Columns

It’s become more and more clear over the last few weeks how truly interconnected human beings are in today’s globalized society. A vital part of education is helping students understand their place in the world so that they can succeed wherever they go and with whomever they meet. One of the great things about the Foundation’s teacher grants is the opportunities that it gives FISD teachers to broaden the horizons of our children’s education.

Good day, friends! Last week I told you we would be visiting and revisiting the means and ways that we can constructively deal with life’s tragedies. We’ve talked amply about the current Coronavirus. We talked about the first days and months following the death of a loved one. And, yes, we will broach other trying subjects relating to coping mechanisms and how to find our new normal. But today, let’s relax a little and open our mental toolbox. Digging around in our psyche and confronting the realities of the world as it stands today makes anxiety and fear way too comfy as bedfellows. How do you deal when you can’t deal anymore? Alarming stats. Countries in peril. Voluntarily sequestered from loved ones (I write forward by at least 2 weeks, usually, so while I pray we are back to normal activity when this is published, we could be even more isolated than anticipated). In the words of Taylor Swift, we need to calm down. As someone who has been in a few angst ridden situations in her day, I dare say I have a tip, or ten, up my sleeve. Some are tried and true, while some definitely have that crunchy woo woo vibe about them that I’m famous for promoting. Consider trying a woo woo. As my momma says, “Can’t never could do nothing.” It might just work.

The arrival of the Coronavirus, also known as COVID 19, has disrupted every aspect of living for people across the globe. This unprecedented world health event serves as a reminder that we should be prepared for anything and that we are never prepared for everything. As education officials determine what to do next and how to do it, students, parents and teachers await information on when schools are closing and when, or if, we will be returning this school year.