Through the Cracked Windshield

I now have a high school freshman and a middle school student.

I also now have a LOT of white hair.

When I started this job at the MEA my youngest was 12 weeks old, in diapers, and barely moving. Fast forward a few years, and I’m writing this same editor’s note talking about that drooling baby going off to kindergarten and how I sobbed.

Now, here we are 11 years later-one kid will soon drive and the other is begging for a cell phone (which we refuse to give him).

The emotions for this new chapter are similar, yet somehow very different. I’m different. My kids are different. My oldest is the smartest, bone-headed decision-making kid I know. He is bi-lingual thanks to his public school Spanish Immersion program, yet not smart enough to realize he shouldn’t hit a baseball towards my new car because he may crack the windshield-yeah that happened week one of having the vehicle. It’s the only new car I've ever had... don’t get me started. Anyway....

These are the things, as a parent, I fully admit to not being prepared for. I had no idea what having a teenage boy would be like. I grew up with a single mom and a sister who is one year older than I amboys, their smell, and all that comes with them is something I'm learning as I go, and just winging it.

So, when both boys left for school this year, I wasn’t quite sure how I would react. I didn’t shed a tear when my six-foot tall 14-year-old went to high school. A little water welled up in my eyes, but nothing fell down my face. In addition to the familiar feeling of: “I can’t believe how quickly this is happening,” there was also the feeling of accomplishment because I truly believe my kids “got this.” They are ready. They will both figure out how to manage these new challenges, just like my husband and I will work towards dealing calmly with the rapidly changing curves these kids throw at us.

Each school year always seems to bring something new for students, staff, families, guardians—the whole community changes with each new year. You never know what’s coming your way when those new students step onto the bus, into the lunchroom, and into your classrooms and lecture halls. There are always challenges. Behavior issues. Classroom management struggles. But there is also so much hope. Hope that the kid who can’t ever seem to find socks in the morning can figure out how to solve a complex math problem because he has a great teacher supporting him along the way. Hope that the child who is still afraid of being alone upstairs in his house will navigate the peer pressures of middle school because he’s not alone-he has an advisor whom he can trust and go to for help. Hope that no matter how many baseballs get hit into the windshield, there is always someone-including your union-who can fix the cracks and help you move on.

Here’s to another great year, cracks and all-because it’s through the imperfections that we learn and grow. As for my kid-he'll be swinging for the fences towards the woods from now on. Good luck this year, and remember MEA is here for you.

Giovanna Bechard
MEA Communications Director

First Day of School Pictures