It’s a great day to be a Dillo! This is the last word from Wayne for 2020, and I am ready and hopeful for 2021. When I think back on 2020, I remember how we started the New Year talking about having 20/20 vision for the future. I do not think anybody saw a pandemic coming. Education is about learning. I tell our teachers if we teach and nobody learns we have not taught; we have just said a bunch of words. Here are some things I have learned in 2020.
I have learned the power of human contact cannot be substituted in the formative years. I take and teach on-line classes. I am an adult, and I know the responsibilities expected for on-line learning. Our younger students need a living, breathing human being in front of them, teaching them, loving them, nurturing them and encouraging them. Some have suggested shutting everything down until the pandemic is over. Researchers studied the impact on education resulting from hurricane Katrina. It took more than a year for students to catch up in reading and almost three years in math. That does not consider the ramifications of social, emotional and behavioral development that can cause a greater delay in childhood development. “Hurricane” COVID has been far worse than Katrina. Our kid’s need face-to-face in person learning.
I have learned that our school board has been very supportive of our initiatives and policies related to taking care of our kids. As a result, our students have had greater opportunities to maintain more of the joys of a normal education while many of their peers in larger districts are still not back to face-to-face instruction. When it comes to making decisions related to COVID, opinions are all over the place, and it takes some resolve to move forward as a team to do what is best for students and teachers. Thanks to our SSISD school board team of eight.
I have learned that SSISD has an incredible group of educators and support staff (I already knew that but even more so this year). 2020 has been hard in every way that something can be hard. Hard mentally, physically, emotionally and socially. Stress and fatigue have been close companions for most of our staff. Balancing teaching kids face to face, teaching those who are remote due to COVID and hoping that you or a family member does not get sick is tough. Thank you SSISD staff for working so hard to provide the safest and best education for our students.
I have learned that COVID-19 is no respecter of persons. While some can have minor to no symptoms at all, it can be deadly for others. Some have taken every protocol to avoid the virus and still caught it. Scientists still know so little about how the virus works. I am thankful to our medical community for taking care of us the best they can. A special thanks to SSISD Nurse Guidroz. She has been patient and fearless taking care of our staff and students.
I have learned that these three things still abide: faith, hope and love, and the greatest is love. Love can be shown in actions, but it can also be a person. Teachers, friends and family can be love to us. We know love because we were first loved. “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6.
May the Prince of Peace bless you during our Christmas break and return you back to us on January 11th, 2021. GO DILLOS!