reassessing priorites

 My Grandson began classes at Stevenson University, a milestone in anyone's life. We all helped him move into his dorm room and it was an exciting time. When we recieved his first grades, first semester, he made the Deans list. He was settling in, had applied for a special program, and was on track to graduate in three years time due to previous credits earned in high school. All was looking great and then this virus comes along. Now, he has to move out of the dorm and continue his studies online. That is a dramatically different situation. And to add to that he is out of a job as well. Mark is a certified soccer referee and that was his job. On the weekends he would officiate as many as eight games and earn a goodly sum for doing so. He also worked sanctioned tournaments. All of that has been halted. It's a tough blow to absorb. Now he is setting up a desk and workspace at home, in his bedroom. But Mark will not quit, he will not be deterred. He understands the gravity of the situation and will persevere. I have every confidence in him. 

 My granddaughter being a junior in high school has seen the prom canceled, then the school closed. It is doubtful they will reconvene this year at all. Caroline County doesn't have the resources for online classes. So, for now, all she can do is go to work and return home. There is no going out with her girlfriends, no trips to the mall or whatever the kids are doing. Just work and go home. A tough pill for a 17 year old girl to swallow. She is holding up so far. There is so much uncertainty in her life right now. I understand what a tough spot it is. How will this ultimately effect her life? Will she get to graduate next year or will she have to repeat her junior year? How is that going to work? No one is offering answers for that. 

 I realize this is happening all over America. This is an unprecedented situation. Distance learning is becoming a new watchword in our vocabulary, along with social distancing. Not long ago we were concerned with bullying and guns in the classrooms. Well, we don't have those problems anymore. The discussion about arming teachers and resource officers in the schools has ceased. Now it's a virus that causes great trepidation, and rightly so. There are students doing online classes and there are those being homeschooled. A parent or caregiver of some type has to stay at home now. A throwback to 19th century America when that was the normal thing. Yes, the children may have been attending the school in their town but Mom was usually home. There were little after school activities. The emphasis in education in those days was on learning to survive in the real world. The basics were stressed, reading, writing and arithmetic. I'd venture to say morals and ethics were stressed as well. But the biggest difference , I believe, was the amount of time the children spent with their parents. That was an education in and of itself. Back then Parents were admired far more often than any celebrities. Indeed  there were few celebrities to admire in the rural areas. No, the ones that were admired were the ones that exhibited what we would call life skills in an exceptional way. The best blacksmith, surest shot ( think best hunter ) and homemaking skills. Those folks were respected and admired in the community. Entertainers were just that, for entertainment. 

 I don't think anyone knows how long this will last. A few weeks , a couple months? There will come a time when the restrictions are lifted, when it will be declared safe. Will that safety include an immunization from this virus? Yes, I'm certain that it will. People are always looking for reassurances in life. There is always something to fear. Will all of this cause any permanent changes? No I doubt that but I will say our responses to things will. Yes, today we need to shelter in place from an invisible virus, one we feel helpless against. I'm thinking we will begin to enact this response for other situations as well. Given time it will be the standard response. I remember when people were building and stocking bomb shelters! The Russians were going to blow us all up. Now we have to be concerned with airborne viruses. There is a mad scramble for masks. Will we begin seeing people wearing them about as an everyday precaution. Will people begin to have self contained breathing devices? Devices to filter the air of any possible contaminates? A mini " bomb shelter " for our respiratory system? Well, this too will pass. I'm hoping that this will bring parents and children closer together. Perhaps force a reassessment of priorities. All we can do is pray.