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Today was Truman‘s first day back at in-person school since this all began. He was given the choice to continue distance-learning at home or to return for the last few weeks of 9th grade. He enthusiastically chose to go back to school. In fact, he may never have felt more excitement for school than he did this morning. Andy and I both dropped him off so that we could witness this moment together. Truman didn’t even mind me taking his photo, saying that he knew we would always want to remember this day.
I know there are a lot of differing, complicated, and sometimes conflicted feelings about in-person versus distance learning. In our home, we are all fully vaccinated (except Truman, who is still too young). And as Truman has not had any in-person interaction with his peers in a over a year, we felt that consideration of his emotional well-being superseded the risk. So off he walked into school this morning, wearing pants about five inches longer than the last time he made this walk, and new shoes the size of his dad’s. He turned back for once last wave, and I recognized a hesitant smile behind two layers of mask. I kind of wish I could have followed him or peeked into the windows to catch a glimpse of how it’s all going.
I’m thinking of parents all across town and around the country who have bravely navigated these uncharted waters, trying to keep it all together and make the best decisions for their families. And I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for wonderful teachers for the endless extra hours they’ve invested in teaching our kids with enthusiasm and diligence, all while reinventing their profession.
I wish all the students and parents a great first day back! May we extend one another compassion and patience as we figure it all out.
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