by Jenn Drake, Early Elementary Classroom Teacher
We鈥檙e back and school has never looked like this before! We are social distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands like crazy. There are so many changes in place to keep the community safe. While they say change is good, for me, it鈥檚 a lot to take in. I have more to remember and less time for getting it all done. But that鈥檚 me. The big surprise has been how fast the children have adapted to this situation. It鈥檚 impressive and inspiring. Wear a mask all day? Okay! Stay in your spot? Sure! Give an across-the-room-high-five to show someone you care? No problem! It鈥檚 truly amazing.
I鈥檝e always known that children are adaptable, though some more than others. When we plan for big things, like a move across the country, we worry about our kids. Will they be okay? Will they make new friends? Will they get used to their new school? Will they miss grandma too much? Of course we worry. That鈥檚 our job as parents. But, usually within the first hour or so, they鈥檝e met someone in their neighborhood and they鈥檙e begging for a playdate this weekend. How do they do that?
Usually, it鈥檚 little things that they adapt to. Maybe it鈥檚 that they are used to one brand of apple juice and you get the 鈥渨rong鈥 kind and they have a little fit for a minute. Then they just drink the apple juice. As parents and teachers, we need to make sure that we鈥檙e giving kids an opportunity to adapt to new situations. That鈥檚 why we take them to noisy football games and up-close to the fish in the tank in the restaurant and even why we purposely run out of things every week. It鈥檚 good practice!
But, this is different. We didn鈥檛 plan for Covid-19. Most of us didn鈥檛 even know it was a possibility. And all of a sudden, our lives are turned upside down. All of our usual routines are gone. Even the ways we shop for groceries have changed. And for us grown-ups, that can be hard. But for our children, after a few days and a few questions, they are just going with the flow. It鈥檚 a great reminder to us all that we can do this! We can really do anything. All we need to do is adapt the adaptable mindset of our kids!
