Back to School: What Parents, Kids, and Teachers Think About COVID-19

What has your district decided for Back to School this fall? No matter what was decided, I’m quite certain that everyone had something to say about it. In fact, in my time reading articles and comments on social media, I’ve learned that this moment is contentious and there’s no way to make everyone happy. 

​The reality is that school, although not a childcare facility, provides parents the ability to work as schools promise a structured and safe environment for their kids. But our kids can’t be the canaries in the coal mine. As we hear about the demands to jumpstart the economy and the real need for families to earn income, we can’t help but wonder if there isn’t a better, more imaginative way that we aren’t pursuing. In fact, this moment might be pushing us to rethink the purpose of education altogether.  What are we doing education for?

This month, we’re releasing a back to school series focused designed to elevate student voice, elevate parent concerns, and highlight educator needs. We discussed our concerns as a family and interviewed a few experts:

• Corwyn Collier, M. Ed - Educator, Coach, Father
• Dr. Lindsay Portnoy - School Board President, Cognitive Scientist, Mother
• Gabriel Valdez - Educator, Social Media Influencer
• Stefanie Wager - President NCSS, Mother
• Dr. Jasmin Whitfield, DNP, MSN, MPH, RN - Director of Health Service; Mother
• Canissa Grant, M.Ed - Math and Special Education Educator
• Levi P. and Judah P. - students from New York 

We’ve asked our experts questions like:

• What’s one thing that parents can do at this moment to contribute positively to the process of school reopening?
• What are some of the challenges that people in your community are facing? 
• What are some Back to School traditions you'll miss this year?

You can access the episode with kids here and the first of three episodes with parents and educators here.
As we move closer toward the start of school, we want to remember that we are all on the same side. We cannot let our fears lead us.
We must partner.
Stand together.
Be creative.
Have empathy.
But most importantly… see our success as tied directly to the success of others