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EDITORIAL | Resetting expectations for school this fall

Ready or not, it’s back-to-school time. Yet returning to learning this fall will be unlike anything we’ve experienced in recent history.

Catholic school administrators and teachers around the country have worked all summer to create plans to educate students in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many policies and procedures accommodate social distancing and mask-wearing. They incorporate plastic barriers, temperature checks, enhanced air circulation, thorough sanitation and cleaning measures; they limit or prohibit close interaction among teachers, students and parents/volunteers.

No matter what measures or changes are put into place, this school year will be anything but typical. As parents and students set about preparing for a new semester, they will need to reset expectations.

The new approach might mean mourning what might have been and refocusing on what still could be. Parents can help their students navigate the disappointments of missing sporting seasons, plays, field trips and basic socialization by talking these changes through with them before the year begins.

While we need to acknowledge the loss of many things we have come to see as “normal,” we know that opportunities for creativity can spring forth, too. Just think about this past spring, when we saw formal graduations turn into joyous neighborhood car parades.

Resetting expectations for this school year also means being flexible. Any school plan, no matter how thorough, is hardly foolproof, and anywhere large numbers of people are gathered, outbreaks of COVID-19 are possible. Parents and students should be prepared for plans to shift at a moment’s notice, and for what that might mean, especially for parents who work full time. This is where organizations and employers, at the very least Catholic ones, can and should continue to be flexible with their employees, allowing them to work from home or adopt nontraditional work schedules to accommodate being home with kids.

Resetting expectations will require patience. No one wants to be in the midst of a global pandemic, but for our own sanity and sanctity, we must do our best to maintain patience despite uncertainty — patience with teachers, administrators, our neighbors, our children and ourselves.

Each of us, institutionally and personally, is trying to find a way forward that serves the common good, and there are many opinions as to how to achieve that goal. Hot tempers, exasperation and frustration do not advance us down that path. Conditions are primed for division, and we have to be mentally prepared for fault lines to spring up.

Resetting expectations means paying extra attention to mental health for students, parents, teachers and administrators. During times of challenge, strain and uncertainty, it can be easy to become discouraged or depressed. We should do our best to get regular exercise, eat well, pray abundantly and find frequent opportunities for gratitude.

Resetting expectations even applies to parishes without schools. How might they be able to support parents and students as we enter into this strange new school year? A special outreach to families with school-age kids, in particular, by parishes could help parish leaders understand the needs of families and enable them to devise a plan to meet those needs. At the very least, a ministry of presence to families who are having a difficult time navigating the challenges of the new year would be welcome.

Finally, resetting expectations as we enter the school year means leading with charity above all else. If we enter into this year with the right mindset, we have the opportunity to make Catholic education pay off in the best possible way: by the growth of all involved, from students to parents to teachers and administrators, in virtue.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for us.

This editorial originally appeared July 21 on the website of Our Sunday Visitor.

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