March 18, 2021
Dear LREI Community,
I write this note a week into the second year of the pandemic and a variable associated form of “lockdown,” and, thus, the second year of changes to the way in which the LREI community experiences our progressive program. I am sure we all have a mental list of pandemic impacts on our lives, truly understanding the effects that the pandemic has had, on the core of ourselves, on our communities, on individuals, will take some time yet. Just when I think I have gained some perspective I get pulled back into the day-to-day from whence it can be hard to see the broader landscape. Both views are important and one of the benefits of being able to write notes such as this is that I have somewhat of a record of what I was thinking over the past year.
Reflecting on the year seems to me to be a worthwhile exercise. I took advantage of my teaching time to ask the eighth graders to do so in two ways. I asked them to imagine themselves when older, much older, maybe when they are old enough to be grandparents. Just this part of the exercise was hard for them – “A grandparent !?!” I asked them to imagine their grandchildren, or nieces or nephews, a neighbor maybe, asking the older eighth-grader to reminisce about the pandemic for a school project. What would they share? What would you share? I also asked them to look back at February 2020 (thanks to Ana Chaney, middle school principal, for this part of the conversation) and to give themselves advice for the coming year. What would have been helpful to know, to do, to prepare for, etc? I am looking forward to reading their responses. I encourage you to reflect on the year as well and, with your family, to submit your reflections, artifacts, artwork, music, etc. to our time capsule. Please share images and stories with the LREI Quarantine Time Capsule at timecapsule@lrei.org so that future students can learn about what it was like during a year like no other.
As I reflect, really trying to keep my eyes on the big issues…
First and most importantly, I want to express my gratitude, and I have a lot of it. I am grateful for the hard work, the expertise, and the generosity that my colleagues have displayed over the past 12 months. While grappling with the significant needs of their own lives and with the overwhelming unknowns, in a matter of days they recreated their programs and roles at LREI and then did so again and again and have rolled with the changing world and surmounted the very many obstacles that have come our way. Our new favorite word – pivot – does not even begin to describe their gyrations. It has been inspiring to be a part of this demonstration of so much of what we hope for in our work with the students – demonstrating the real purpose of school by creating a toolbox of skills and knowledge that one can use in a variety of situations and find ways in which to practice doing so, something we have done again and again all year. I am also grateful for the creativity that my colleagues bring to their work every day; new solutions and opportunities found at every turn.
My “Thank yous” also include students and families. Thank you, families, for all of the ways you have supported LREI and your children. We have felt it. We have witnessed it. The students have been amazing. Engaged, hard-working, thoughtful, patient, and brave, and just so open to their new school experiences and honest about their struggles. We have been heartened by the students’ ability to acknowledge the impacts that the pandemic has had on them and, at the same time, be engaged in class in our new reality. They are just great and I admire them more than ever.
From adults and students alike, work at LREI this year has been a daily demonstration of LREI Four Cs – Critical thinking, Citizenship, Creativity, and Courage. So inspiring! Thank you one and all.
As LREI works to connect your children’s lives to the world around them, the pandemic has created vivid opportunities for developing needed skills. In conversations concerning the impacts of the pandemic, we see clear examples of the “haves” and “have nots” in so many areas of our society. As we examine and compare pandemic responses, across states and countries, the pandemic and society’s responses to it have created a terrific opportunity for sharpening the ways in which our students learn to grapple with opposing points of view. I hear some of you questioning LREI’s commitment to developing this skill. I assure you that we are committed to this and to being better at creating these opportunities for our students. We all have areas where we need to grow.
The personal loss that many have experienced – losses of family, friends, and loved ones – is just immense. The community loss of 550,000 Americans and 2.7 million people worldwide is unfathomable. For the students, there has been a loss in school experiences and a real struggle due to separation from friends, social lives, and pastimes. We must learn from these losses, using them to deepen our understanding of our connections to others and our responsibility for them.
I am ever more inspired by LREI’s mission and its focus on community, on problem-solving, on collective purpose and growth. While managing the sadness and loss, I am grateful for all that those of us who work for the school have learned in terms of what has been successful, what is essential, what we can let go of, and the power of being adaptable.
The crucible of this crisis has amplified the importance of what we do. It has challenged us to focus on areas where we need to continue to grow and it has emboldened us to trumpet our shining successes. We will emerge from this period as a stronger school and community and a more reflective and honest one. The trials of the past year and those yet to come have stripped away some of the unnecessary and have allowed us to celebrate the essential core of our institution’s mission.
And for me, it has reminded me of the honor I have every day to be a member of this community and to work and learn alongside all of you, each of you, in service to LREI’s students – past, present, and future.
With great affection and gratitude, I wish you peace and health.
