Testing, One, Two, Three

 Next week, there will be kids back in our school. Not a lot of them. Not at first. We are, after a fashion, beta-testing. This first week before Spring Break will be a trial run for volunteers, those most in need of remediation. The littlest ones.

We have an entire Kindergarten class who have yet to set foot in their actual classrooms. They have seen their teacher face to face only in Zoom meetings and periodic distribution days. Nonetheless, whenever these five year olds encounter their teacher, they call out and run to them. And would I be breaking some ed code by saying that there have been a few hugs given out. With masks on, and hasty reminders that we need to stay safe, but that connection which is like no other. 

I don't expect that once we bring back our upper grade kids that we will see that kind of unbridled enthusiasm. Ironically, I would assume that the kids we are bringing back from third, fourth, and fifth grades will be among the more sullen. The ones who have figured out that checking in on line and then turning off your camera will satisfy the tiniest bit of attendance required by our pandemic plan. Once you're seating in your socially distanced seat, instruction will probably feel a little more rigorous. 

Then there's the teachers themselves. The party line has been that we are all anxious to get our children back into classrooms as quickly as possible. I hold this truth to be self-evident. Still, that doesn't mean that some of us might pine a little for that short walk from the bedroom to the kitchen where the laptop and the white board are set up will be missed. There is a lot to be said for working from home. Wardrobe being chief among the simplifications. Everybody's school clothes are going to have to come out of the closet. My own uniform of T-shirt and jeans which has held steady for more than a year will shift to something a little more formal. Not jacket and tie, but maybe a shirt with a collar?

Into this brave new world we will charge, with only slight hesitation. After all, we have been away from this place as a group for more than a year. There have been a few gatherings to pick up and deliver supplies, but overall we are facing a first day of school after seven months of instruction. The tired old line "keep your hands and feet to yourself" will now be more than a stern reminder. It could be the reason you don't get to stay. 

Most of all, I believe that this in-person thing might just catch on. Teachers, students and their families may see a benefit to having children go elsewhere to get their knowledge. As the computer teacher I am more than pleased and proud with the way that everyone adapted to more technology, but I am sure that there are still a lot of advantages to being in the room where it happens. 

Wish us luck.