By the end of July, I’d be anxiously looking forward to the first day of school, usually Tuesday after Labor Day. I know I’m weird, but I loved school. Meeting friends. New teachers. New subjects.

My mother would let me pick out two new outfits. Only two, because we couldn’t afford more. I’d also get a new pair of shoes. Patent leather Mary Janes when I was younger, white Keds as I got older.

My mother would get a letter from the school with the name of my teacher, my classroom number, and other information she needed to know.  We often had a meet-and-greet individually a week before we began classes.

So easy. Then. Now, not so easy.

No longer is it a matter of showing up when expected. No longer is it a given that children will go back to classroom learning. In this time of COVID-19, no two school districts will function in the same way. Some schools will open for two days a week of classroom instruction, paired with three days of online learning. Some children will go on Monday and Tuesday, others will go Wednesdays and Thursdays. Families have no clue how to plan for the school year.

I hear parents ask how they are supposed to home-school their kids while they work full-time. Not every family has a grandparent support system which can care for the kids and help with their education. And what if a teacher or student tests positive two weeks after classes begin? Well, one local district blithely said, “we’ll close the schools for 14 days.”

And what of those families which count on schools breakfast and lunch programs for two meals? Most districts lack the ability to prepare sack meals and deliver them.
No, this year, going back to school will not be easy. It will not be the old normal. I hope it is not the new normal, but it may very well be. My hat is off to all parents who are grappling with these serious decisions. You are my heroes.

Peace out.

#AmWriting

Still filling this stay-at-home period with an increased level of creativity in my writing cave. I’m finished a satirical essay, The Return of the Blanched COVIDians  and have sent it to various contests and online ezines.

I submitted Revenge on the Rocks this week. I hope it will be published in a new anthology, Murder by the Glass. Same folks who brought you 50 Shades of Cabernet.

Betrayal, a suspense novel with lots of explosions, is booming right along. Yes, joke intended.

#NewReadersWanted

If you are looking for something a little different, these four books are all $0.99 each. Perhaps you’ll take a chance and see if you like what I write. And here’s the link to make it easier for you to find them.

Unintended Consequences https://amzn.to/2WWkONX
Uncharted Territory http://amzn.to/1T71q6D
Eyes Without A Face https://amzn.to/2xoP9ap
Out of the Desert http://bit.ly/outofthedesert

Please help out all of your favorite writers by dropping a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads. We appreciate it.
Thanks, and read on, right now.