where waves grow sweet

Before the start last week of Chase’s 2nd grade year, our school delivered the thrilling news that we would be returning to campus, albeit with some fairly dramatic modifications of time and space to allow for social distancing. Even though they were going to be much shorter days, Chase was delighted to be returning to the classroom to learn from his teacher in person. 

A very short while later, our governor announced restrictions that would not allow a California county to return to campus until certain covid milestones had been reached and held for 2 weeks. Chase was disappointed for sure, as was I, but we did our best to roll with it. 

On his first day of distance learning, we encountered a few technology glitches, like when we somehow landed in a Google Meet full of unfamiliar faces who only spoke Spanish (and Chase ended up in tears on the floor). But our second attempt got us right into his actual class where he recognized several friends and happily launched into his new school year. 

There were more technical issues those first few days, like getting regularly bumped off the internet, a homework submission app that wouldn’t let him submit homework and an ipad microphone that refused to work, making it incredibly difficult to participate. But he pressed on and started to settle in. 

Then our principal communicated that due to declining enrollment related to the pandemic, some teachers had to be moved to other schools and Chase’s class would now be a 1st/2nd grade combo. This didn’t set especially well with Chase (or me, since learning already seemed severely challenged), but it wasn’t nearly as hard as the exodus of 2nd grade friends who left the class the following day (apparently they weren’t thrilled either). Chase doesn’t handle change well and this was a whole lot in a matter of days.

Yesterday was especially rough. The app and microphone still weren’t working and the email request I’d submitted for technical help (to the address we were given) bounced back, leaving me feeling frustrated and helpless. The internet connection continued to fail and Chase got a headache from staring at the screen. I was wondering if all the stress was worth it and, mostly, when the actual learning was going to start.

But here’s the thing that hit me. The learning has started. It may not be centered on subtraction or sentence structure, but on subjects that will be of far greater use to him in life… like being adaptable, developing real-life perseverance, learning to problem-solve when things go wrong and giving grace to others who may not be fulfilling our expectations. We can talk to our kids about these things and let them watch educational shows full of lessons about them, but the only way they will truly learn them, grow in them and own them is if they personally experience them, with some necessary guidance along the way to help shape them.

Which is where my conviction lies right now. I want to allow this “education” to teach my own heart so that instead of modeling victimhood and complaint about all the things that are wrong, I can help him shape these trying experiences in a way that helps establish him as a person in this world who is not easily defeated by the many hardships he will certainly face; that he might even revel in a challenge because he knows – from personal experience – that he will not only make it through, but will benefit from it, and that he is most certainly up to the task.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10 

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked generation, in which you shine as lights in the world. Philippians 2:15