Head of School's Message: December 14
I have a cousin in Washington D.C. whose wife runs her own veterinary practice. She's struggling to find enough employees to cope with the growing demand for services resulting from increasing numbers of people adopting dogs.
During the first safer-at-home order in March, it was rumored that the pandemic was one big canine conspiracy to keep owners from going to work and young playmates from going to school. Dog dependence varies from person to person. A friend of mine who lives by himself is so closely attached to his poodle that he refers to Toto, the poodle, as "God's canine presence in his life." Chandler's Seventh Grade English Teacher Ashley Laird, the mother of two Chandler students, adopted a dog early in the pandemic. "It saved our lives!" she said. "It requires us to move. The dog has to be walked and played with, so the boys have to leave the screen." Man's best friend meets a need.
As 2020 winds down, we know that the pandemic has been a time of loss and suffering for too many people. While there is still more uncertainty ahead, most Chandler families have thankfully made it through the past ten months at home without too many adverse effects. The impact of not being at school in person has taken a social toll on the students, but they are faring remarkably well. One Seventh Grade boy, new to Chandler this year, wrote to me last week, "I just want to take the time to quickly say what a wonderful time I've had at Chandler. It has been my best schooling experience so far, and that's only the distance learning part, I can't wait to actually go on campus, and meet more wonderful teachers and students." I hope he does not have to wait too long.
Parents have described their children becoming more independent because they have no choice. If they cannot do something themselves, there is no one around to help. During a year in which academic progress is not our highest priority, everyone has been pleasantly surprised how much course content is being covered and how many skills are being learned. In a presentation to Chandler's Strategic Planning Committee on Thursday, Middle School Math Department Chair Mateo Reyes estimated that he and his fellow middle school math teachers were approximately half-a-unit or roughly two weeks behind where they would be if they were back at school in person. We want to get everyone back, we want our community reunited on the campus, but in the meantime, Chandler's distance learning program works. Our teachers, students and parents are doing a phenomenal job. Teachers are teaching, students are learning and parents are coping.
News of the FDA's approval of the Pfizer vaccine on Friday lifted our spirits as the coronavirus surge continues. The LA Times reported on Friday that the vaccine was developed using a piece of the coronavirus's genetic code rather than the virus itself. Once the vaccine is injected into the body,the genetic payload instructs cells to produce specific coronavirus proteins. The immune system responds by creating antibodies that attack the real coronavirus. The process lasts in the body for 36 hours. Then the vaccine is degraded and essentially gone, but the crucial antibodies remain.
The men and women who made this remarkable breakthrough were once middle schoolers who may have been inspired by their teachers to pursue careers in science. The development of a vaccine that will save millions of lives can be traced back to science teachers like Stephanie Ho, J.J. Newman, Roberto Calderon, and Arpa Ghazarian in schools like Chandler. Our mission is to prepare students with the foundational skills to have that kind of impact, and that should make any dog's tail wag.
Thank you for choosing Chandler. We look forward to a restful, happy holiday season and a healthy 2021. All will be well.
