Edgartown: Teachers shuffle classrooms

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—MV Times

I remember as a kid, Labor Day meant the END of summer. If you drove down Main Street the day after Labor Day, it was a ghost town. Parking everywhere. Stores closed, maybe to open again on the weekends, but probably not. And our little Island went back to sleep until the next Memorial Day. I kind of miss those times, and at the same time, I like the fact that we usually wait until Christmas or January to hibernate nowadays. At any rate, I write this on the eve of Labor Day 2020, unsure of what the fall will bring. This year is anything but predictable. Hopefully we stay a bit busy for the local businesses, but not so crazy busy that we don’t feel our traditional exhale and restorative break from the craziness of summer.

Memories are a funny thing. I must be getting nostalgic in my old age. I enjoyed this afternoon at the beach with my baby girl. No longer a baby, but always MY baby. In the late afternoon she went in for a last swim, and then I tucked her in all warm and snug between two towels to nap a bit and dry off, just like my mama used to do for us on chilly days. I remember it like it was yesterday, particular on those really cool days when the water was choppy. The water would feel so warm, but the air when we got out would be cold. Buzzy would wait on the beach with our towels and wrap us up tight like burritos to get warm. It was the best feeling. Then we’d lay down on one towel and she’d carefully lay another towel over us. I would love to be able to time travel to go back to those days of my youth. Life seemed pretty simple then, and I miss that simplicity. Life has changed a lot over the decades since then, but I’m not sure it has gotten better. Growing up here in the ’70s and ’80s was pretty darned special.

Special happy birthday wishes go out to my brother-in-law Phil Fleisher, who turned the big 6-0 on Sunday. I hope it was a great day spent with family and friends, socially distanced of course.

Other birthday wishes this week go out to Linda Hathaway and Kathy Pogue on Sept. 5, Sarah Parece on Sept. 6, Marissa Ramos on Sept. 9, and to my stepdaughter Kiana Casey, who turns (deep breath) 21 on Sept. 11.

Tom Dresser has another book on the horizon. “Ghosts of Martha’s Vineyard” will be published on Sept. 21, 2020. Photos for the book are courtesy of Joyce Cournoyer, and Holly Nadler agreed to pen the foreword. Books will be available at the usual sites, as well as Tom’s website, thomasdresser.com. This fall, take a peek within the pages of “Ghosts of Martha’s Vineyard”; it will raise your spirits, one way or another. Reading about the paranormal in the pandemic may lead to paranoia, or prove a virtual pleasure.

The P.A. Club is having a Grab-and-Go Fish Fry this Thursday. Order at the old bar door (closest to the street), and you will be directed where to pick up your order to enjoy at home or at one of their outdoor picnic tables. Serving from 5 until 7 pm, or as long as supplies last, for $15 per person. Thank you for supporting the P.A. Club.

I think that’s about it for this week. Am I forgetting something? I feel like I’m forgetting something. Good luck to all my teacher peers and friends, packing up belongings and wall decor and moving classrooms this week. This new hybrid back-to-school model has tendrils that slither into every conceivable aspect of life, including classroom placement. As a result of classes having to be split, one class may need two or more classrooms, and they need to be close together, so teachers are finding themselves moving. Just another pandemic hurdle to jump over, or hoop to jump through. As of now, my classroom is a landing space for other teachers. Unless plans change. Again. We are all in this together, my friends. Teachers, staff, students, and families. And we will get through it together.

Have a great week.

If you have any Edgartown Town Column suggestions, email Gail Gardner, ggardnermv@gmail.com.