Creative Quarantine

This year of Covid restrictions has been so difficult for all of us.  I happen to have a high school senior this year and his school experience is certainly not what he had been waiting for all this time.  No school activities, no sports events, no hanging out with friends at lunch hour chatting about things, and mostly remote learning.  Despite, I have found that the students were much more resilient and accepting of change than most adults have been.  His friend group has really found some unique ways to continue their senior year in a fun and responsible manner.  As parents, we resolved early on in 2020 that we would allow him time with friends even if we had to wrap him up in a protective plastic bag.  As an educator, I know that socialization is really vital to the developmental and learning process at this coming of age time.

They started out doing some parking lot meetups where they parked cars in a big circle and sat on the car hoods to just chat with friends.  They played music, danced, and enjoyed the spring and summer weather.  Then, they progressed to hiking, swimming, even kickball.  As the regulations changed in our state and places open and closed time and time again, they really adapted.  We hosted some backyard bonfires, where they surprisingly still stayed socially distanced from one another.  It has become a bit harder now that the weather is colder outside but they are now teaching themselves to ski and going sledding or iceskating.  I am not convinced that they all follow the proper 6 feet away rules anymore, but I am so proud of them anyway.  My son actually told me this has been his favorite year of high school despite because they have done things they never might have before.  Being a senior during this Covid crisis has not been all bad!  A pandemic has taught them more than I could have ever dreamed and I think the life lessons will be beneficial long term.  So to Covid, I have one thing to thank you for, quality time for my son! 

*My sons, Sept. 2020