Pandemic Thoughts

Knowing that the Corona virus has affected virtually every human in the world, it's challenging today to offer thoughts regarding life in a first world country in the midst of chaos. Over the last two weeks, our school district has given us all a crash course in what zoom meetings consist of. As a novice in "Zooming" about two weeks ago, I have had the opportunity of making my living through this mode of communication. I have to admit, it has been a challenge.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the technology at our fingertips as well as a way of instantly communicating and seeing (If we so choose) each other but as with a lot of things lately, this has altered the course of education.

Our school district has an extremely high free/reduced lunch rate. Poverty is high as many of our families are field workers. Our families are hard working people who love their families yet are in a position where working outside for several hours each day is their means of survival. This poses a series of challenges for us in our school district as we are heading "back to school" after our Spring Break finished on April 6th. What that exactly means will need to be decided during the next several weeks. Not all of our families have the ability to have internet or computers so our district is working furiously to find out answers to how best to instruct children during this time of pandemic.

My instruction to the staff I lead has been safety and well being first. Make sure you and your family are safe and healthy. Do you have enough food? As a side note, our district is stepping in with that also as well as a daycare set up in one school for families of health care workers. That being said, the academics will happen again. I have a feeling it will be a bit choppy at first but begin to flow as this new means of delivering services is applied.

Special Education will continue as well. We have reached out to our families. We will continue to provide services. IEPs and evaluations will continue and we will keep moving forward. Will all of this be perfect? Probably not but it will get done. If things need changing after normality begins again, we will alter documents and programs in favor of our students. I have already gotten feedback from some of my case managers who have had the ability to touch bases with families. Our kids are happy to see their teachers. They want to connect with our staff through phone calls, tele-therapy or whatever means we can. And teachers, bless their hearts are just as happy to connect with students and families. Most of us in education are a different breed of people. We need that deep centered connection. Again, fortunately, we do have the means of getting that connection through technology.

I am hoping to lead and end this blog with some encouragement here. Please continue to keep safe. Stay home if you are able. Reach out to your teachers and administrators for either an educational chat or other if you need. If you need us to talk you down due to some form of anxiousness, we are here. If you need an ear to listen, we are here. You, our families are the reasons we choose to take on this occupation year after year. Know you are important..

Take care,

Jon