May 15, 2020
There have been a few times in my life when the original GPS directions to get me to a destination end up not being my path at all. The GPS calmly, robotically states “recalculating.”
Recalculating! Yes. Each of us are recalculating at this unprecedented time.
Things are not normal. We are all unsettled. We are a community that likes to hug and high five, and even six feet apart seems like an abyss. But we started school on time at 8:30 Tuesday morning from more than 150 different homes, and your children knew that their Mirowitz community is here for them, loving each of them from afar.
With no notice or experience with distance learning, the faculty dreamed up Mirowitz in the Cloud. In one day. And it worked! We had beautiful moments of learning and only a few bumps in the road. (That’s what happens when GPS reroutes unexpectedly.)
But we’ve always known that experiential learning is the most effective way to master a new skill. We are overwhelmed with great ideas for impactful, positive learning, and excited to implement them. To allow our teachers time to reflect, flesh out new lessons and receive additional training, we will not have classes next Wednesday. Your child’s teachers will spend that day in professional development, the results of which will immediately impact your child’s learning over the coming weeks. Thank you for your patience as we figure out this new terrain.
Your children are top of mind. While we plan for the continuation of their learning, we also know that they are as unsettled as we are. They are experiencing personal disappointments: missed field trips and Torah readings, events and celebrations. They can sense how difficult it is for the grown-ups around them to care for them and at the same time fulfill their own professional responsibilities. They miss their friends, they are nervous, and they need comfort.
This Shabbat, enjoy the unexpected moments with your children that the new GPS route has offered you. Take a walk in the woods, read a book as a family, clean out a drawer, teach them a new recipe or how to separate laundry. Ask them how they feel with all the changes, and let them know they are safe and loved. After all, the way they feel during this time in their childhood is what they will remember most.
Shabbat Shalom,
Cheryl Maayan