School will be starting starting tomorrow. After MONTHS of fretting, and worrying and questioning and second guessing we were there. We were going back to school.

The decision to go back to school was a really hard one. It was based on three things:

1. The data was in : “Although 2 reports are far from definitive, the researchers provide early reassurance that school-based transmission could be a manageable problem, and school closures may not have to be a foregone conclusion, particularly for elementary school–aged children who appear to be at the lowest risk of infection.” https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/146/2/e2020004879Other    Other Studies provided some disturbing evidence that if not managed that communities could be adversely effected : https://www.massgeneral.org/news/press-release/Massachusetts-general-hospital-researchers-show-children-are-silent-spreaders-of-virus-that-causes-covid-19  After careful consideration, we felt like our children were at low enough risk, and that we would no change OUR behavior outside of school. We would still wear masks, limit contact to our community and be careful about sanitation and disinfecting.
2. Our kids were hurting. They had been isolated for nearly 6 months, and they needed to be around other people. Lucas had started swearing that he HATED school. He has always LOVED school. He has said while working on school he hated himself. I saw my own self loathing in him, and I needed to give him a positive learning experience before he truly started to think that he hated to learn. I told him, “You love school, you have always loved school.” He replied, “I like school with a real teacher.” Well that cut me to the core. Mirah, she needs a real Chinese experience. What is the point of being in an immersion program, if there is no immersion? Language Development starts to end as you get to Mirah’s age, and I just feel anxious she continues to be exposed to it.
3. I prayed about it. I pondered it. I felt like, if we went back to school, being careful and cautious, it would be okay.

It was really exciting, because we were not just going back to school, but back to Cascade, back to our neighborhood school, into the new building! If it weren’t for the pandemic there would have been a big community open house for everyone to see the place. I would have taken a million pictures. But we were in and out and quickly viewed the school. In masks and socially distant.

We walked in and saw the new media center. The beautiful skylight and the wide straight hallways.

First we went to Lucas’s room, and sat at his table, and met his teacher.

This is Mrs. Martin, Lucas’s Kindergarten teacher.  She was so sweet and kind, and it was so exciting to meet her.

Here is Mirah in her English class room! At her desk she will share with another student, every other day.

Her English side teacher, Mrs. Keil, was busy talking to another parent, so we didn’t really get much of a chance to talk to her. (Left) Then we went and visited Mirah Chinese side teacher, Mrs. Lui, we spoke to us only in Mandarin. He was so sweet. Mirah left really liking him. Also saying that she understood nearly everything he said! She was especially excited after talking to him.

The kids, who were really scared before this day to go back to school, we excited and anxious to get going. Here goes nothing.