March 18, 2020

Today marks day 4 of spring break. Yesterday, I received the call that the district will not resume classes until April 6 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That is an extra week off. While having time at home to work on my masters courses, I must admit this closing has me scared. I am afraid for my children. All 108 of them. Many of whom look forward to school as that is their safe place. Many of whom I look forward to seeing as they are MY safe place. We are in uncharted waters. My students, my parents and families, and myself. Distance teaching? A whole new concept. Yes, we use chrome books and digital learning on a daily basis. But that does not replace what we do on a daily basis. School in today’s world is so much more than academics. It’s relationship building. It’s character building. It’s an extended family. Those things cannot be completed through digital teaching.

Yesterday, the state of Kansas cancelled all in-person classes for the remainder of the school year. While that does not directly affect me, it makes me worried about the state of Missouri. Will we follow suit? Will we not? What does all of this mean?

In times of such uncertainty, we must join together. Distancing needs to be a close affair. We need to connect with one another now more than ever. I have made the mistake of being on social media over this time. I say mistake because there is so much negativity. Within my community we have many students who depends on school for meals. In a time where we should be supporting each other, there are community members complaining about the schools providing meals for these children while school has been cancelled! Stating that it is up to the parents to make sure that children are fed. While that is a valid point, it is not the child’s fault! Why are people so hateful to children who need help? This is perhaps something that I will never understand. In a time that is so uncertain, a time where the world is changing by the hour, how can full grown adults be so hateful?!

So, for the rest of my spring break, I am snuggling with my nieces. To let them know that they are loved and cared for. I will also be sending out videos to my students to let them know that they are loved and cared for and how much I miss them. I will encourage them to continue our kindness challenges as well as challenge them to learn something new at home. Maybe a new recipe. Maybe how to do laundry. Maybe how to wax floors? (That’s what my nieces will learn ;))

I can only hope that through these uncharted waters, some good will come. To quote Jackie DeShannon: “What the world needs now is Love.” Would you all pray for that?