Monday, May 3, 2021

Seattle Schools Community Forum: What Did I Miss? #tBATs

Seattle Schools Community Forum: What Did I Miss?
What Did I Miss?

Why hello there! Long time, no see. 

I first want to acknowledge and bow my head to all that has happened to our country and countries throughout the world  I have continued to monitor several parent Facebook pages and one WA state teacher page (not WEA). It has been a deeply frustrating, frightening, exhausting time for teachers, parents, and students. I cannot imagine being a parent who has to keep explaining, month after month, why your child cannot go back to school, go be in sports, play with friends, etc. Or a teacher who has to flip learning on its head, keeping it going as the teachers ALSO learn. And administrators who had to try to figure out how to serve and keep a school community together. When I think of the kindergarten class that I tutored in for three years, I cannot imagine having small children try to comprehend their schooling on a screen. 

I most of all feel sadness for students. School is their second life, their second home and where  a lot of teaching and learning beyond the classroom happens. I acknowledge that some children faced far more injury than others but I know that ALL kids suffer from this time and that should be noted. 

I urge you to have your child either dictate their thoughts to you or have them write about their COVID experience. This is an important time to document, if only for your family’s future generations.You can tell your children - no one ever gets to pick the history that they live through but other generations will want to hear their stories.


One of the many vagaries of COVID is that we all had time on our hands (or at least far fewer events to be at). However, because most government meetings, including SPS’, were held online, I was able to go to quite a few Board meetings, committee meetings and work sessions.

As the year went on, I kept wondering, what the heck was happening in SPS? My verdict is that it was a year of power struggle, largely based on personality. And it was largely among a small circle of people who, CONTINUE READING: Seattle Schools Community Forum: What Did I Miss?