Last week, we received permission from the Costa Rican Ministry of Education to host SAT tests on campus this past Saturday.  I was both surprised and grateful that the Ministry allowed us to move forward, obviously with strict social distancing protocols.  It was the first time we had students on campus in classrooms since March.  

In some ways, a Saturday morning SAT test is a rather unremarkable thing.  In fact, I’m not a big fan of the SAT – it’s something of a necessary evil that I’ve been secretly hoping would loosen its grip on college admissions thanks to the pandemic.  While that has been happening (especially with the University of California system announcing they were suspending the need for the tests), there are still plenty of schools requiring it.  Some of our students at Lincoln were planning a 5 hour drive across the country to sit for the test in a region where such in-person testing had been authorized.  We aggressively pursued the possibility of hosting the test ourselves, and just a few days before the test itself, received the necessary permissions.

As I stood at the curb Saturday morning, we probably welcomed no more than 25 students onto the campus.  One by one, they came into the school – washing hands, wiping feet, keeping their distance.  Yet, I couldn’t believe how refreshing it was just to have students there in person to welcome to campus.  I told Ms. Lampinen, our high school Vice Principal who was supervising the event, that it was the first time since March closures that I felt like a true school administrator.  Of course we continue to offer school virtually (and, arguably, with a high degree of quality), but it still felt good to be there and to interact, even if for only a few moments and for an event as mundane as an SAT test.

The moment was fleeting.  We just approved distance learning through the end of 2020, in accordance with national health and education requirements.  It is likely the prudent thing to do after all, we can offer a high quality program virtually.  It is a privilege to be able to connect 100% of our students, and so we move forward, choosing to focus on the positives.  But still, at least for a morning, it was wonderful to see our students, give them a word of encouragement, and remember what it is that energizes us in our work as educators.  It reminded me that while difficult, the pandemic will not be here forever.  We’ll be back on campus before we know it, and I imagine we’ll be a little more appreciative of opportunity.