By LAURA HAMMACK, guest columnist
I sat down to try to write something that wasn’t related to COVID-19, but it’s difficult to process anything else right now.
This might not be my best piece, it’s kind of a silly format, but please know it comes from the heart.
C – Calls of assistance. There have been so many. I can’t tell you how many people have called me to offer their help. Time, talent and treasure — all of it has been offered. This community is truly one of the most special places on our planet. When the going gets tough in Brown County, the county gets to helping.
O – Obligation. School districts, by definition, educate the youth of our nation. We have a fundamental obligation to educate, feed, medicate, love, inspire, engage. When that obligation is not possible, something inside of us shifts. I have described it as feeling like I am in a fog. What we do, what we are obliged to do, right now is not a possibility. That’s never happened before and we are wrestling with that reality. While I hope it never becomes a “new normal,” I am respectful of our obligation to be, in this moment, responsible in our actions.
V – Variable. When making decisions for our school district, we like to make them based on strong evidence. The frustrating part of this virus is that the information we receive has been variable. For someone who actually enjoys the process of being strategic in planning, variability can be my ruin! So, instead of being frustrated by it, I am trying to encounter variability with a new strategy. Knowing how challenging it is for our families to plan for child care, potentials for online learning, and all of the other potentials that are too many to name — these are the variables that keep this superintendent awake at night OR dream the craziest dreams!
I – Isolation. We are, by nature, social people. Don’t get me wrong, there are days when I am “done” with people. But when the prospect of isolation is a reality, I start to love people more deeply. I have noticed that people smile wider and brighter when I run in to neighbors while walking my dog. I noticed that people have been a little more — emphasis on little — generous with the placement of their carts in the grocery store. I noticed that people are a little more careful with their words on social media. I love our county and I love our country. When it gets hard, we are willing to do the things that need to be done to help each other.
D – Duty. The schools have a duty to feed our children, so we are figuring out how to feed our children. We have a duty to educate our children and we will figure that out as well. What’s most important in this moment is that the schools need to recognize that we are not on the front lines. We aren’t the nurses and the physicians who are running in to the fire. We aren’t the first responders, law enforcement and fire officials who are prepared to serve, no matter if the incident is symptomatic. We aren’t the representatives at service stations, grocery stores, pharmacies, etc. It’s these folks — and more — who are reporting for duty every day. And to all of you, we lift you up in praise and thanksgiving.
19 — 20. That’s our school year (yep, goosebumps). I’m especially thinking of our seniors. Events and traditions are “paused” right now that are some of the most special to be experienced in a lifetime. In this moment, nothing has been cancelled. To be sure, we are strategizing for ways to make the most monumental experiences in the lives of a senior as special as ever. We owe it to them. Realities are looming, we know that; however, we are fully prepared to be innovative and inclusive. We promise that the Class of 2020 will feel all the love that they are due.
These are extraordinary times. Brown County is filled with extraordinary people. We’ve got too much love to let this thing bring us down. We ARE Brown County!
Laura Hammack is superintendent of Brown County schools. She can be reached at 812-988-6606 or [email protected].
