We Are Back to School But Not Back to Normal

Scenes from my second grader’s first day of virtual learning

We walk to our usual morning meetup spot: the crosswalk three-quarters of the way down our street where “The Crew” gathers before school. The assembled parents and grandparents mingle while the kids—spanning all the elementary grades—run around. The kids gather on the steps of the same house as we crowd around with our smartphones, reminding the kids to look up, look at us honey, just one more shot—got it!

And then, just like that, they disperse like the human bouncy balls they are.

Normally, we’d all walk together down the street that leads to the elementary school. The kids would race each other to the corner before Miss Kathy’s foreboding “Stop! …Okay, c’mon!” as the crossing guard waves them across. They’d run around some more before the big lineup outside the main doors.

Hugs, waves, and in they’d go, parents dispersing like the not-yet-caffeinated-enough grownups we are.

But not today.

Today there were few hugs between friends and certainly no backpacks. Lots of masks, though—just to be safe. And no first day trek to school. Instead, we all retreated back to our own homes, the sounds of front doors closing one after the other, our…