Sara Sandstrom, Nederland. Another twist on the rollercoaster that is school this year. Some students have returned to the school building. Kindergarten through second grade has returned to the classroom at Nederland Elementary. My daughter is in that group and she has enjoyed being back. The fact that her favorite school lunch food, all-beef hot dog and beans, was served during the first week was a big incentive to get going in the early morning. She is happy so that makes me happy.

We are certainly not the only family who is dealing with one kid in school and one kid still in Home Learning. It has been a bit rough trying to figure out schedules yet again. One could say that I should just keep both in Home Learning. If I have learned anything from last spring and the last few months, it is that my children learn best when in the school building. There is a routine there that they appreciate and that my work does not allow me to have when we are at home. Also not fighting with a Chrome book as it cuts in and out would make my day a little easier.

So, we wait and hope that the upper elementary grades will be allowed to be back at school soon, if it is deemed safe to do so. I must admit that when both of my kids are back to in-person learning I will miss participating with them in their physical education class. I have enjoyed it, despite the frequent comment from my older child of, “Mom, get out of the camera. Everyone can see you.” I guess we are just getting into the kid embarrassed by his mom phase. Sigh. I see another rollercoaster in our future. 

In a month I do not know if we will be in Home Learning or In-person Learning. It is impossible to predict and plan in this environment. As much as I try to be flexible and agreeable to all this there is no way around the fact that it is difficult. It is not fair to the kids who want to be in school and can not be. 

I was talking to someone this week about the challenges of the situation and they gave me a great reminder. Our kids will learn from this. Skills in executive functioning (cognitive processes and mental skills) will develop in ways that we do not fully understand right now. Covid has put everyone’s executive functioning out of whack. Hopefully, kids and adults will have greater mental flexibility after this. Hopefully, we learn some strategies to calm down our brains. I do hope that it creates more empathy. Empathy for how tough parenting is. Empathy for how hard teachers work. Empathy for how challenging this is on our children. 

I encourage you to give your kids a few extra hugs for your sake and for theirs. Do this to feel a little more connected as this strange world swirls around us. We are not out of the woods yet and a few more snuggles can make a big positive difference each day. 

(Originally published in the October 8, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)