Six weeks ago today, while I was sitting at the ?teacher table? eating lunch with my coworkers, our governor held a press conference and ordered schools in our state to close as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19. My heart rate shot up as fear crept in.
The principal of our little Christian school quickly devised a plan for our school?s closure, and within the hour we were contacting parents and helping students pack up all of their belongings. It was organized chaos.
Just before we dismissed school that afternoon, all of the faculty and students met together in the gym. Students ages 5-18 joined hands with their teachers to pray. There were hugs and tears as we said goodbye to one another. It was a scary time, yet such a sweet one.
To be honest, I was very afraid of the unknown. My biggest fear was the possiblity of being separated from my husband for the forseeable furture. He was out of state at the time, and I was worried that he might not be able to make it back home if a travel ban was put in place. Thankfully, he arrived home about ten days later.
We have settled in to a new normal. After six weeks, my perspective has changed. No matter what lies ahead, God is in control. Although I still battle times of worry, I will not allow fear to have the victory.
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I love that all the staff and students got together to pray. It is so important to keep focused on God’s faithfulness in the midst of all this uncertainty. Visiting from FMF #9.
Yes, it is very important that we keep our hearts and minds fixed on Him.
How wonderful to teach in a Christian school and pray together before leaving.
Up here in NYS we are on week 6 of quarantine. Sigh. It’s not how I wanted our school year to end so we are praying that we will at least be together again for summer school. (special ed prek is required to have 6 weeks of summer session per state ed regulations). the amount of paper work and documentation has been crazy between county regs and state ed regs. I’m busier now than when with the students! and my hours were cut by 1.5 a day!!
God’s got this is what I’ve been telling my family and my unsaved colleagues. The one good thing about this is it seems to be leading more people to questions about their own faith or lack thereof.
Love that quote you put at the end of the post!!
be well and it’s great to hear from you!
I know what you mean about being busier. It seems to take me a lot longer for lesson prep and evaluation now. Take care!
I work at a small Christian boarding school, and we had spring break just as things were heating up. We expected to see our kids again…but now it looks like they won’t be back for the rest of the year. We do a lot of praying for their safety and the safety of their families. I’m glad your husband made it back ok!
Prayer is definitely an excellent way to stay connected across the miles. Hopefully things will return to normal in the fall.
Oh, I can so relate to your initial feelings! I’m a teacher as well and we were surprised and afraid at first, too. It took us a few weeks to adjust and now I almost like it. It’s interesting to see how relationships to students have changed so much, they share a lot of personal things and I feel it brings all of us closer together.
Keep on going, your work is incredibly important! Greetings from Germany
Thanks for stopping by, Katha. I agree with you about the change in relationships. My students look so lonely on the computer monitor. ? I hope you stay safe.
Docs say when this is finished
we no longer should join hands
that contaigon be diminished,
but they do not understand
that this gesture’s simple touch,
in friendship or shared prayer
can come to mean so very much
as it ensures the care
of other souls that we innately
see as mirrors of our hearts,
looking-glass magnifies greatly
the sum of all our Godly parts,
and touch is thus the risk we choose,
for it is far too dear to lose.
Well said, Andrew. Thank you for sharing.
What a comfort it is to know that whatever happens, God is in control. Thanks for sharing!
It certainly has been an unusual time. Hang in there.
I hope you and yours are staying safe and healthy during this difficult time.
J Lenni Dorner~ Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, Debut Author Interviewer, Reference& Speculative Fiction Author
Catching up again – not that I have so many things pressing my schedule these days! Yes, God is in control. My dear, little mother would have said, ‘This didn’t take Him by surprise!’ I love the photos of the teachers and students in prayer together and the sad hugs and goodbyes tug at my heart. I shared the same song on my blog. It’s still true today – I don’t know about tomorrow, but I know Who holds my hand. Sending hugs to you, dear friend.
~Adrienne~