November 4, 2020
Dear LREI Community, 
I write to you on this day after an Election Day like none other, and hopefully not a portending of Election Days to come.
I had the opportunity earlier today to be in a few lower school classrooms and to join the middle school and high school for their morning gatherings. The students are rightfully focused on issues related to the election, and are, not surprisingly, thoughtful and engaged. They are finding the focus and energy needed to address other parts of their schooling, as well. The first grade, for example, spent the morning discussing the correct use of exclamation points. It was an excellent discussion!
Wherever we each fall on the political spectrum, I imagine that for many the moment we find ourselves in is quite challenging – the not knowing, the importance of the issues to our very lives, the ever more clear divide in our country and communities, and for me, the centrality of matters essential to the school’s mission. Seeing all of this through the various lenses we each wear due to our identities makes the outcome of the election even more dire. We think about these variations from a personal point of view for sure and hopefully from the point of view that says that the lives and well being of our neighbors are as important as our own.
We will continue to use time in school to discuss and process the election and to examine the issues and their inequitable impact on the citizenry. We will continue to use all of the skills the students have developed to support their understanding of the world in which they live and to allow them to have an ever greater impact upon it. This is the heart of the LREI’s mission and is needed as much today as at any moment in recent history.
I want to acknowledge that this is a challenging moment to be a parent. The weight of all that we have to discuss with our children – race, pandemics, politics, leadership, and on and on – is just daunting. In such moments we have often come together to share experiences and strategies and to commiserate. While this seemed easier when we could crowd around a cafeteria table, it is just as important that we support each other even if it is via Zoom. I invite you to join a conversation regarding parenting at this moment. These will be times to talk, and will not involve major presentations.
There will be three conversations, all open to all parents.
- Wednesday, 11/4/20, 6:30p.m.-7:30p.m.
- Thursday, 11/5/20, 10:00a.m.-11:00a.m.
- Friday, 11/6/20, 8:30a.m.-9:30a.m.
Please visit the LREI Community Events page for Zoom information.