It’s that time of year when students are scheduled to head back to school. However, this year has been a stressful conundrum for teachers, students, and parents. What’s the correct answer for this situation? It seems to be terribly open ended, leaving a sour taste in one’s mouth.
There is no right answer. There is no easy solution. That is the hard pill to swallow. Either children stay home with less interaction with their peers – perhaps safer for their physical health, but what about their mental health? Or they go back to school and see their peers, but risk infection. Will children become paranoid of their surroundings? Are we creating a generation of germaphobes? Or will this virus flourish within this plethora of new hosts, spreading at an all time high?
I can sit here and go through every possible scenario, but that’s not going to ease my mind. It will not bring comfort. Instead, I can only sit here helplessly, as nature takes its course.
And so the recurring themes of patience, solidarity, isolation, and caution, continue to play out in my world. I must sit here, in my apartment, and just wait and see what happens. There’s nothing more I can really do at this point.
Some things to help manage the risk include talking about the serious nature of wearing a mask, washing hands, not breathing on one another… Keep an open line of communication. Model the behaviors you want to see.
I’m no parent. I don’t know it all and I can’t preach to it. But I suppose just remembering that your words and actions can make a small difference in helping another human, is enough for now.
So best of luck to our educators, students, and parents. I’m personally rooting for all of you to have a safe, positive, productive school year.
Elle Christine Travels 