2020 Reflection - Being Thankful
This year has been difficult for every, single person I know. We think we are making progress, but then we are hit with something else: pandemic, school online, no public gathering, rioting, economic struggles, masks and changes in our everyday lives because of the aforementioned. These things have had such an impact on our lives that we are really concerned and feel a weight for the future of our country.
But…..I’m really tired of the negative, sad reports that we hear about every day, and I think you probably are as well. What I’d like to address are positive things I have been seeing in the last couple of weeks.
At home, I’ve observed my own children stepping up and completing remote learning tasks without a mom at home to help them. I am so thankful that they are independent learners. My oldest daughter has taken it upon herself to help her younger siblings. My sweet sister has come to be a support at home as well. What an encouragement!
I’ve seen my dedicated teachers come to school and, although we didn’t get all of our PPE in time to start school, they’ve looked for other, more inexpensive ways of making it safe for our students and our staff to start in-person! They’ve all been very flexible and willing to go above and beyond just planning lessons and implementing them from behind masks. They've hung shower curtains in our classrooms, come up with a new schedule because we’ve had a staffing change, sub in a class because a teammate is out, cover lunches once a week or stay a few minutes late to set up plexiglass dividers. I can truly say I could not have made it through this first quarter without these wonderful ladies.
I’ve been a part of a team of dedicated administrators that have worked tirelessly all summer long to plan an in-person start to our school year. I’ve felt supported by upper management and my fellow network administrators. Although they are all busy, they are just a phone call away. We’ve also had encouraging emails from board members saying they are so proud of us and that their kids are glad to be back in person.
But most impressive to me in all this has been the number of parents I’ve heard from in our Homeschool Community that have said that their children love the PSAS Homeschool Enrichment Program and how thankful they are that we decided to open in-person this fall. I can’t tell you how nice this has been. Parents have said thank you, you're doing a great job or my kid loves this program. To have the support and appreciation of our families has been wonderful. So thank you Homeschool community! We appreciate you as well!
Last, but definitely not least, we just had a parent from Fulton Heights drive all the way across town drop off Clorox Wipes because she had an extra one. She had seen the need on Facebook! Another woman from Sonrise Church was walking out of PJ’s Coffee right next door to us and asked what their Ladies Ministry could do for us. They are now going to be on the lookout for Clorox wipes for us! What an amazing community we live in! Thank you for thinking of us!
We need to realize that we are making a difference in our communities when we choose to step up and go above and beyond what is asked of us. Our administrative team knew that most kids learn best when they are in-person, so that is how we opened, and we’ve gone 9-weeks with just one positive case! Some families felt safer at home, so PSAS has developed an E-Learning option for those families. Parents, students, and teachers are making the best of our new normal, behind masks.
This has been an extraordinary year, one we will not too quickly forget….but when we take time to be thankful for the small things and look for ways we can help others, we are taking a step towards making a difference. So the next time you hear something that makes you sad or disappointed, I challenge you to see if you can find something positive to think about!
Thankfulness….