Earlier this morning, I watched an episode from the SOLO series on Amazon Prime. In the episode, the main character is Leah and she is working so hard to make travel to the future happen. The viewer learns that the real reason she wants to travel to the future is to find a cure for the ALS her mother is suffering from in the present so that she can avoid having to lose her. Part of the episode has her arguing between her past, present and future selves. In the end, she directs her past self in what has to be done for a do-over of sorts. In that decision, the present self and future self fade away allowing her to go back in time and hopefully, do some things better.
If there was ever a year I might like to be given a second chance, it would be this year.
I’d like to rewind some decisions, conversations, and missed opportunities to connect.
I’d like to have found better ways to communicate and to have been more organized.
I’d like to have met some of the goals I had for myself personally.
I'd like to have hugged my son way more than I did before he moved away.
In the absence of Leah’s magical powers for time travel, I need to come to terms that for this year, I gave my fullest efforts. (We all did!) And while I didn’t make the mark in so many areas, I showed up at each occasion to try.
That’s the crux of what so many of us had to do this year. Try.
My amazing teachers tried so hard to connect with students over computer screens even when the same students wouldn’t turn on their cameras. My relentless teachers extended deadlines for work knowing students were going through the same struggles as we all were as adults. My compassionate teachers tried so hard in so many ways to give everything they have. Teachers learned new tools overnight and stepped up for our students at every turn.
It wasn’t an easy year for them, either. No way, no how.
And when I say teachers...I also mean everyone in our school community. From our amazing custodian to our rockstar clerical team to our nurses, to our incredible aides/TAs and all other integral support staff. It also means our cafeteria team! Wow, did they all give their best. No one will ever be able to say we, as an entire school team, didn’t try to make lemonade out of lemons this year! We did that and more. No matter what was asked of the group, they came through.
This also includes the remarkable leadership team I am a part of. We’ve been working around the clock since March 2020 trying to compensate for every regulation thrown our way. They’ve allowed me to let my guard down when I’ve needed to and given me the courage to get right back at it when it was missing.
While this year has been surrounded by so much negativity, hurt and fear, I’ve taken comfort in the ongoing efforts of everyone I’m privileged enough to work with and their efforts to try...every single day...to do what’s right for our students. My thanks to every member of our school community for being an important part of everything we have tried to do this year.
Against all the odds.
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