What?!

On this beautiful, sunny day in Boston it’s difficult to convince myself not to go outside. How can such a gorgeous day be unsafe? I recently re-posted an article written by healthcare providers. They assure us that staying inside as much as possible will save lives. Not may save lives, Will. Still, there is some part of me that feels the weather should somehow reflect our needs! The virus wants us. The news is ominous. Where is the wind and rain, the gloom to make me want to STAY INSIDE? Why must nature prove its utter beauty and chaos at the same time with this crisis? Mother nature, sadly, has no responsibility to accommodate us or make sense—especially considering how poorly we have treated her. 

But it’s true. We are in an international crisis. We can only get through it by listening to credible—CREDIBLE—experts, being patient and flexible, sensible and kind. I have many friends and loved ones who are teachers or students, (mother, brother, best friend, co-workers). Trying to create online content for the first time to teach kids is, understandably, daunting. Students paying college tuition with the expectation of in-person classes only to be forced to take them online—and not being able to have a graduation ceremony!—is certainly infuriating. My main income is waiting tables…I guess I’m on “vacation” now. No. Now I am a full-time writer instead of part-time. That’s how I am going to look at it so that I feel less…stuck.

Our resilience and creativity is really going to shine. There is no question—I am not at all suggesting—that this stinks. Keep studying hard, email your teachers often if you have questions. Make sure you know how to get tech support so you can still participate. Your school will have ways to connect you to the tech you need to complete your courses. 

If not: 

Find a teacher that can help you create an alternative approach to your curriculum; 

Ask a friend with computer access to contact teachers and administrators to assist; 

Involve your parents and those around you;

Write a letter and mail it to the Academic Support office.

Don’t give up. No one needs to be left behind because of this pernicious bug. We can all help each other—and ourselves—find a way to keep Covid-19 from derailing all our life plans. We may have to adjust our timeline, we will have to change our approach, and we will, absolutely, have to do it together. All cheesiness aside, this is our reality not a lecture of feel-good maxims. Stay focused. Stay sane. Stay kind. Until next time, 

May nerd-dom abound!

katrina Pavlovich

Quote-of-the-day

“Everything we do before a pandemic will seem alarmist. Everything we do after will seem inadequate”– Michael Leavitt