There have been a lot of "firsts," both professional and personal, over the last eight months for all of us here in the ESD community and beyond. With the exception of the year I lived abroad, this is the first time in my life I wasn't with extended family for Thanksgiving. While different, it was a great experience and I wouldn't change anything. 

This school year, despite its incredible difficulty, has allowed us educators to experiment with new ideas, try new lessons in classrooms, and utilize unfamiliar technologies. All the skills we have learned as well as the success and failures along the way will certainly inform our teaching and make ESD an improved center of learning moving forward.

What has been most challenging for many of us is to know where we should direct frustration with things out of our control. It was a Heil family decision to stay put this Thanksgiving. However, it was not a Heil family decision to close our favorite Tex Mex restaurant back in August. It might sound silly but I still haven't recovered and get highly irritated anytime we have to decide where to find a great chimichanga. My anger doesn't help the doors reopen, though. Getting mad about foreclosure hasn't led to the restaurant's return. 

What could help, however, is if I could chat with the landlord to better understand why the company couldn't grant more grace. I might feel better if I heard the whole story. Unfortunately, I was never offered that opportunity.

ESD's decision making over the last eight months is out of your control. Most of you have trusted that we are doing what is best for your children. Thank you for extending that trust. For others, you have reached out with questions to better understand our perspective. And, those conversations have been fruitful. I want to remind you all that you always have that option. You can email or call me (I much prefer to talk rather than write) and I will find time to answer all your questions and, hopefully, provide some valuable context as we continue to navigate this year of firsts.

We look forward to seeing our students back for review and exams!