Grades commingling during recess. Chorus club practice. Younger students awaiting their older buddies to join them for weekly lunches. Small group discussions and projects that take place face to face, without a plexiglass barrier in between. Pizza Fridays. We are craving these pre-pandemic moments of learning, socializing and playing that we realize may have been taken for granted in any other year.

A typical day at St. Peter’s School during a global pandemic is far from typical, and oftentimes the challenges can feel overwhelming. However our community is very grateful for the many days our students, faculty, and staff have been able to gather together as a School community in person and we are actively seeking the silver linings of our current normal to learn and grow from.

A St. Peter’s School Pre-Kindergarten teacher has observed her students forming even deeper friendship bonds with fellow classmates because of the amount of time they are spending within the cohorts. “I’ve also seen them become more creative now that they have less materials at their disposal!”

A member of the School Administration and a parent to an Eighth Grader notes that the period of remote learning last spring provided an opportunity for her daughter to “learn how to manage her daily schedule and work load more independently”, skills that will no doubt be crucial in the High School years ahead.

An Upper School English teacher “finds hope in small moments of delight”, like when many members of the Fifth Grade class chose a poem or a passage to present for a Declamation that demonstrated resilience and inspiration, strength and compassion, in light of the recent, challenging issues enveloping our country.

While it may have felt overwhelming to sift through the onslaught of resources pushed out to educators last spring and into this fall, it was an opportunity for teachers to develop the tools for remote learning as well further hone their craft of in-person instruction. As a First Grade teacher points out, “I had to figure out ways to make lessons more engaging for the students in the classroom, given all of the restrictions imposed due to the pandemic.” Additionally, a French language teacher who had been pushed outside of their technological comfort zone initially, is now excited to keep up with the trends in technology to help enhance their teaching techniques.

During a school year that is unlike anything we have ever experienced and at a time when we are craving getting back to the pre-pandemic status quo, looking to these silver linings helps remind us of our community’s resilience and this opportunity for growth.