It’s been a year…
Posted on Mar 09, 2021 by Shari Van Baale
It has been a year since the coronavirus hit Johnson County. It has been a year since my kids came home from school on a Thursday expecting one more day before spring break, only to not return to school again for classes until after fall conferences.
For other things, it has been more than a year. I have not seen family or friends since December 2019, and some even before that. Most of our family is in Iowa or the Chicago area. When we said goodbye that December, we had no idea that we would not see each other in person again for over a year. If things improve, we might see family this summer. Everything is unknown.
We were planning to take a spring break trip last year (our first vacation of more than a three-day weekend as a family in about five years), but we canceled at the last minute. At that time, we canceled due to a rainy weather forecast, and not the looming pandemic. But who knows when we will get the opportunity to take a vacation. With my kids in their middle teens, our time to take a trip as a family is running out.
For those who have kids in the Olathe School District, middle and high school went back to full-time, in-person classes on March 1. Many other area districts are set to follow after spring break or close to it. It is a bit unsettling to have kids in schools with hundreds of other kids, no social distancing, and many not completely following the mask rule. There just aren’t enough teachers to make every kid pull their mask up over their nose as they sit in class or walk through the halls. There is only so much room in the hallways, and even with no lockers and many kids at home this year working remotely, passing periods are still congested.
When we made the decision to not have our kids do remote learning this year, it was inevitable that they would return to school. Many places and events, such as those at Salem, are able to enforce distancing and mask-wearing and can provide a safe environment. It is practically impossible to do in some environments.
Sometimes you have to let go, pray, and hope it will all be OK. Kids should be in school, and I have to trust that they are in a safe environment. I know my kids will make good, safe choices. I only hope others will do the same.
Sometimes you just have to let go of what you can’t control.
Shari Van Baale
Communications Coordinator