I have spent much time this past week as part of a parent task force for my kids’ school. We are discussing important things like building relationships, quality academics, community, social/emotional health, screen time and physical fitness. The schools that I work with are exploring these same areas. I found that this article provided some good insights into how schools are preparing for this upcoming round of distance learning:
Kids’ mental health can struggle during online school. Here’s how teachers are planning ahead.
As I think about this concept of “preparing,” I realize that educators and parents do have an advantage over our experience of emergency remote learning last spring. We do have the benefit of time to prepare, and also the ability to learn from those schools who are able to re-open safely in certain parts of the country. However, a significant difference lies in the physical and mental exhaustion that we all face, and its cumulative toll. Summer was a misnomer in some ways (although my family did enjoy a weeklong vacation, which I greatly appreciate as a privilege that not all were able to experience).
So we prepare with uncertainty and with faith. I look to Jesus’ example of going away to the desert and to the mountains to think and pray, as one of the ways by which he took the time and space to prepare. Simple acts like playing my guitar and walking my dog assist me with my mental health, and will continue to do so throughout these pandemic months. I hope that each of us can commit to simply, daily acts of mindfulness. We will be better to ourselves and to our children as a result.
Keeping the Faith 