We dropped our youngest off at college last week for his freshman year.
The last of our three children.
If you’ve been there or are getting there, you know that it’s been emotionally complex — empty nest, finances, what’s next, who we are, have we been good parents, are we still good parents, is he ok?
But amongst that complexity, a strong sense of gratitude has emerged. Gratitude for where we live and our public school’s commitment to getting those kids back to in-person class as soon as possible.
The three heads of the Cerberus — school board, administration, and teachers — all came together and had our students back to full-time in-person instruction in October 2020. Yes, there were bumps in the road, fits and starts, and wrong turns, but they did it.
They committed to the education and, by extension, the well-being of our kids, which paid off in spades. Observing other incoming college freshmen and kids of all ages around this country leaves no doubt that we got it right. Our kids are as ready as can be for what’s next.
Pre-pandemic, we had meaningful arguments about the quality of our kids’ education in our community.
Post-COVID, the conversation changed to the most basic level — Are we educating our kids at all?
Hindsight is 20/20, and revisionist history is rampant, but thankfully, our Cerberus got it right. They endured the criticism, had the hard conversations, and made tough calls — correctly.
Thank You, Oley Valley.
