And then the Thursday before Spring Break....2020. We had been told for several days to make sure we took our laptop home with us each evening. There was a virus spreading rapidly across the world and it had arrived in the United States. Washington and New York were getting hit hardest, but it was rapidly moving into other cities and states. On Thursday we sent some things home with children as a "just in case" we weren't able to come right back after Spring Break, and then Thursday night we got the notification that school was closed for Friday. Then it was through the month of March, then through the month of April, until finally it was announced that we were not going to return to "normal" school this school year. Last week I had the task of packing up the belongings of students so they could come do a "drive by" pickup. They couldn't get out of the car, we were to put their belongings into the trunk. One car that came through for my class did a clever thing. When the trunk opened, there was a paper saying thank you to Mrs. Wolf and I, then arrows pointing down. They had put envelopes for us to retrieve as we put their things into the trunk. It was bittersweet. Not at all like the goodbyes on the last day of school for the last 24 years of my teaching career. No. This one will forever be known as the "Covid Class of 2020".
As my students move along to fourth grade, I will be skipping over them and heading to the fifth grade. So, while I say good-bye to them this week, I will get to see them again in a short while, and maybe that time we'll have a proper end of the school year together.
Au revoir!
