We can get through this
Nashua’s Board of Education has received a great number of emails from constituents regarding issues that have arisen due to our current pandemic emergency. I read every email and would like to thank everyone for taking the time out to weigh in on these very important matters. There is no doubt that we are living in extraordinary times. This pandemic emergency has upset our lives, and even worse, for some of us, it has taken loved ones or our neighbors. It has no doubt created many challenges for our Nashua School District.
The BOE has spent a lot of discussion regarding grading, and despite the sometimes confusing nature of the deliberations; the democratic process is not always straightforward. I believe that the BOE has come up with a flexible way for high school students to choose for themselves if they want pass/fail or the traditional grading scheme. I believe there are legitimate concerns on both sides of the issue, therefore a flexible solution that gave students a choice was required.
In addition, the BOE has decided not to end school early this year. My vote was for not ending school early, and it was not simply because of the money factor. It also is about the message we are sending to our students about perseverance in the face of adversity. I believe that when we are faced with serious challenges in our lives, that we do not give up. I believe that if we closed our schools early this year, we not only let down the taxpayers, but we also deny the students an opportunity to show the world and themselves what they can achieve under tough circumstances. In my own public school education, I was taught to work harder, work smarter and try something different or innovative to overcome challenges, and learning doesn’t stop once the school bell rings.
I want to thank my fellow members of the Nashua Board of Education for bringing thoughtful, serious matters to the board in a civil manner that respects the democratic process, and for their willingness to reason and compromise over differences. I want to thank everyone in the Nashua School District who is working hard every day to meet the challenges of this emergency, administration, secretaries, food service, custodians and our teachers. There is nothing more I would like to see than our teachers back in their classrooms doing what they do best, which is helping our kids learn and grow every day, but right now we all have to do double duty.
We have to fight against this pandemic and still do our jobs, and for many of us, we still have to do parenting or take care of others in our homes. This is what the emergency requires of all of us, but I am confident that we can tough it out. Americans have seen pandemics in 1918 and in the 1980s. We have survived many economic recessions before. We have soldiered on after the trauma of warfare. We have shown our resilience so many times before, which is why I am confident that we can get through this current emergency together.