We have to talk about the pandemic and the impact it is having on The École, its students, families, and employees. I have mentioned before that being as transparent as possible and sharing information as quickly as possible are of paramount importance to us. We also endeavor to be as clear as possible when we explain the procedures to follow. And of course missteps, oversights, repetitions, and inaccuracies sometimes happen. The Test-to-Stay (TTS) Program can be confusing and seem at odds with the protocol we were following just three weeks ago. Our commitment to transparency coupled with the multiple tests required by TTS means that over the last few days, some of our families have been inundated with notifications and reminders. It can be overwhelming. Every time I send an email announcing another positive case, I know I am setting a(nother) wave of anxiety in motion.
Cringeworthy
At the start of the week, a parent told me that once upon a time she enjoyed reading my emails. But not anymore. Nowadays, the simple sight of my name in her inbox is enough to make her cringe; more often than not, I’m writing with bad news. And she’s right. Unfortunately but understandably, all any of us is doing right now is talking about the virus – it is sapping all of our energy and draining all of our time. But we can’t not talk about it. That said, the situation at school is actually pretty encouraging today, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself and would rather wait until we have the results from today’s PCR tests before declaring that the worst is behind us. In Tuesday’s Memo, we will share the concrete figures with you, and I will, of course, be in touch with class parents over the weekend if there are any announcements to be made. Apologies in advance for the cringes.
Contagion
Before we head into this (well-deserved) long weekend, I would like to emphasize that despite the inescapable presence of the virus, it is far from being the only thing children are exposed to when they come to The École—by a long shot! Thanks to our teachers and staff, there are things circulating within the walls of The École that are a thousand times more contagious than Omicron.
The skill of our staff, their generosity, their dedication, their empathy, their attention to detail, their commitment, their intelligence, their passion, their desire to make a difference, their patience, their smiles, their support, their ability to adapt, their enthusiasm, their love for what they do, their altruism, their respect for each other, and quite simply, their strength during these very complicated times are qualities and virtues that spread faster than any virus.
That’s what I think our students are exposed to from morning to night, thanks to the adults that accompany them. That’s what is transmitted through masks, cannot be curtailed by social distancing, and pays no heed to protocol. Resistance would be futile. It’s an unstoppable force. And happily so. The symptoms are severe and there is a high risk of children experiencing side effects from these daily lessons in humanity for the rest of their lives.