School

A little funny to start this off. 

So school is supposed to start here soon. I am sure, like most places, your plan has changed 97 times and probably it will change 20 more times before our kids step foot in the building... or not. 

In a strange new twist, both M's teacher and aide have put in their resignations. 

M's teacher was a year away from retirement. M's aide is the sweetest human on the planet. She is a single mom who has been working two jobs for years, and she was offered a great full-time job with benefits. And I am so happy for her and proud of her making the hard decision to leave. 

But that means we are 3 weeks out from school and M's class has no guidance. There's no one making cute door decorations with my daughter's name on it right now. Or even praying for her successful start to school. 

I know that God has a plan, I am excited to see it unfold. But I am really sad too. There's been a lot of focus on the big kids. SATs are rescheduled. Proms and graduations are canceled. And I am sad for those kids.  (I mean, the meme about getting graduation by sitting in a shower curtain outside while someone reads the phone book isn't actually all that incorrect, but still, it's a milestone.) 

But I haven't heard a whole lot about these kindergarteners. Last years or this years. They missed a huge chunk of the fun stuff. They're still learning how to learn and what school really is. And let's be real, even if these kids get to go to school, which is looking less and less likely, it's not going to be the kindergarten of old. 

I mean, it already was way more academic than probably it should be. But now there's no carpet time. No learning how to wait for the black crayon from the communal box. No hugs or high fives when they suddenly "get it." No silly songs or games. 

And so my heart just aches. For those summer birthdays or kids on the fence, I would certainly hold them. Why not wait a year and see what it looks like next fall? For all of us, parents who were going to launch their baby or their oldest and have been praying for 5 or 6 years that school be a great safe place for them, may their hearts heal a bit too. 

No one wanted this. No one asked for it. 

All kids are going to make sacrifices and adjustments. But at least the big kids understand how to roll with the punches a little. I am super sad for the littles that don't even know what it should look like. But here we are. Everyone's schooling is going to look a little different, my guess is even homeschoolers will have to adjust a little with resources and field trip options. Here's to hoping it turns out just fine! I am sure it will.