The three of us were still half-asleep when we got into the car on Monday morning. We’re not morning people, including Mark.
“Mommy, why is it cold?”
“Because it’s already mid-September.”
Feng turned the radio on.
“COVID cases in Ottawa are on the ris—”
“CHANGE!”
“And today is the first day back to school for many students, but how long—”
I pressed on another button to skip yet another depressing news report and Madonna started singing “Like a Prayer.”
“That will do.”
Traffic was unusually quiet. It’s been like that for months, as if Ottawa was still on lockdown mode—most federal government employees kept on working remotely and around 25% of students opted for online learning.
“Are you sure his first day is today? Where are the other kids?”
I shrugged. “Socially distancing? Waiting in the car? Who knows!”
Mark and I walked to the fence. His three teachers (maths and English, French and arts) had introduced themselves by email over the weekend. They even sent a picture and a snapshot of the “new normal” classroom—kids sit behind their own Plexiglas shield.
“Is she my teacher?”
“I… have no idea. It’s hard to tell who is who with face masks and face shields. Look, I can’t walk you to the building, parents are not allowed on school property. Are you gonna be okay?”
“Yeah… I guess.”
Mark was supposed to cross the field and enter the building through a backdoor—a two-minute walk, really, but I felt bad for him. For a seven-year-old on his back-to-school day and without other kids around (where the hell was everyone?) he may as well have been instructed to reach the top of Mount Everest alone.
Fortunately, a school bus arrived and a handful of kids walked into the schoolyard, looking as lost as Mark. Finally, one of the masked grownups took interest and led the kids to the back of the building.
I waved.
Mark waved back.
“This is just so fucking weird,” I muttered.
Feng picked up Mark at 2:50 p.m.—for foreign readers, this is not a special COVID pickup time, it’s a normal school day around here.
“So, did you have fun?”
“Awesome. Best day ever! Everything’s great! Except the not playing together part. And having to stay in one corner of the field. Yeah, yeah, I know, because of COVID.”
I went back to work. Two minutes later, I got an email from school. “Changes to improve procedures.”
“Ottawa Public Health is advising people not to use lanyards for masks. When students take their mask off using a lanyard, particularly at recess, the side touching their mouth may have come in contact with contaminated particles from another child which is then placed back on the child’s face.”
And my favourite: “Parents, please do not bring your family dog to the school at drop-off and pick up as this may discourage our collective goal to physically distance. We know people love dogs and want to pet them!”
Oh boy… it’s gonna be a long year.
Or not.
Bonne rentrée, Mark !
All those rules puzzles me. Actually, that’s one thing that really confused us in Canada, maybe THE cultural shock. This is the kingdom of confusion 😀
The fact there are plenty of rules confuses or the rules themselves are confusing? Or both?
Both! All the time.
Wow ! I hope it’ll be all right for Mark, despite the plexiglas and facemask and everything.
This e-mail, though O_o
I know, right?!
So interesting hearing the in-person school experience. Glad Mark enjoyed it once he crossed the abyss!
I think my school days (in the U.S., as you know) also ended at 2:50. That is a weird time. I wonder why that is.
Ah, I think I know! I did some research when Mark started school and in turns out that here, start and end time are basically decided based on school bus schedules. So in some areas, school starts at 9 a.m. but in others, it starts at 8 p.m. and so on. Same goes for end time.
Mark normally ends at 3 p.m. but this year it’s 10 minutes earlier because of COVID and staggered end times for his group.
Ah! I wouldnt have thought of that. Thanks. One puzzling mystery solved. Others remain a mystery.
Oh, this is the only school mystery I’ve solved so far! 😆
I rolled my eyes so hard I can’t get them back facing forward. I don’t know what they put in the sanitizing gel at my kids’ school, but they come back from school reeking from a strange perfume (you know, the mass produced cheap kind). As soon as they get back home I can’t even hug them before they “quickly wash your hands with some actual soap !” This stuff stinks !
(I already knew for the bus schedule thingy) 😉
Yuck. Now I kind of rate supermarkets on the type of hand sanitizer they provide. Loblaws’ is awful, super liquid and sticky. Walmart uses Purell I think and the Chinese supermarket seems to be offering pure alcohol 😆