VIEW FROM THE FRONT OFFICE
by Paul Sheffield
It’s hard to believe we have been utilizing
eLearning for almost two months and are close to wrapping up the 2019-20 school
year. In reality, by the time you read this we will have finished the school
year. The teachers and students at Exeter-Milligan have done a tremendous job
of adapting to this alternate delivery method.
We were a little ahead of the game since we are a 1 to 1 school - each
student in grades K-6 has their own iPad and each student in grades 7-12 has
their own laptop. Granted, this is not
the best form of educating all students, but we are forging ahead and embracing
this challenge with vigor. A huge thank
you goes out to the E-M school board for their continued support of the
technology placed into the hands of our students and teachers.
My heart aches for the Class of 2020. This year has not been the kind of year any
of us could have planned for. There are
many milestones this group will not have the opportunity to refer to when they
reminisce about the “good old days” - prom, senior trip, track meets, district
music - the list goes on and on.
However, the Class of 2020 did have the opportunity for an abbreviated
graduation ceremony. The weather somewhat cooperated (it was a little breezy),
but we were able to provide some closure and celebrate this milestone together
as a group.
At the beginning of the year when the seniors
were deciding on a class motto, one that bubbled to the top was, “Send it, it
will buff!” Being of the “older”
generation, I did have to Google to see if there were any hidden meanings to
this saying. My own children looked at
me with that “old man” look in their eyes and said, ”Really Dad, you don’t know
what it means?” (Insert eye roll here).
After a little more investigation I found there wasn’t an alternate
meaning. Basically it means that’s good enough for us. The group finally
settled on “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before
you’ve actually left them.”
While school was still in session and we were
all wondering how this COVID-19 thing was going to affect us, we discussed with
the students about the stories they were going to be able to share when they
got older. Our grandparents always had
the stories of how they had to walk to school, uphill (both ways), in rain,
sleet, or snow. My generation was able
to share about life without cell phones and computers. The stories these
students will share with their grandchildren will go like, “I remember when we
didn’t attend school for 3 months and we didn’t have track meets, prom - heck
we even had to stay home with mom and dad and it felt like forever.”
Upon further review, though, it seems
appropriate to refer to the Class of 2020’s first choice for a motto. With all of the unknowns we have experienced,
it does get right to the point.
Navigating the COVID-19 path has been one for the ages. There are days when we all look at each other
and say, “Well, I guess that will have to be good enough.” As we move forward, there are still many
unknowns, but I can hear the Class of 2020 giving me their advice, “Send it, it
will buff!”
No comments:
Post a Comment