I have to tell ya, I am a bit disoriented. I do not recall September 7, 2020, the last time Labor Day was this late, but then again, there is a lot I do not recall from 2020. On the one hand, the school year feels early, since it is just September 11, yet on the other we are completing the third week of school already with the first third of trimester 1 done in a week.
Maybe I am a bit disoriented because this year marks the 25th anniversary of the horrible events of September 11, 2001. I am old enough that this is one of our collective “Where were you when…” memories. I was teaching at the time, and like everyone else, I was unaware of what was truly happening. A month and a half later, I was in Washington, D.C. at a middle school conference. The city was pretty much deserted. The country was still navigating security, flying, and traveling. Since then, I have studied, discussed, and learned much about this time in our history. The disorientation and loss of words are still present most of the time. It truly is startling that 25 years have passed, making me dumbfounded and sad.
To help overcome disorientation, people often create routines. Routines help create what is “normal,” “typical,” or “common.” Our brains like patterns, so we can be more comfortable and confident when there are no surprises. Routines help us achieve this normalcy and help us avoid disconnection, something not being "quite right" or "off." For example, at school, the short weeks, like MEA or Thanksgiving, tend to be the “longest.” They take more focus, time, and energy because the established routines cannot be followed, disrupting our rhythms and sense of what we come to know as a week of school. As adults with years of experiences, like Labor Day falling on September 7, we can recognize patterns being broken on larger scales, more like a month or year instead of just days or weeks.
The third week of school is complete. AM car or bus rides, class schedules, lunch periods, after-school activities, studying, family time, sleeping, etc. and so much more in the lives of our adolescents have hopefully been made into some routine. If not, it is time. It is time to discuss what this year looks like for your family. How will all the activities impact each day and week? When will time be set aside for school, but also friends, family, volunteering or religion or community engagement? With the new school year and all its potential, what does your family want to develop further, begin new, or discard as it no longer is needed? The fall is an exciting time for planning and preparation.
Labor Day is over. I will honor 9/11 this weekend with family, and I plan to sit down with them to listen and share my thoughts on what I want from this school year. With their support, I will identify routines that will help me be successful. I am confident that I will then be able to find my rhythm, blend it with those I love, collaborate it with those for whom I work, so then my disorientation will disappear.
Let me know how it goes for your family.