I recently spoke with Jack from Niagara Falls, NY. Jack is a 9th grader who has been out of school since March 16, 2020. He is not returning to his high school this year. He is looking forward to seeing his friends in the fall, however. Jack taught me a lot about how he sees the COVID-19 pandemic, not to say that how he sees this pandemic is the same as how other students see it. Many students are struggling financially and mentally. Some cannot find a good meal each da

As educators are wondering what the 2020-2021 school year might entail, our students will, inevitably, be going back to their schools and experiencing some rapid, sweeping changes in some shape or form. They might be seeing smaller groups of students in their school at one time, masks affixed to the faces that provided comfort to them in the past, and an environment that feels strange and weird to them even though it is still familiar ground in some way. Students could also