Students resilient, wise during pandemic
Over 25 years in the education profession, time goes so fast. Admittedly, the COVID pandemic has brought the biggest challenges to a career already full of challenges that I have personally faced. I do not believe we will fully grasp the extent to which this virus has affected our lives for the foreseeable future; however, I do believe it has left an indelible mark in our psyche and in the lives of our children.
Trying to have students in school all day/every day has been a challenge. We, at Cedar Cliff, are thankful each day we have school in session, for each day we have extra and co-curricular activities, for each day we lay eyes on students and can check on their well-being.
What I am not thankful for is being the COVID mask police, trying to encourage or mandate parents follow the rules to assist keeping students in school and in activities. What I am not thankful for is the constant stress over whether we can make it another week before shifting to a hybrid or virtual format.
One aspect of COVID that has become particularly apparent to me is the cementing of educational truisms that I have come to appreciate during my career. I already thought, but now I am certain of the following:
■ Students are resilient — they are doing a better job of handling the pandemic, in many cases, better than the adults.
■ Students, deep down, want to learn and be in school — regardless of what they claim, the majority of students really do want to be in school around their peers and get an education.
■ Students are much easier to work with than the adults — the most disrespectful and outlandish behavior regarding this pandemic has not been via the behavior of the students.
■ Students are worth it — students can make light of any situation, keeping you mentally grounded and providing a sense of purpose to your day. Few professions are fortunate enough to
share that attribute.
I attend meetings, hold conference calls, and obtain guidance from professionals about this virus, but the best advice I receive always comes from students. My students have a common-sense approach to all things COVID.
Consider a recent kindergarten student’s approach to current events: “Wear the mask and don’t pick your nose, you will push the virus farther into your body.” If that is not the final word on COVID, I am not sure what is.