Rollercoaster... of looove

There’s a whole brouhaha happening here with the public school district where I live. It’s been happening since March, but particularly since July/August, and again now. No one (superintendent, school board, teachers’ union) can agree on when to go back to the classroom. If I’m honest, I probably feel more comfortable sending my kids back now than I did in the fall, despite rising cases, since the data seems to show that schools are not super-spreaders. (Although maybe I can say that without any qualms because it doesn’t seem to be a realistic possibility anyway.)

So, when we had to submit our choices last summer, I chose to do 100% virtual. I agonized over this decision. But I’ve come to see that more agony then = less agony now, because now, my life isn’t really affected at all when the district announces, “OK, now we’re going back!” only to announce the following day or week, “OK, now we’re not going back!” I don’t even know what the status is half the time. It’s a complete rollercoaster, and I truly do feel for the affected families and teachers. And I am glad that I ultimately decided to stay virtual. Because now frankly it’s looking like everyone will be virtual for quite some time. Kids with special needs aren’t even going back until February, and they’re phase 1 (followed by kindergarteners, then 1-3, etc. etc. and so on up the line).

Anyway, it’s all a pretty big bummer. Maybe to take my rollercoaster analogy further, it’s actually more like a rollercoaster that’s constantly breaking down. So you get started and then you have to stop in some random place that doesn’t even have a good view while you wait for them to clear the track or reset the computer or whatever they do when they’re fixing rollercoasters. Meanwhile I’m down here on the ground getting a Dole Whip and getting my autograph book signed by princesses because, why not?

Then again, the rollercoaster might start working sooner than I thought and I’ll be tired of overpriced snacks and it’ll be too bad for me. I guess time will tell, maybe.