The Return to School - Fall 2022

As with so many life events - weddings, family get-togethers, graduation parties, etc. - put on hold during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the writing found on this section of the district website had to be put to the side to address more pressing matters. The thump-thump-thump of the day-to-day needs of managing the unpredictable and fluid environment wrought by so many challenging events didn't allow for this type of introspective thought about the Emerson Public School District. Yet with the return of our students and staff to school and us being mostly past the more onerous demands of the medical response to COVID-19, we can now turn our attention to looking further and further down the road. 

As we close out September 2022, our return to school has been nothing short of wonderful. Yes, we have all the typical stressors found in any organization of our size returning to full capacity - younger students learning their school schedule and older students balancing the demands of school, home, and their extracurricular pursuits - but those stressors are typical or, if you will, normal for any school district. One thing that has been noted in our common areas - playgrounds, hallways, lunchrooms, and the blacktop - is that students don't seem to be carrying the burden of the past 2.5 years. Socializing is happening at all turns and times, and the typical challenges found in student-based relationships are present in our school. That's a good thing as school often provides the place and opportunity for children to 'practice' how they'll work through such things as adults. 

Often parents will ask what is the best thing for them to do for their children during times like these. What was true then is true now. Keep the lines of communication always open. Set reasonable expectations and boundaries regarding behavior. Model the choices, language, and treatment of others that you want your children to make. And never forget that while the days are long, the years are short. Make the most of these days for, as they say in Villano, they will not come again. 

As always, I welcome the community's thoughts and feedback - bgatens@emersonschools.org.