And Now, This
A new wrinkle in the ongoing discussion about how or when to return to school came this week in the form of 100 mph winds.
You can’t very well go back to school in person when the roof is off your school building. And for many cities across Iowa, that’s the reality they’re dealing with today.
The calendar says some were to go back as early as next week. For others, it was to be later this month.
So on top of all the other challenges this year of 2020 provided us…there’s now this.
In one respect, the experience of virtual learning required by the COVID-19 pandemic has put in place an infrastructure that can quickly be employed so learning–at least in some form–will not be delayed. We recall just a few years ago when the roof of a school building in Waterloo collapsed, forcing officials to rent space elsewhere so classes could be held…same in Waverly when flooding damaged a building there.
Repairs to such buildings will take a lot of time, and a whole lot of money. And it may indeed mean finding alternate locations and creative solutions for in-person learning. But obviously we’ve all learned to get creative on a lot of things this year.
Even those of us who were not in the path of the storm are affected. I’ve seen photos of the building where I went to school for six years, both as an elementary and junior high student, just a few blocks from where I grew up…it’s more than 100 years old, and voters earlier this year rejected plans to replace it. Mother Nature may have cast the ultimate vote on that, however.
So we’re all very sad as this week ends…with uncertainty about what 2020 holds for us next.
