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I am dismayed at the large number of children not being allowed to attend public schools.  Half the school year is over!  Parents are upset and frightened at how the ramifications of time away from school will affect their children emotionally, intellectually and socially.  Groups of parents are taking their city and the teacher’s union to court.  The teachers and their union are frightened to go back into the schools to teach for fear of getting COVID.

I am blessed that my grandchildren attend private school which opened in August as usual.  After finishing the last school year on line, both my 4 and 12 year old grandsons were excited and begging to return to the school campus.  They were willing to do whatever it took to be safe so they could be amongst their peers and teachers.  For most of the summer the teachers and administration worked to brain storm and ensure that the 2020/2021 school year could be a “normal” as it could be while still being safe.  They also gave each family the choice of attending school or doing on line learning which meant double the work for each of its teachers.  It’s been a learning curve for most of the school but working as a team they have stepped up to the plate.  Protocols were set in place as to procedure should a teacher or student or student’s family members be diagnosed with COVID.  They have taken precautions to insure that both teachers and children can come to school to learn and be amongst their peers in a safe environment.  There were significant changes made to bathrooms, all water fountains were closed off, desks were re-arranged, partitions installed and large groups were no longer possible.  Even sports, band and choir classes had to be modified and everyone pooled together to make this effort succeed. Cleaning protocols were instituted for all the building and classrooms and schedules for meetings had to be changed to accommodate sanitation of each room prior to the next meeting.  And of course, everyone has learned to live with wearing masks.  Not an easy task for preschoolers but when I pick up my grandsons from school occasionally, they are all wearing them correctly.  They don’t appear worse for wear.

To date, I have only heard of two instances where a family member was exposed to COVID at the workplace and therefore those two classrooms went on immediate virtual learning for two weeks.

Despite these changes I have seen my grandsons’ blossom, and grow without the fear of the future or of COVID.

This year’s school theme is FEAR NOT!  Based on Isaiah 12:2.  I did not realize how apropos this verse is for such a time as this – until the other morning.

While watching the news about this very topic, I received a bible verse that my church sends to me via text every Monday.  It comes from 2 Timothy1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”  WOW!  In that moment I realized that we need to take Paul’s no nonsense approach and with confidence set about to love, grow and raise our children knowing that God is with us and will give us the spirit and strength to forge ahead during the pandemic.  Isaiah said it best:

Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.”  Isaiah 12:2

We must find a balance in life especially during such a time as this.  Balance our fear with judicious precautions and then have faith that God will lead us through this time.

We can choose to F.E.A.R. = Fear Everything And Run or F.E.A.R. = Face Everything And Rise.

Now more than ever we must pray for our country and its leaders to make sound decisions based not on fear but on facts and faith.

It is my prayer that we place our trust in God to help guide us to where we can have both teachers and children safe and healthy mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Can I get an Amen?

Thank you for reading my post.  If you have found it encouraging please consider liking, commenting or sharing it.  Feel free to even re-blog – may these words take flight!

I have additional insights I’d love to share with you found in the pages of my debut book: Surviving Medical Mayhem – Laughing When It Hurts.  To order a copy or learn more go to my website at www.lorettaschoen.com

Blessings for Health & Wellness.