For years, my wife and I have cooked a hot breakfast most days for the family… holidays, weekends and school days. Pancakes, waffles, eggs… we enjoy sharing this time to anticipate the day and get on the same page. I think there is a lesson here.
If not careful, we wake too late, rush our morning and make rushed and poor decisions. Some schools have done this with their school year, announcing an opening ahead of getting approval to do so, and then having to retract their announcement.
At ABIS, our management team has tried to anticipate the government expectations regarding reopening. We spent much of the summer preparing safety protocols for opening live and developing training for teachers for if we were to reopen online. We prepared for a few other possibilities as well.
And now we wait.
It is a tough waiting game for everyone, but I am confident that our choice to petition for approval and then wait for the official announcement is the best decision. It is what we did last year which allowed us to extend student learning opportunities through May and June when other schools were shut down. Our team knows what is needed, to use our contacts and work with the government for the good of our children.
As parents, we are ready for our children to return to learning, even if online. And so are they. As teachers, we are ready to work with the children… doing so is our passion. It is our way of life: without our students, we might as well be without air (ask me how I feel about this next June). As administrators, we see the extra challenges that we would face if we were too hasty in our decision to start ahead of full approval.
I am pleased that we have not rushed into problems from premature announcements. Like a hot breakfast, we have taken the extra time given to us to ensure we are all on the same page, able to make mindful decisions and be ready for our day.
