By Deanna Mayer, CPA, CFO, MSBO Board President-Elect, Director of Finance and Human Resources, Eastern Upper Peninsula ISD
Six months ago, overnight, our children and many adults were sent home to isolate and quarantine. We were all facing many unknowns. Now, six months later, we have some normalcy with children starting back to school. Yet, now there are new challenges. Students and staff must wear face masks, complete temperature checks upon entry into school buildings, increase hand sanitizing. The list goes on.
Our children are facing something they never should have had to with heightened anxiety, unanswered questions, fear, worry, concern, and so many other emotions. Complete understanding of all the safety precautions is difficult. Not to mention the up and down emotions that come with the disappointment of school sports and the cancellation of winter playoffs and the spring season. Are we having sports this fall? At this moment, it looks like there will be fall sports. But not that long ago, football and a few other sports were postponed after the first few days of practice. Many student athletes spent the summer conditioning and were devastated to get that news that their sport was cancelled or maybe postponed. I know these emotions very well because my oldest son was, and is, facing all these emotional challenges as a freshman football player.
Heck, adults are experiencing the same emotions. Perhaps we are better able to handle the emotions? Are adults handling the challenges better? Maybe. Are we able to understand the true magnitude of how this pandemic has impacted each of us differently? Maybe.
The pandemic has also impacted MSBO. Networking is an important part of MSBO membership. We learn from each other. In-person events, we have always looked forward to, are now being held online. We are fortunate that the “Zoom” committee meetings and town halls have allowed members to connect.
It has been six months since the coronavirus changed our world. However, I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason. I still struggle to understand the “reason” for this… But we are also experiencing a world where people are coming together to help each other. Neighbors are helping neighbors, and many families were able to find more family time because life slowed down for a little bit. And in education, we are doing all we can to provide a safe, reliable, and secure environment for our children to learn.
And…
MSBO will continue to provide the training and the resources to help our members be district leaders. MSBO will continue to deliver professional development that is timely and relevant. We are MSBO Connected.