Dear Students of 2020,
Here you are! You are stepping into a world where no one has gone before. You are attempting to continue your education during a global pandemic. Someday your kids and grandkids are going to read about you in history books.
They are going to read about your Chromebooks and iPads sent home to you from your schools for virtual learning.
The face mask mandates in the districts and the creative face shields to replace masks.
They are going to see pictures of desks 6 feet apart and hanging sheets of clear plastic hung strategically throughout the school.
Books and articles will talk about hybrid learning at home part-time, and at school for the rest of the time.
It will highlight the stress of teachers, parents, and the stress of you as the student.
You are being asked to learn on platforms that are still developing instead of classrooms that have been established for centuries.
We are asking you to rise up and take a step into the darkness. The darkness of the unknown for our future. The unknown of when “normal” school full of chatting friends sitting nearby, tag at recess, and less than 6 feet apart for group work, will resume.
It’s hard, and it’s scary, and you are the pioneers for this. Your feedback on Zoom meetings, Google Classroom assignments, and in-person lectures with adapted seating will drive our school system to success as teachers, administration, and parents navigate and troubleshoot this new layout of education.
To the students of the 2020-2021 school year, our future is in your hands more than it has ever been in student’s hands before. And we trust you. Together, we can make it through and create a better world for those to come.
You’ve got this.
