PSD Connectivity: February 5, 2021
We are mid-way through one of the most challenging school years in history. Across the globe, students have suffered a loss of traditional school and life experiences. Educators have been forced to embrace a new way of teaching. And families have shouldered the tremendous responsibility for student learning in the home.
However challenging, I would like to think that our experiences this year bring opportunities for change and improvement. Remote learning has offered us all a chance to rethink school in the digital age and how we engage in the educational process. For this I am thankful.
During this time, I am reminded of the 1993 time-loop movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. Some of us recall the main character, the cynical Phil Conners, waking up each day to a repeat of the previous day. The term "Groundhog Day" became part of the English lexicon as a means to describe a monotonous, unpleasant, and repetitive situation. In this movie, Phil Conners displays an array of comedic and crazy approaches to each day. Phil is forced to learn over and over that the way in which he responds changes the relationship he has with others. In the end, it is he who is changed for the better.
Of course, the seriousness of the pandemic is nothing like this movie, but I believe we have changed for the better. We aim to resume normalcy as we slowly return students back to in-person learning through the efforts of consistent mask wearing, social distancing, and vaccine distribution. Thank you for keeping yourself and those around you healthy and safe. It’s these collective efforts of respect and kindness that can gradually change the world, one Groundhog Day at a time.
In service and support,
Dr. John Polm