From Sept. 14, 2020: Happy Labor Day!

 

Happy Labor Day!

September 14, 2020

It is with a great deal of gratitude that we arrive at Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of summer. Why be grateful that summer is over? Perhaps we can just be grateful that THIS summer is over. 

It's been a summer unlike any other in my 30 years of school leadership. As with most in my profession, these past months have been filled with finding PPEs, cleaning companies, electrostatic sprayers, moving desks, upgrading HVAC systems, researching room air filters, following the Centers for Disease Control and state and local health departments for ever changing guidance, talking with parents who don't want their children coming to school, talking with parents who want their child to come to school every day, upgrading internet infrastructure, interviewing prospective families looking for a better match, planning online and hybrid classes, sorting out transportation... and on and on. 

I'm blessed to be working in a school with a talented and committed group of educators who have stepped in and handled challenges every step of the way. It truly takes a village, even before students arrive, to prepare, and this is a tremendous village. Now that some students have arrived on campus the year begins to feel like what will pass for "normal," and having adolescent energy in the building picks up everyone's spirits, even as we continue to worry about health and social distancing. 

But Labor Day brings the end of planning and anticipation and the beginning of execution and refinement. So take a breath over these three days, enjoy what promises to be a lovely weekend, even if only sitting outside the front door. There's enough to be anxious about come next Tuesday, give yourself a respite over these next few days. Be grateful for nice weather, be grateful for your health, be grateful for a school community that cares, be grateful that we live in an era when distance learning is possible, be grateful for your children (and students, be grateful for your parents). 

I hope that you have a restful weekend.