"We are struggling to find a new normal within the confines of COVID-19, especially as September has begun to wave at us from the calendar." As a parent of a new young student and as Eton's School Counselor, Sarah Kessack understands the struggle and offers insight and thoughtful advice on how to make the school year easier for everyone.
"Compassion hurts. When you feel connected to everything, you also feel responsible for everything. And you cannot turn away. Your destiny is bound with the destinies of others. You must either learn to carry the Universe or be crushed by it. You must grow strong enough to love the world, yet empty enough to sit down at the same table with its worst horrors." – Andrew Boyd, Daily Afflictions: The Agony of Being Connected to Everything in the Universe
Since the day I started at Eton, I've been impressed by the compassionate community we have. Everyone is looking out for each other, watching each other's children grow and thrive, and thinking of ways we can improve the community at large. It's our collective compassion that brings me into this new school year, but not without a focus on the anxieties and uncertainties we are all feeling. It's my second year at Eton, but my first in my new role as school counselor and, more importantly, my first as an Eton parent.
We are all sitting at the table Andrew Boyd spoke of. We are struggling to find a new normal within the confines of COVID-19, especially as September has begun to wave at us from the calendar. The complexities of parenting, schooling, physically distancing, maintaining our sanity, and more are pulling at us from every direction and there isn't a clear example laid out to help guide us. We're feeling completely out of control.
- Homepage News