that long lost smell

Last spring the buildings were suddenly abruptly emptied. Last fall, slowly, teachers began to fill classrooms. Muffled voices began to fill the halls. The hollow feeling faded into the distance when children came back to in person learning via the hybrid model. Our school sure didn’t look the same but it sounded and felt a wee bit better. Then, this winter, it got even louder when we welcomed all our K-5 kids back. The energy and voices were back. The school felt and sounded full.

The return to full in person learning brought bag lunch choices only. Hot lunch was not part of the intial re-opening. The kids didn’t mind. They were happy to have the time and safe space to eat their bagged lunch, from school or home, and relax in either the cafeteria or classroom (each class sends half their kids to eat in cafeteria while other half stays in classroom).

Monday morning started out with testing a small group of third graders. My group and I entered our room around 8:40. We spent the next 45ish minutes together – them testing and me proctoring. Our testing time was up at 9:35. The kids gathered their chrome books and book bags and we made our way to the door. Upon opening that door, our noses were greeted with an aroma that could only mean one thing – hot lunch was back on the menu!

That savory smell of hicken nuggets wafted through the halls. “It smells like nuggets!” Charlie said. “Hot lunch!” Riley added “Do you realize, we haven’t smelled hot lunch in almost a year!?!” I added as I looked at my crew, wanting them to feel this little piece of old-familiar that had come back to be with us again.