and the course of action to do so is ever-changing. But we are moving forward and this attempt at Back To School is proof. So let’s do this and while doing so let’s ‘BE KIND, BE CALM & BE SAFE ‘- Dr.Bonnie Henry