Not Ready... for THAT

So it turns out, Teachers and Parents all over the Country are simply not ready to take the plunge back into on-site schooling with this pesky pandemic still looming and menacing us by tallying up more and more cases by the days — at least in our neck of the woods here in Northern California. And so I made the call - I announced to our staff and clients — we won’t be back in our classrooms just yet. It was a sad moment to come to this realization. But I am, toujours, a stubborn optimist - even on my worst days (deeply annoying to all the ‘realists' in my life) . And so after the prolonged closure announcement went out, I followed up with this email and committed right then and there that “not ready” for one thing absolutely doesn’t mean “not ready” for anything! It actually means, “ready for the task at hand”, whatever that may be. See my letter below, perhaps it will resonate with you all, too, during this weirdo-moment-in-time in which we have unexpectedly found ourselves.

July 2020

Bonjour friends and families of LPJ!

What... a... week.

As we are all quickly learning, school just isn't going to look the way we had hoped it would come back-to-school time. I am mourning with you -- as a teacher and as a mother of three boys who will each distance learn from three different schools come August. It's not just inconvenient -- it's sad, it's frustrating and, for families with two working parents, it's nearly impossible to begin to envision how this can all come together. It's 'pas bon' on so many levels. Of course we all agree the health and safety of our children and our families is paramount - that's a no-brainer! However, realizing that the safest thing we can do is to keep them out of the classroom this fall, is still bad, sad, and deflating news. 

Deflated as we may be, we continue to hold the position of the responsible and loving adults who will have to rally and organize all these ill-fitting pieces for our children this school year. Whatever emotional response we exhibit in the face of this whole societal meltdown, is the only response our entrusted young ones will see. It is what they will base their own already-fragile feelings on. For this reason, I implore you all to be not only brave for your babes - as I know you already have been and are still - but to be POSITIVE. It is the only thing we can control right now. One way or another they WILL get an education, they WILL have creative and outdoor opportunities, they WILL feel love and joy and all the things because we WILL make that happen for them. We WILL also keep them safe and secure. We WILL choose to make the best of it all, if not for ourselves, for them.

These 'Mama Bear' feelings rushing through my system, paired with the fact that I am an obsessive workaholic (in case you hadn't noticed, YIKES!), has led to the birth of a new online LPJ Preschool Portal coming to a screen (and a doorstep) near you for the 2020 Fall Semester. I know online learning isn't for every family, and I respect that. I know online learning isn't IDEAL -- but NONE OF THIS is ideal, so I have vowed to take what we have built over the last 12 years with LPJ and, like all of you, WILL make the best of it! Because at the end of the day, virus or not, teaching kids and supporting families is still my jam! And I hope it will help to build you and your families up this coming semester!

As I currently curate our new lessons, fine tune the new online website and sign-in portal, and gather materials to create "Discovery Boxes" to send to your homes (filled with preschool supplies, activities and projects), I feel sad, but also hopeful. I'm heartbroken that our kids won't be in class together; high-fiving and sharing a noontime lunch conversation or building with a shared set of blocks. I'm sad for my own two eldest sons who will miss out on a "First Day of Jr. High" and a "First day of Highschool"; many of yours will miss out on a "First Day of Kindergarten"! Frankly, it sucks. But I am hopeful that we will get through this as a strong community and as a connected community. Whether you do or don't choose to join LPJ's online program, I am not offended. We all have such different scenarios right now. But at very least - let's stay connected and commit to positivity! 

I am WITH you all in my heart and I hope to see you all "virtually" in the near future. Look out for the official details and invitation to join LPJ Online VERY SOON!

Until then, soak up as much sunshine and positivity as you can and enjoy this very unique summer with your loved ones.

In hope and health,

Ambi