Students of Pandemic America



We emailed back and forth—a volley of typed angst and concern. 


She’s a grandma like me, but unlike me, she’s attempting to monitor her granddaughter as she tackles her online high school classes. Yes, COVID restrictions have been hard on everyone. But for America’s young students, nothing could really prepare them for what to expect. 


Her granddaughter is sinking beneath a weight that she wasn’t prepared to carry. Her lower grades this school year have defeated her will to try harder. One teacher told her that she should have been more prepared for the online school year. It’s not like they hadn’t already been doing it last spring. The teacher may have meant well, but to a teen, or at least this one, it was another heavy stone to add to the weight already on her back.


Her grandma tries to encourage in the way we grandmas do—sharing our own stories of hardships and then baking cookies, as if a little sugar will help.






Her youngest grandchild longs to play with his friends, but he seems to handle the separation better. Her granddaughter actually needs be with her friends, and snapchat isn’t cutting it.


I remember this sweet girl when she was playing with dolls just a few years ago. If there ever were a time to extend more grace to a her and those like her, it’s now. Her grandma told me how she has become increasingly more quiet. A year ago, this same girl bounced with exuberance as she decorated the school gym for the homecoming dance. 


It wasn't all that long ago that I'd had this sweet young girl help me take care of kids in the church nursery. I asked her grandma if it would be alright if I sent her a text. 







So I did:


You can now add “living through a pandemic" to your list of accomplishments. It’s so easy to see what I’m giving up, while not seeing what you are losing. This is tough, but please don’t lose hope. You are showing up each day and trying. I wish more people my age were doing that.


This is part of your incredible story. A global pandemic kicked you out of school for a while. This is historic and you’re part of it. You will tell future employers how this challenge hit you hard, but you made it through. Right now this is a huge imposition. But it won’t last. You’ll be back in school. For now, keep encouraging your friends—in the online ways you do. You’ll never forget these days. 


And in the future, when your kids gripe about school, you can tell them they have nothing to complain about. 




photos: Paul Siewert, Izzy Park, Kelly Sikkema, Unsplash


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