Letters to the editor: School scramble tests the best of us - thank you

Like many parents, I recently received information from the Cloquet School District regarding the logistics of the multiple models of education students may participate in this school year.

All of them present significant challenges and potential shortcomings and necessitate a lot of sacrifices on the part of students, families, and school staff. The plans are all incredibly complex. It’s clear that we have many dynamics to deal with in the coming months in order to provide our kids the best education we can.

As a parent, I want to extend my profound thanks to the teachers, school administrators, school staff, district leaders, and all others who are clearly bending over backward (and doing somersaults) to make school work for our kids. There will never be a perfect solution to the situation we’re facing. Not even if we had all the time in the world to plan. And we haven’t. Nothing can be certain, and the demands on our educators are incredible to surmount.

I kindly encourage all parents struggling to navigate an unparalleled school year to judge our educators gently. To support them in their efforts to teach our kids in whatever form that must take. To be generous with praise and patience. And to recognize that while we all want things to go smoothly for our kids, they may not always do so.

Being a single parent, I wholeheartedly recognize the difficulties inherent in managing work, school, family, and all the obligations life demands of us. It’s important, though, that we don’t lose sight of the need to support our educators and school staff. They are swimming in uncharted waters, are deeply committed to our kids, and want to do the best they can. They deserve all the grace and appreciation that we can give them, in return.

Lara Wilkinson, Cloquet