Pandemic Playbook
Commentary by: Michal Musante, Policy & Culture Czar at CER
Having been in the education/school choice sector for most of my professional career, I often remind myself and those I try to influence that I have been blessed with the resources to choose the educational path that best fits my children. Part of that choice has also been based upon the plethora of great private schools available in the District of Columbia and my Catholic faith.
When schools started to discuss the possibility of closing, I had no concerns about my daughter’s school which is an independent Catholic high school. The students already had tablets on which they work and experience with assignments turned in electronically. Every morning, she signs in and has had lectures, tests, etc. on-line and things are going quite well.
I had different concerns for my son’s school which is an Archdiocese of Washington school, since knowing the Catholic Church it can take a long time (centuries not days!) for decisions to be made. That said, I was reminded by a colleague that the Catholics could just dust off the pandemic playbook from the Spanish Flu or Middle Ages and go from there. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to find the school and Archdiocese as a whole adapted quite easily. Each morning at 8:30 am my son checks in with his homeroom teacher on line and then proceeds to move through a number of on-line assignments (papers, worksheets, etc.). My wife has also assigned him various art/drawing projects using youtube videos and an art sketch book that we purchased at Target for $5.99. The school also asked that he record at least 30 to 60 mins of physical activity per day. The goal is to simply meet the theory of a sound mind and sound body.
We all have learned valuable lessons regarding the need to maintain educational lessons, the pursuit of knowledge, structure during the day, and the need for exercise, amongst others. So far so good from here in our nation’s Capital.
