Thread by @saritapandey, Today is the last day of #TeacherAppreciationWeek I am a parent of [...]

Today is the last day of #TeacherAppreciationWeek I am a parent of a kindergartner at Hyde Addison Elementary School, DCPS, and I wish to share my experience of almost a whole year of online school. A Thread. 1/n

@DrCalvinRHooks @HydeAddisonES @dcpublicschools

Last fall when I realised that there will be no ‘real’ school for my four-year-old, I was stunned at first. But soon enough, I decided to count my blessings and braced for a ‘zero year’ for my soon-to-be kindergartner.
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I consoled myself that learning ABCs and 1-2-3s can wait, that he just needs to be physically safe for now. That being physically safe is enough.
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When virtual school was announced & we picked up a DCPS laptop as school supplies, I shrugged at the thought of my gentle but restless son starting his first school year on a computer. The school asked us to start the new year with an open mind, but I had no expectations.
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But soon as school started with all the fanfare, rules, protocols and discipline of an actual school, within a week I realised that my son’s teachers were not kidding. They were here to teach my son as best as they could and they were absolutely serious about it.
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As I hung around the room where my son took his classes, careful to be out of the camera’s view but trying not to miss anything the teachers said, I realised that his teachers were not expecting me to participate in his school beyond making sure he logs in.
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I also realised I was not the only parent who was so eager to prompt their precious child to follow the teacher’s instructions; I could hear hushed voices of moms and dads gently nudging their little ones to respond.
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At one point my son’s teacher joked with a kid, “Your mum has already finished her kg, now it’s your turn.” I laughed in the background (making sure my son’s audio was muted – a ritual we’ve all mastered by now). I also heaved a sigh of relief. My son was in safe hands.
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In less than a month, every teacher, every class had found its rhythm, and so had my son. He would wait with enthusiasm for live specials, Wonderful Wednesdays, ESL calls, small group calls, and even get pre-Monday blues! Just like a real school!!!
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It dawned on me that it *is* real school, especially for my kid, who had no other significant memory or reference to go by!
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For me, observing how the teachers handle children from a distance has been like going to a training school. How do they manage to have such huge reserves of patience and kindness? How can anyone not be in awe of teachers?
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In just over 8 months of school, my son, now five (5 and a half, if you will) who barely spoke or understood English last fall, reads fluently, writes his thoughts (he keeps a journal!), draws, makes greeting cards for everyone, talks something about music beats, ...
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... ...has his own workout warm-up routine full with three claps, and, above all, is kind, knows to wait his turn and encourages other people when they get stuck (something he says his ESL teacher taught him).
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I’m aware of my privilege as a mom of a neurotypical child with limited learning challenges; with that in mind and sensitivity for parents with special-needs kids, I acknowledge that my son has thrived in his online school. I owe his growth to Hyde Addison educators & staff.
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I must say that even in online setting I can sense inclusion & diversity at the core of the school’s values & that gladdens my heart. I notice it since I come from India where I belong to the majority community, while here in US I have the experience to be in the minority.
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I’ve seen the discrimination, hate & violence my fellow Indians of minority groups back home face today, especially in the last 7 years under the prime ministership of a majoritarian Hindu-supremacist who has unleashed unprecedented hate/ violence on religious minorities ...
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... even as the pandemic is taking lives by hordes, thanks to this callous PM's incompetence as well as lack of will. 17/n

I love to sketch, especially people that mean something to me. So I’ve sketched all the people at Hyde who have directly touched our life. I know many more people must be involved in making this school year a success. But these are people we talk about before going to bed.
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I sketched, my son wrote/ traced/ splashed colours, I finished.

Here’s a shoutout to the these lovely teachers! 19/n