In This Case, It is About Us

On Friday, November 13, Governor Scott enacted more guidelines and restrictions to stem the tide of the COVID-19 virus that seems intent on making its way further and further into our state. One of the hardest things for me to hear was the immediate pause on youth sports. Our Boys were heartbroken when I shared the news with them. 

Their first question was, for how long? I didn't have an answer. Their next question was, does this mean we're going fully remote? No, not yet. That seemed to bring some relief. 

Let that sink in for a minute. My Boys want to go to school. Two teenage boys want to go to school. Is it for the academics? Maybe, but probably not. Is it for the relationships? Yes. Their friends are there. Their teachers are there. Their social-emotional world is there. 

In September, as we were getting ready to get back to in-person learning, we talked as a family about how different this school year was going to be. In the course of the conversation, one of Our Boys said, "I'm looking forward to seeing my teacher again. He's my G." 

I looked at him quizzically. "Your G?" I said. 

"Yes," he said. "My guy." 

As I thought back to my own 8th-grade experience, I can confidently say that I did not think that any of my teachers were "my guys." This stunned me. I am in awe of this relationship. It also makes me understand completely one reason why My Son wants to be in school and not be fully remote. 

So to all the adults in our state, this is now up to us. Our students and our children are doing their part. It's now up to us. According to statewide statistics, 71% of COVID-19 cases are linked to private parties or social gatherings. We need to make this work to keep our children in school and keep our statewide numbers from growing exponentially higher. 

Normally, I make our work about our students. We serve our students and their families through education. We make all our students feel safe, welcome and included. We create a place where our students can grow and thrive to the best of their abilities. 

But now, we need to do our part to slow the spread of this insidious virus. Some of these restrictions are harder than before. No more trusted pods of families. No more visits to others' homes. 

We are in a fragile place as a state. We still have an opportunity to contain our numbers and slow the spread. Our students, our own children, all of us want to get back to where we were, even just a week ago. We can do this if we put the collective good of our state first. 

There's no substitute for caring about our children. It is about our children. It's about other people's children. It's about the choices we make as adults. 

In this case, it is about us. 

Photo courtesy of the Vermont Department of Health