Happy First Day of School: She’s a Junior!

Whew.

Let’s all let out a collective sigh right now. Whether you are sending your kids back to school physically, or they are attending virtually, it’s been a quite interesting back to school season. Between my son and my daughter, I have had a collective 27 first days of school, but this one was like no other.

Thanks, COVID.

Despite the way we had to do things this time around, I am grateful to my daughter’s school district for working so hard to address all of our issues while tackling how school would be presented this first semester for thousands of students. Everyone from the staff to the teachers to the principals and support personnel have went out of their way to ensure that the school year starts in an organized fashion. I am thankful for all of their hard work, and I hope that this school year will be a good one that we will all remember.

My daughter was ready for her first day, and she tackled it like a trooper. She had all of her supplies ready, and did a Zoom run through last Friday to make sure that she could log in without any issues. We even bought her a new webcam for her desktop, since this would be her primary workspace.

All summer, she lamented about wanting to go to “actual school” and not “virtual school”, but I think now that it has begun, she’s made peace with it. Since it’s her junior year, I want her to really get the most out of every opportunity. College is right around the corner.

Here are a few goals I hope for the new school year:

Thrives through the pivot

We had hopes that when school ended last term, the world would be better and she would be able to return to the actual school. In person. Now that distance learning is the only option, I hope that she continues to thrive through the pivot and through her circumstances. Her 11th grade year is an important one, and I want her to be able to soar and rise to every challenge given to her.

Learns to be a leader in difficult situations

Difficult times call for leaders who know how to lead. My daughter has always been a girl who has big ideas. I want to help her manifest those ideas and use them to lead others in a positive way.

College visit(s)

The two of us were supposed to visit two colleges this summer, but were unable to due to the pandemic. My goal is for us to be able to visit her top two choices during Spring Break and over the summer, so we can begin to narrow down where she will be heading to. She wants to major in Communications with an emphasis on Public Relations.

Be a problem solver

Last year, my daughter was put into a class that she was told she wouldn’t be put in. I advised her to advocate for herself and she did, and was put into the class that she was told she would be in. I hope that during her junior year, she will continue to solve problems while advocating for herself. I will always be her biggest cheerleader, but I also want her to learn how to solve problems and issues on her own first. It’s a lesson she will need once she goes off on her own.

When I first started The Cubicle Chick, she was starting elementary school. Now, she is a full-fledged high school junior. Time moves so fast!

Moms and dads, here’s to a successful school year! We got this! And so do they!