Okay, first of all, let me be honest, this note is as much of a pep-talk for me as it might be for you. “Seeing the good” in the COVID-19 crisis, for me, has been a struggle. Like most of you, I was shocked, disappointed, and totally bummed out that all of our most anticipated activities had been cancelled, postponed, or highly discouraged to carry out. From my six-year-old’s final basketball game, to a normal Tuesday morning with my wonky and hilarious eighth graders — wham, upended. Upon finding out that March Madness had been kiboshed, one of my husband’s friends said, “I feel like a kid who just found out that his birthday, Halloween, and Christmas were all cancelled.” I agree, completely.
But — and here’s the turn — this is about more than any inconvenience to me or my six-year-old kid’s basketball season. Sure, we can feel disappointed, bummed out, and angry, even. But we can’t stay there. This strange moment is about something bigger. It’s about doing what’s best for our community, state, and nation; reorienting our normal; accepting that no one can predict what will happen. We can only control a few aspects of this crisis — the moment right in front of our face. Here we are, unexpectedly challenged to bring our best selves into each new day, as abnormal and uncertain as it might be.
Stay tuned for some ideas to digitally enrich and support your students’ literacy skills while we are educating from home. But for now, I hope we can all find peace in this moment, embrace each day, and believe in the best.
With you & for you,
Lindsay