The year marches on and suddenly we are 1/3 through 2021. Students have returned to our school yet the bursting vibrancy of 2000 adolescents’ energy has not. We were guarded at first but now we’ve relaxed. As the guidelines loosen for vaccinated adults and the county descends the state’s color tiered system, the guard relaxes. I don’t know if us teachers are scared of sticking our necks out or if we’re the permissive sort, but I don’t see any of us taking the “it takes a village” approach to enforcing the pandemic protocols. Every day we don’t, it seems we’re lucky not to contribute to a spread. If anything comes our way, the freedom of the quad will be where it happens. In rooms students obey and distance, they’re not in their hoard numbers.

Four more weeks to go. Then summer. The allure of unstructured time won’t last long. I also don’t want to over schedule myself. How do I find the balance? How can I re-connect with friends and family I haven’t seen in years? Must I wait even longer? When I want change and results immediately, it is hard to wait months. But this year and a half has taught me patience, kindness, grace, and courage in reserves I didn’t think I had. So I dig for more once again.