As I entered the third video call of the day, I was greeted by the teacher and 14 little faces, with adults sitting at each student’s side. As the principal, I would periodically visit these virtual classrooms to experience the chaos that had now become education. As I prepared to read the class a story, nothing in my 30 years of experience had prepared me for a virtual Kindergarten class. Just imagine 14 little 5-year-olds on a virtual call—and yes, it is as energetic as you can imagine and as educationally humorous as it sounds.
Parents, let’s face it. It has been a hard year. Many of you have been thrust into the role of educator, child sitter, and parent, all at the same time. Daily, you joined one Zoom call after another, desperately trying to do your job remotely as you sat beside your child, trying to bring order to chaos, ensuring “Johnny” was paying attention (which is no small accomplishment for the parent of a young student). Daily, you multitasked between saying the alphabet and leading a conference for your office—praying that something did not happen in the background that would be broadcast to your child’s class or embarrass you with your coworkers.
