It's been just over a year. I remember the sirens going off, the wind whipping outside, and wondering what all the fuss was about. I also vividly remember walking through the neighborhoods around ESD to assist with cleanup and seeing, firsthand, the damage that such a vicious storm can inflict. Some of our families still haven't recovered from the impact. In those days, weeks, and months that followed the 2019 Dallas tornado, I would have had difficulty imagining a worse natural disaster here in North Texas.
Here we are now, though, enduring a global pandemic that has had a far greater impact, in and out of school. Last year ended like no other. Graduation happened, albeit in July and with limited attendance. This year has been nothing short of surreal.
Instead of interviewing interested students for admission to ESD, we are spending our time figuring out which current students are supposed to be at school in person and which ones aren't. Instead of worrying about students being too loud at lunch, we are making sure students are masked when not in the act of eating. Instead of welcoming students into classrooms with a handshake or a smile, we are taking their temperature at arm's length. Instead of cheering for our teams in person, we are watching online. Instead of informal help sessions with students, upper school teachers are overseeing outdoor mask breaks, our version of recess.
As I have mentioned in several forums this fall, the combination of a new schedule with differing period lengths, a constant need to enforce a new set of rules, and the anxiety created by regular quarantines have rendered our faculty exhausted.
What I have realized in numerous conversations with parents is that you all are exhausted as well. Maybe it's in different ways, but it is real. It has never been harder to be a parent. You are worried about your kids and their future. You are concerned about the health and safety of your families. And, oftentimes, you are pushing back against a cultural tide by constantly asking your children to act against their human teen instincts.
Exhaustion can lead to impatience and impatience can lead to frustration. Thus far, however, I think our community is doing pretty well. It appears that we have not taken for granted the privilege of being together every day. So, I thank you all, once again, for understanding that this year is different. You are openly acknowledging that we are fighting to remain open for in person learning as long as we can. And, you have expressed your gratitude in so many ways for our faculty's dedication and commitment to your child's learning.
Please continue to partner with us in the coming weeks by encouraging responsibility, extending grace, and asking questions. When you have those questions, I am only a phone call away. Don't hesitate to reach out.
While it might get harder before it gets easier, as many of you who have had an in person learner on quarantine know, being here is better than not.
Virtue of the Month
November's Virtue is Honor. One of my favorite virtues, honor is a cornerstone of the ESD Upper School experience. The Academic Pledge, or "Honor Code," is owned by our students and upheld by an elected Honor Council. Additionally, honor is an important foundation for character construction. We will hear from many different people in daily worship this month about what honor means to them. I look forward to those homilies!
Recommended Viewing
Ted Lasso - A perfect show for a pandemic, it is funny, heartwarming, and reminds us that good people exist in this world. Based on an ESPN skit from a few years back, SNL veteran Jason Sudekis plays an American college football coach hired to head a Premier League British Football Club. It is clearly a nod to the sports classic, Major League, without the raunch. There is some colorful language but I would feel comfortable watching it with a teen.
What I'm Reading
Boys Don't Try? Rethinking Masculinity in Schools - Written by two British educators (be prepared for "organised" and other spelling nuances), this research-based book looks at the myths of teaching boys and delves into what research currently tells us are more effective means of reaching young men and helping them fulfill their potential. While it is primarily geared toward teachers, it will also resonate with those who are raising boys at home.
The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution - Harvard Professor of Biological Anthropology, Richard Wrangham, investigates the research about human aggression and domestication, how these concepts impact our day to day lives, and the lens, by which, we see each other. It is an interesting look at why humans act the way we do.