These are strange times, folks. Strange times indeed. I wanted to step out of the box this week and give some love to our kids. Not just the student-athletes. But every youngster who has had to make sacrifices over the course of this pandemic. This whole thing sucks, and I truly feel bad for them — especially those in our backyard. I do not like the new normal.

I try not to be judgmental, and I am fully aware that this is an unprecedented situation. Everyone’s an expert, yet no one has the right answers. I do not think this is a HOAX. I believe it is real and personally know many who have recovered. I wear my mask more than the average Joe, and I always keep my distance. My line of work has not been negatively impacted. We are blessed, and we are doing double. But some of my friends aren’t as lucky. A few of my chums own restaurants and bars, and they are getting the smackdown. These are strange times.

I continue to pray for our administrators and teachers. They were dealt some crappy cards. I genuinely believe they are doing the best they can. I am pleased to see that many districts are back to school five days a week. Kudos to Loyalsock, Jersey Shore, and St. John Neumann as they were the guinea pigs. Fortunately, they have not had any major problems. The teachers and students have been amazing. My fingers are still crossed, but keep up the good work, folks. Montoursville and South Side will now make the transition. They are going back to full time shortly. Williamsport Area and Montgomery are the only ones left. Dude. We really need to get our kids back in school.

MY CHROME BOOK KEEPS FREEZING. Did you log out and log back in? YES. BUT I KEEP GETTING THIS ERROR MESSAGE. Send me a picture. Hmm. That’s not good. Take a little breather and try it again in an hour. BUT I HAVE TO GET THIS DONE. I HAVE A MATH ZOOM IN 30 MINUTES. Everyone is having the same problem, bud. Someone suggested that you hit the refresh button. NOTHING. Hit it again. STILL NOTHING. WAIT. IT FINALLY WORKED. THANKS, DAD. OK. Good stuff. So, whenever you see that error screen, just keep hitting the refresh button.

Our journey started last March when we were forced to shut down. Our poor districts had absolutely no warning. They did the best they could, but it was a minor train wreck. I am not pointing any fingers, but no one was prepared. We limped through the spring and felt bad for those seniors. Many proms and graduations were canceled. The same went for baseball and many other opportunities. It was an awful experience.

We had time in the summer, but how do you plan for the great unknown? The PA Department of Education and the Governor provided guidance, but it was totally in each district’s hands. Thankfully, the folks in the 570 had options. Others did not. Some went back. A few stayed completely remote, and some tried this HYBRID. Wearing a mask every day certainly gets old. But I am extremely proud of our students. Kudos to everyone who is now back full time. You have demonstrated how we can learn and stay safe.

HOW DID JENSEN DO ON HIS TEST? Great. He is good with numbers. DID YOU HELP HIM? On a few. JAMIE! YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO. What? DIDN’T YOU READ THE PACKET? THAT WAS A CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT. TEACHERS NEED THAT INFO TO GAUGE A STUDENT’S MASTERY ON A SPECIFIC SKILL. No. I only helped him with a few. He is 11. He doesn’t know how to find the circumference of a circle. But I do. UNBELIEVABLE. READ THE DIRECTIONS. WHAT IF HE GET’S 100%? It was multiple choice. Maybe he got lucky. My bad.

I have several reasons why the HYBRID learning model is not working. I will not bore you with them, but they are a cause for concern. Look, all of us have had to make many sacrifices. Some of us take personal and vacation days just to help with ELA. Thankfully, my son has a tremendous support system. But I feel terrible for those youngsters who do not. We are struggling with this type of learning. Many other parents are in the same boat. Elementary and middle schoolers need more. My son and his friends are not ONLINE learners. Going to school two days a week is not the answer. We tried it. But now it is time to look at other options. I believe my opinions are credible. In fact, every parent and student in our district should have some say. There is talk of another survey. Hopefully, this one won’t have any misleading words. It’s a simple question. Should we return to school full-time? God bless the kids of the 570. Thanks for reading my rant that went to 58K homes. Cheers.