Vin Cappiello

Hey students, there’s something I want you to know. I miss you. And I’m pretty sure you miss me, too. Even the cranky me. The same cranky me who showed up on Zoom today, a little annoyed that some of you weren’t performing at a level I thought you should be.

It’s what teachers everywhere are experiencing. A strange and sad and frustrating emotion we’ve never experienced. One second, we’re celebrating finally hearing from those of you who seemingly went dark for several weeks, and the next, we’re scratching our heads wondering how in the world we’re going to meet the demands of online teaching.

But at the end of the day, the very essence of what we do hasn’t changed. Our hearts remain fixed on you. And we miss you.

Hopefully you know that when we lay awake at night worrying about the letter “M,” which represents “missing” assignments on Infinite Campus, we’re also trying to devise a way to turn that into a viable and tangible measure of your learning.

Hopefully you know that every one of your teachers, support staffers, administrators and coaches wish we were all together, teasing each other and learning from each other. Sharing with each other and caring for each other.

Hopefully you know that each of us is hoping and praying you and your family are surviving the pandemic and that no one close to you has been infected as so many have.

Hopefully …

There really isn’t much we can do right now other than be better teachers than we ever have been so you can be the best student you’ve ever been. Zoom works, but it’s a Band-Aid stretched across a wound that continues to hurt and feels as if it will be slow to heal.

You seniors have it the worst. You didn’t ask for this; heck, none of us did. But you will miss out on those last couple of months of high school that should be replete with your last prom, your last essays, your last pranks and your last athletic contests.

Dr. Jena Lee, medical director of pediatric consultation/liaison and emergency psychiatry at David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, has some advice for you. Her comments on the psychiatry website healio.com are summarized as follows: “For children with a history of mental illness, the lack of structure and increased stress in the family can exacerbate psychiatric symptoms, such as depression and anxiety,” Lee said. “These symptoms may manifest clinically as somatic complaints, difficulty sleeping or eating, or behavioral regression, depending on the developmental stage of the child.”

It’s easy to say things such as, “try to create a schedule that works for you,” or “one assignment at a time” or “you’ll come out of this a better person.” Likely most of you would impale me with a heavy object if I gave you such advice, the same advice experts like Dr. Lee are throwing around. These suggestions are worth considering, but let’s face it: You don’t want to hear it.

What you want — and this likely goes for all students — is to be back at school with your friends, with your teachers and with all the people who significantly impact your daily lives. And at least for the balance of this school year, you know this simply will not happen and that we are relegated to Zoom meetings, long emails and the increased demands from family and teachers.

So why not engross yourself in schoolwork? Why not finish strong and prove to yourself you have the skills it takes to be successful? Why not declare yourself ALL IN for the next four weeks? That’s what your teachers and families are doing, and that’s what you should do, too.

If you’ve fallen behind, and the mere thought of getting out of bed to take part in online learning makes you want to pull the covers back over your head, consider the words of retired U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McGraven: “If you wanna change the world, start off by making your bed.”

It’s your first victory of the day. One victory leads to another … and another … and another.

If you students are thinking, “Yeah right, Cap, do you actually make your bed in the morning?” I answer with a hearty, “Heck yeah I do!” Adm. McGraven knows darn well not all of us will change the world, but like I sometimes say, “If you can’t change the world, at least try to make your corner of the world a little bit better.”

So listen up, students. Tighten up your boot straps, pick yourselves up and dust yourselves off. And your families, your community and the entire education system will help you get there. We’re all rooting for you. Now, it’s up to you to make it happen.

(Vin Cappiello teaches English and journalism at Powell High School. He has been teaching 24 years and is the author of the novel “A Quarter Mile From Home.”)