Pandemic and back-to-school exhaustion

Pretty much everyone I know is exhausted. There is still a pandemic, yet we're pushing forward with school and many office re-openings as though everything is normal.

I had a delightful conversation with my 5th grader over lunch today about how much he prefers in-person learning over remote learning. This is a kid who came to enjoy staying in his PJs all day and watching YouTube during class, and who was ambivalent at best about the return to school.

I listened as he told me how much more focused and less distracted he can be at school and how appreciates getting the help he needs to learn. He had so much insight. I can't believe we made it through over a year of remote learning.

In person school is not better for all kids though. Although I think it's the majority, some kids did better with remote learning and the return to school is overwhelming.

And even for those of us in best case scenarios where we are seeing our kids come back to life again with regards to learning, the transition has been hard and a HUGE cognitive load.

I'll take managing a complex work project any day over trying to figure out kid logistics. Add to that covid anxiety and trying to keep up with the latest data, mask and quarantining policies, not to mention understaffed school buses and afterschool programs, and it is a LOT. Two of the three public school buses weren't showing up at our elementary school... and then they had to cancel the afterschool program because the provider wasn't able to staff up appropriately.

These issues are systemic and, as always, have a disproportionate impact on those already most impacted by systemic issues (see ‘Can’t Compete’: Why Hiring for Child Care Is a Huge Struggle and Will the Bus Driver Ever Come? Or the Substitute Teacher or Cafeteria Worker?)

When school buses don't show up or afterschool get cancelled, nevermind the possibility that you child could get quarantined and have to stay home for up to two weeks at a drop of a hat, this is particularly a challenge, of course, for working parents, especially those without the flexibility, resources or support to manage these additional complexities and uncertainties.

Employers and managers MUST be taking this into consideration if they are to make any claims to being equitable or caring at all about their employees.

And if you're feeling exhausted yourself, whether you have kids or not - solidarity. And check out my blog post from earlier this year on burnout.

Banner photo by Zsolt Palatinus on Unsplash

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