Autumn Part II

Something unique happened to me a few days ago. Here I was, going about my business of creating a new blog post about transitioning from September to October and had a large chunk of it completed but felt I needed to come up for air so to speak. Within these last few days, I kept having this nagging feeling I had heard/read many of the words I had just written down. Low and behold, an Autumn blog I wrote about a year ago popped back up and - much to my chagrin, the verbiage was almost exactly the same from each post. I did however, promise to check back in to update from a year ago. I will spend this time updating you on my thoughts about Autumn, September, school and how things appear to be going with our almighty nemesis "Covid."

As I am still working through my transition from the everyday foray of school, staff, meetings and working on making systems better to the slower pace of finding my new niches, I do feel a settling in of what my new normal is becoming. I am working on N.S. a bit at a time, making contacts, looking for grants and writing blogs. Jamie and I are on the verge of getting a couple of contracts done and once those are solidified, we will feel pretty good about out starting points.

This Autumn has been interesting for me. I am now free on an almost daily basis to take my dog for a walk. This habit, she has come accustomed to and will rarely leave my side in the a.m. until we have done at least a half hour of brisk walking. Quite honestly, this has been good for me. I went from hardly every exercising to doing something almost each day.

OK- back to the topic. as I reflect on where we all were a year ago, I never would have thought we would still be battling this disease that has kicked the world's butt and continues to do so. I did not anticipate mask wearing or social distancing in school this year as I assumed we would be coming to the end of Covid by now. I do hope it does get better soon as I know a weary world in and of itself, let alone public education could stand to get a bit of a break. I mean, it does seem a bit less restrictive than a year ago but there are still mandates, quarantines and distancing. I understand I am Preaching to the Choir but it is getting old.

We need a semblance of normality to get back to where we can be together and social without worry of illness or grumpy people. School is already a challenge but I am a bit concerned that behaviors we have not seen in the consistent past will be another new normal. I am also deeply concerned that we are currently unable to find enough teachers.

Even with these concerns at the forefront of my mind, I do believe we will rebound and continue to move forward. That is, after all what human being have done since the beginning of time. The educational batons will be passed down to the younger folks who have energy to make amazing things happen. I hope we at Navigating Solutions will be able to help mentor and guide folks into the new way of things.