5.29.20
In a few days, we will bring the 2019-2020 school year to an end. A few weeks ago, I imagined that today, the last formal day of instruction, all of us would let out a collective sigh of relief. However, the killing of Gregory Floyd on Monday has left many of us reeling, heavy in heart. The unfolding of events in Minneapolis this week, in the midst of 100,000 American lives lost to the pandemic, painfully reminds us how precious and fleeting life is.
It has been said that childhood is the most beautiful and the shortest season of life. The pandemic may hinder the usual rituals of summer--children attending camp, visiting grandparents, or taking family vacations. But what it does allow are opportunities for children to revel in their childhoods. So next week, turn off the devices and...
Go outside.
Build a garden.
Write or give service to the sick, the elderly, and the needy.
Ride a bike.
Go for a hike.
Paint and draw.
Build.
Write songs.
Create dances.
Play board games.
Read.
Learn to cook.
Skills will be gained. Knowledge cultivated. Creativity expressed.
From the adult perspective, the summer may look long, unending, and unsettling with COVID-19’s spreading, the presidential election looming, and civil discontent and unrest simmering. But stop and pause and see the world through the eyes of your children. Hold them tight, and remind them that you love them no matter what.
May each of you have a summer filled with rest, love, and peace.
In Peace and Partnership,
Angela
Located in College Park, MD, Friends Community School is a progressive Quaker K-8 day school, founded on the belief that every child is a valued member of our community. We offer a challenging curriculum imbued with strong values of equality, integrity, community, environmental stewardship, simplicity and peaceful conflict resolution, rooted in our Quaker heritage.
Friends Community School
5901 Westchester Park Drive
College Park, Maryland 20740
301-441-2100
5901 Westchester Park Drive
College Park, Maryland 20740
301-441-2100
