Not ready is a theme for many Mondays, but it means something a little different today. I was actually ready for the work week and had a productive, Zoom-filled day. I’m not, however, really ready for grad school to start back up after less than two weeks off. But what is one to do? It has started, so I will adapt. The program was almost completely online long before COVID-19, so our learning was always going to be remote. It’s the practicum, though, which was meant to be with adolescents, on campus, in Greeley. That is no longer the case, of course, and the adolescents will also learn remotely. We will all adapt.

The other “not ready” that’s on my mind today is a return to in-person schooling in the fall. We’re busy wrapping up this academic year remotely, but the future is on everyone’s mind. Our governor is confident that K-12 schools will be open. I am not convinced. I am even less convinced that universities can—or should—operate in person in the fall. Two articles from last week (which may or may not be accessible to readers thanks to pay walls, sorry) highlight some of the issues. The Case Against Reopening poses provocative questions and raises important points. For instance, how is the community affected and what do you do about parties or letting students go home on weekends? Colleges Are Deluding Themselves highlights the inequities that permeate these decisions and draws sobering conclusions. For instance, “if a school’s cost-benefit analysis leads to a conclusion that includes the term acceptable number of casualties, it is time for a new model” and “Any path forward—for higher education and for everyone in society—requires telling people this truth: Life is going to be hard for the foreseeable future.”

I believe we will know a lot more in a few weeks than we do now. That’s one of the reasons that I support the educators I work with in finishing up and then taking a couple weeks to recover before even considering “next steps.” We’re not ready, but we’ll get there.

Box 18 in the LEGO Advent Calendar is the holiday dinner table.

I think the person who gets the leaf gets a raw deal (ha ha).