Tell Me Something Good: The Start Of An Unprecedented School Year

By Leah Williams

I always enjoyed the first day of school. A perpetual student until my early 30s, I loved the surge of school supply shopping, the meticulous detail in making class schedules, preparing for another year of academic success.

Every August presents itself with the usual apprehensions. What will this school year bring?

But this August feels different. It is an unprecedented time for all of us, whether we are in the classroom. We all wonder if more restrictions are around the corner. Can our young pupils handle wearing a mask during the majority of the day? Can remote learning be as effective as in-person?

It’s enough to give anyone the jitters.

The decision to return to classrooms is not one that was taken lightly. Our school administrators, teachers and boards have all worked hard to ensure that students can return back to the campus as safely as possible. Take a look around the area schools, and these plans all look different. Some local districts have even reverted back to remote after deciding in-person.

What the right answer is unknown. But perhaps what we can learn in the coming weeks will be more than reading, writing and arithmetic. Let’s all remember that what we can control is how we treat one another. May we all be little bit kinder, a little more patient and a lot more understanding, especially if things change just like they did back earlier this year.

My prayers are with all of those heading back this week. I have a now 7th grader who has definitely missed his peers and is sick of being around adults all of the time.

Tell Me Something Good is a semi-regular column from Nashville News Editor Leah Williams. You can submit your own good news to news@nashnews.net or visit our Thumbs Up tab on our website.