For families, students and staff, the start of this year was markedly different from past years. In place of student schedules and bus routes, our students received a set of Zoom links and email log-ins. The excitement of picking out one’s first day of school clothes was replaced by picking a quiet corner to log into school from. Classroom whiteboards and markers were replaced by colorful Zoom backgrounds and teacher home offices.
Despite this new reality [pullquote]it is heartwarming to see how true we’ve stayed to our commitment to providing students with a rigorous and inclusive education.[/pullquote]
Confucius is credited with the following quote:
Learning without reflection is a waste.
Reflection without learning is dangerous.
Although this year’s school opening has been nothing like what we expected, we’ve also learned quite few lessons. As we enter a season of reflection, this is what we’ve learned so far:
Don’t get me wrong. We all miss the smiling faces of our students greeting us in the mornings. And personally, I’ve never missed jump roping during recess as much as I do right now. That said, [pullquote]the lessons that we’re learning in this remote world are truly lessons that we will bring into our physical classrooms when it is safe to do so again.[/pullquote]
Meekerley Sanon joined Excel Academy Charter Schools’ staff in 2019, and currently serves as the Head of School at Excel Academy East Boston in Massachusetts. Prior to Excel, Meerkerley worked as the Senior Director of Curriculum & Instruction at Community Day Charter Public School in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Meekerley holds a master's in nonprofit management from Northeastern University and a bachelor's in brain and cognitive sciences from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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