Today is a good day to congratulate us!

COVID19 and quarantine never cease to amaze us. When the return to normality seems to loom, our president communicates more drastic measures to us and isolation continues to be prolonged. This situation continues to keep us away from each other, away from our students, we continue away from our workplace, we continue to resist as parents, we continue to fight each other, from the new work corner: our house. National security is worth it, our safety is worth it, it's worth the peace of mind of knowing that our students and their families will be healthy, so we continue to strive, all as one team.

Although the estrangement becomes difficult because of how long it has been and all that this entails, it is important to note that it also allows us to experience new experiences. I think there are several of them, but I will dwell on some that seem relevant to me.

The assessment of friendship. Our students at Elementary School are still small and in a process of bonding friendships, most likely lasting their entire lives. This time away from their friends, has invited them to recognize how important it is to have friends around, how fun and bearable life is when we are close to friends.

The assessment of the presence of their teachers, sometimes everyday life and tiredness, leads them to think that they no longer need them, and these circumstances have made them notice how important it is to see and know of their teachers.

There is no doubt that another point gained in this battle is the management and use of technology. This modality has challenged everyone to learn to love and value devices that offer us secure and effective connection to perform the slopes.

Finally, family time. Away from the chaos and day-to-day operation, there comes a time to disconnect from the devices, a time to do nothing, but together. To just laugh and take advantage of that physical contact that, for those of us under one roof, is possible. So that hug arrives without haste, that prolonged kiss, that sustained look. That moment comes when we stop to BE, to be connected with each other, with our being 100%

This extension of social estrangement forces us all to constantly reinvent ourselves. It forces us to dawn earlier still, and may not be able to do so, but it doesn't turn out to be an option. You have to organize the house, prepare breakfast, systematize the boys in their duties, accommodate the little ones with games that entertain them for a good time, so that one can also join the work responsibilities, and try to survive in that attempt. It's been hard, very hard, but we're making it. We're doing the best we can. Week by week we have been getting better and comfortable at home and, although slow but sure, we are putting together the puzzle more and more every day, longing to be able to finish it soon. Therefore, I encourage myself to mention that the attitude with which parents have been accommodating and rearranging this process of accompaniment in the distance education of their children is immensely valuable. It is the parents who have set out to enter a trial-error process. In this process they have discovered which course it is advisable to start earlier, which to follow and at what time to look for physical activity, which suits your child very well, but also very well for him because his work also weighs on him. Many mothers told me, with laughter and tears, that patience itself has challenged them. When they thought the league was about to break, it turns out it still manages to keep stretching. As parents we are always committed to reinventing ourselves to find the best ways to make our children better off the circumstances.

It's important to stop for a second, look back and see how far we've moved, how we've settled, how hard it was, but we're doing it. It's important to take a long, deep breath and congratulate yourself: you're doing well! Flip to the side and congratulate and thank those who accompany us at home and share the responsibility of helping the kids with learning activities.

These days we are overrun with technology and even if we wanted to disconnect from the cell phone, this would be a good time to make use of it. Enter the chat and congratulate the moms in my living room, the parents of my son's friends. Tell them that we are doing well, that it is important that we remain committed, that we are a group that is listened to, that is helped, that it is supported and that above all is recognized and that it also knows when it is time to congratulate one another. As a School, we are infinitely grateful for the support of the program, for the messages of encouragement, for your constant comments. That helps us confirm that we are really a community, that we are united, and that together we have the same goal: to integrally train our kids. This will be an experience that will surely be commented on for the rest of their lives. It's up to us to take care of and make that memory valuable.

Finally I have the conviction that we are all in the same boat, that we are sailing looking at the same horizon, and that as much as the tide sets high on the route, maintaining calm we will arrive happy to good port.

Nathalia Herrer
a Stage Director Elementary School San Pedro