We’ve never seen anything like it, and I hope we never do again.

Despite the numerous setbacks brought on by the global pandemic, a handful of silver linings have emerged in the education sector that may prove to sustain us well
into the future.

For starters, kids are resilient. They weren’t born that way, none of us were, but we build resiliency by overcoming hardship. Most children who develop resiliency have, in typical, a stable relationship with one or more parents or guardians. Another consistent relationship that helps is the one between student and teacher.

A second valuable, bright spot to come out of the pandemic is teachers embracing new technology. By combining technology use with traditional resources and teaching methods, teachers became empowered to think beyond the conventional four walls of the classroom and challenged themselves to expand their skillsets. This shift is a good thing since blended learning models and digital transformation are here to stay.

As the world reopens, so must our minds. It’s time to get back to lifelong learning, which starts by taking small steps over the summer to create positive habits with our children, even simple things like reading daily.

We can’t let thoughts of “learning loss” keep us from doing all that we can right now to help prepare our children and teens for a bright, post-pandemic future.