Finding Faith ... in the kids growing up

All of our kids are officially back to school now. ... And, as you can imagine, it's been a back-to-school season unlike any other.

Oldest son, Garrett,and Anna, known as No. 5.

First, our oldest son, Garrett, who graduated with a nursing degree last spring in an online graduation, is now looking for full-time work, and won't be going back to school for the first time since he was 5 years old.

And, his longtime girlfriend, Anna, whom we affectionately refer to as No. 5, has been in school for a couple of weeks now.

She's pursuing a law degree, which seems so unreal considering she became part of the family eight years ago! ... How is it that she's in law school now?

Carter, our high school senior.

Second, our next oldest, Carter, is now a senior. ... Our little "Bug" as he was known when he was younger, is almost out of school. And it's got to be the start to the worst senior year ever.

The high school football season in Minnesota was postponed until spring, and so all of his hard work that he poured into speed and strength training this past year will be extended for another six months before he'll ever be able to demonstrate it on the field.

His ACT test was postponed ... twice ... and finally outright canceled. To help out the seniors, our school district is now sponsoring a special testing date in October. We'll see how that turns out.

And, maybe what's most problematic is that we haven't been able to tour any of his favorite colleges yet because travel outside our state hasn't been advised, or in some cases has just outright been banned. ... Oh, I'm sure there are so many other strange aspects I could list to his senior year, but you get the picture. ... There's no way he'll ever forget. That's for sure.

Ava, the high school sophomore.

Our next oldest, Ava, is up for a grand adventure as well. Last year she transferred out of our big, public high school to a smaller, Lutheran-based high school that was more her style. With that transfer came a tuition payment as well, of course.

And so this year, when the school gave the option to go all online, well ... what do you think a 15 year old is going to choose! ;-) ... Well, at that point, it didn't make sense (or dollars!) to keep her enrolled in a school charging us tuition for her to be educated online when there was a perfectly acceptable online public high school available in our state.

And so the "Boo," as I call her will be enrolling in her third school in as many years! ... All in all, it'll be a good change for her, and online school is in her groove. So we're praying that this new adventure all works out!

And that leaves our little Sazzi Lou ... or Siri in the rare times we actually use her given name! Siri will be entering seventh grade, after having a less-than-satisfying end to her sixth grade year.

Our big, public middle school is split into two wings, the fifth- and sixth-graders on the west side, and the seventh- and eigth-graders on the east. And so there's been no orientation for our "Littles" (another favorite nickname) at her new school.

And her seventh grade experience is going to be unlike any of our three other kids who went through seventh grade in the same school. The kids are not allowed to leave their house, as their group of students is called. There's no showing up to school early, or leaving late. And school will be an hour shorter than normal. ... Not to mention the fact that they will be going only two days one week and three the next, and learning online for the remainder.

It's called a "hybrid" model here in our state, and frankly seems to combine the worst aspects of at-home and online learning. The kids are still going to a school that houses 2,000 students, but only for a couple of days, so they only benefit from the social aspect for part of the week, while being exposed fully to the COVID virus. ... And then, on their days at home, they have to revert back to the confusing world of online learning, but only for a few days at a time so that they never gain the flow of continuity of the same style of learning.

I should note that this is how our senior will be going to school as well, but we know that he is more mature, and frankly it'll be a good transition for him as he goes to college next year. It's the younger one, we're anxious about.

So, so ... so strange. ... Our back-to-school experience this year feels like it's been ripped right out of a dystopian novel.

I want to state this plainly: While my words of frustration above may seem a little pointed toward our local public school officials, that is not my intention. I truly believe they are doing the best they can in a time when there are no good answers. They're caught between balancing educating our kids, but also maintaining the safety for all involved, students and staff. Throw in differing parental politics, state mandates, federal guidelines and every person with a social media account throwing in their opinion, and our school leaders have not had an easy go of it planning for back to school this year.

Take my words with a grain of salt. ... The words pouring forth from a parent that just wants the best outcome for their kids. And that passion may manifest itself in words that seem to point fingers. ... That is not my intention.

May our Creator watch over all of our kiddos, teachers, administrators and staff as this school year begins. Send the Holy Spirit to bring peace, safety and learning to each and every school setting. ... Amen.