WEBVTT 1 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:27.500 Hello, and welcome to Word and Work an Intersection. 2 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:31.500 I'm your host Dale Meyer. Joining us today is Dr. 3 00:00:31.500 --> 00:00:35.300 Tim Brackman and Cindy Burreson. Now 4 00:00:35.300 --> 00:00:35.700 Dr. 5 00:00:35.700 --> 00:00:38.700 Brackman is principal at Lutheran High School North in St. 6 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:39.000 Louis 7 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:42.600 and Cindy is the director of counseling at that school. 8 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:49.800 Covid is affecting all of us but our schools and school systems are 9 00:00:49.800 --> 00:00:54.600 seeing significant changes to normal daily operation. 10 00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:56.200 That's our topic today. 11 00:00:56.200 --> 00:01:00.500 And this is close to my heart and I think it should be close to your 12 00:01:00.500 --> 00:01:01.200 heart as well. 13 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:07.800 We've seen tough times in our life and America seen tough times, but 14 00:01:07.800 --> 00:01:11.200 I've never gone through anything like this. And what are the things I'm 15 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:16.900 going to ask our guest today is the impact of COVID and stress and 16 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:19.200 anxiety upon our young people. 17 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:22.100 So I thank you both for being here. 18 00:01:22.100 --> 00:01:23.500 Let's start with you. 19 00:01:23.500 --> 00:01:23.800 Dr. 20 00:01:23.800 --> 00:01:24.300 Brackman. 21 00:01:24.300 --> 00:01:26.500 May I Tim? Please, 22 00:01:26.500 --> 00:01:27.100 yes. 23 00:01:27.100 --> 00:01:32.700 Tell us about what Lutheran High School North is I mean for those of 24 00:01:32.700 --> 00:01:40.900 us who don't know. Sure, I love to talk about Luther North, we could take the whole segment on that but I'll try to try to abbreviate it. 25 00:01:40.900 --> 00:01:41.200 So, 26 00:01:42.700 --> 00:01:47.200 Lutheran North is one of our two primary Lutheran High Schools in St. 27 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:49.000 Louis city area here. 28 00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:53.200 I like to give the short history lesson just down the street Lake and 29 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:56.800 Waterman not far from Forest Park the original Lutheran High School 30 00:01:56.800 --> 00:01:57.700 started in St. 31 00:01:57.700 --> 00:02:04.100 Louis in the 1940s. In the 19 late 1950s our sister School Lutheran 32 00:02:04.100 --> 00:02:06.500 South opened up on the southside of St. 33 00:02:06.500 --> 00:02:11.000 Louis. And my understanding is that that the leadership at that time. 34 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:15.000 Said we've got a school South and we'd like to cover kind of North 35 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:22.100 and South and so then in the mid-1960s, 1965ish, Lutheran North was opened 36 00:02:22.100 --> 00:02:22.900 up and the original. 37 00:02:22.900 --> 00:02:26.000 Lutheran High School effectively moved to Lutheran North. 38 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:32.300 So we're 50 plus years on that campus 75 years as a as an association 39 00:02:32.300 --> 00:02:33.000 here in St. 40 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:37.800 Louis. Great and you're the principal and how did your life journey 41 00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:39.000 bring you to where you are now? Oh yeah, well I've been in Lutheran Schools my entire life. 42 00:02:42.700 --> 00:02:45.800 So I grew up after being born in Wisconsin 43 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:48.400 my father was principal at Zion Lutheran in St. Charles. 44 00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:53.100 So I grew up in St. Charles since first grade went to Lutheran High 45 00:02:53.100 --> 00:02:59.200 School was part of the first class at Lutheran High in St. Charles. From 46 00:02:59.200 --> 00:02:59.400 there 47 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:04.400 went on to Concordia, Nebraska and graduated with a education degree, 48 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:09.400 My first teaching call was 7-years down at Word of Life Lutheran in 49 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:09.700 St. 50 00:03:09.700 --> 00:03:09.900 Louis. 51 00:03:09.900 --> 00:03:16.100 And then in the mid-90s was extended and accepted a call to Luther 52 00:03:16.100 --> 00:03:16.600 North. 53 00:03:16.600 --> 00:03:22.600 So I've been at Lutheran North for not quit 25 years. God's 54 00:03:22.600 --> 00:03:25.000 plan was interesting kept me in and around St. 55 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:27.700 Louis my entire career, although that's not the way I would have 56 00:03:27.700 --> 00:03:28.600 expected it to happen. 57 00:03:28.600 --> 00:03:32.000 Well that's great and Cindy. 58 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:34.400 I've just been scratching my head. 59 00:03:36.300 --> 00:03:39.600 Burreson, Cindy Burreson. 60 00:03:41.100 --> 00:03:47.900 I mean, I'm retired and out of it, but why why is Burreson familiar to 61 00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:52.700 me? That name is familiar to you because my husband teaches here at 62 00:03:52.700 --> 00:04:05.800 Concordia Seminary Systematics Professor, Dean of the Chapel. Oh yeah, hello Dale, I was teasing. And you're 63 00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:09.900 in charge of counseling at Lutheran High North. Yes. Tell us about your 64 00:04:09.900 --> 00:04:17.800 duties? Primarily academic and college focused help the students with their career choices and college 65 00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:19.800 choices. Head up 66 00:04:19.800 --> 00:04:24.800 all the thing is under Counseling in the terms of testing helping our 67 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:30.400 athletes with eligibility and then a mental health Wellness part as 68 00:04:30.400 --> 00:04:34.200 well, but work strongest and most heavily with our Juniors and seniors 69 00:04:34.200 --> 00:04:39.600 on their plans for after graduation. But you are able to talk to us 70 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:40.900 about how 71 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:46.700 Covid and modern dysfunctional American life is impacting our kids as 72 00:04:46.700 --> 00:04:47.000 well. Certainly. 73 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:49.900 See I'm looking forward to that. 74 00:04:51.400 --> 00:04:57.900 When when this crisis struck the Seminary on a dime went to Virtual 75 00:04:57.900 --> 00:04:58.100 learning. 76 00:04:58.100 --> 00:05:03.500 How was it for Lutheran North? Yes, we had to make some quick changes as well. 77 00:05:03.500 --> 00:05:07.800 So we had spring break in mid-march. 78 00:05:07.800 --> 00:05:12.400 I remember saying we discussed it as a team and we said to the 79 00:05:12.400 --> 00:05:12.700 students. 80 00:05:12.700 --> 00:05:13.800 We don't know what's going to happen. 81 00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:18.300 You better take all your books technology in computers and things home 82 00:05:18.300 --> 00:05:23.700 after the last day on Friday before spring break and we did not return 83 00:05:23.700 --> 00:05:26.700 to school after spring break. Of course at that time 84 00:05:26.700 --> 00:05:28.100 we thought oh its probably two weeks. 85 00:05:28.100 --> 00:05:29.900 It'll be a short time 86 00:05:29.900 --> 00:05:33.800 we'll be back in the building and of course we finished up virtually 87 00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:37.600 the entire school year in a virtual format. Yeah, 88 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:40.800 I was still serving as president and I assumed it would be over in a 89 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:46.300 couple of months and by fall we be back to normal, but they were and 90 00:05:46.300 --> 00:05:49.100 fall and nothing is normal yet. 91 00:05:49.100 --> 00:05:50.700 So, how are you doing it now? 92 00:05:51.700 --> 00:05:55.900 I'm so we have an interesting schedule. 93 00:05:55.900 --> 00:06:00.300 It's basically virtual a day or two options students can attend and 94 00:06:00.300 --> 00:06:01.900 what we call it a hybrid format. 95 00:06:01.900 --> 00:06:06.900 That means some students alphabetically divided so that we can keep 96 00:06:06.900 --> 00:06:11.100 our classrooms from being overcrowded and keep everyone socially 97 00:06:11.100 --> 00:06:16.100 distance. Half of our students who choose to come to school come on 98 00:06:16.100 --> 00:06:20.700 Monday and Thursday the latter part of the alphabet attend on Tuesday 99 00:06:20.700 --> 00:06:25.300 and Friday, and then there are some students who choose not to come to 100 00:06:25.300 --> 00:06:25.700 school at all. 101 00:06:25.700 --> 00:06:31.400 So there are a hundred percent virtual students. While students are not in the 102 00:06:31.400 --> 00:06:32.300 building every day. 103 00:06:32.300 --> 00:06:33.700 They're in school every day. 104 00:06:33.700 --> 00:06:38.600 So while I'm in school, my latter half of the alphabet counterparts 105 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:44.400 are learning from home probably logging in through Google Meet and 106 00:06:44.400 --> 00:06:47.200 working with teachers. Then on Wednesdays 107 00:06:47.200 --> 00:06:50.700 we created what we just have kind of started calling working 108 00:06:50.700 --> 00:06:51.500 Wednesdays. 109 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:55.300 So no one comes to the campus student wise on Wednesdays, but it's 110 00:06:55.300 --> 00:06:59.400 still a school day and students can meet in smaller groups with their 111 00:06:59.400 --> 00:07:04.800 teachers or extra time to work on their on their studies and so forth. 112 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:08.300 Let's put this in the in the perspective of numbers. 113 00:07:08.300 --> 00:07:14.700 What's the student enrollment at Lutheran North the faculty number 114 00:07:14.700 --> 00:07:15.200 etc.? 115 00:07:15.200 --> 00:07:16.400 Yeah great. 116 00:07:16.400 --> 00:07:20.700 So you may know last year was the first year that we actually expanded 117 00:07:20.700 --> 00:07:23.700 Lutheran High School North to be Lutheran North middle and high 118 00:07:23.700 --> 00:07:24.100 school. 119 00:07:24.100 --> 00:07:27.500 So we have grade 6, 7 and 8 for the second year. 120 00:07:27.500 --> 00:07:34.200 There are about 70 middle schoolers and we have about 220 not quite 121 00:07:34.200 --> 00:07:35.700 220 high schoolers. 122 00:07:35.700 --> 00:07:42.900 So pushing 300 total students on campus. Faculty is approximately 25 123 00:07:42.900 --> 00:07:46.700 depending on how you count full and part-time staff members are 124 00:07:46.700 --> 00:07:51.300 faculty members. And about a third of our families are in that virtual 125 00:07:51.700 --> 00:07:54.600 scenario and about two-thirds in school. 126 00:07:54.600 --> 00:07:58.900 So on any given day to make it simple we have about a hundred students 127 00:07:58.900 --> 00:07:59.900 on campus right now. 128 00:07:59.900 --> 00:08:07.100 So if a parent just doesn't want child to go to school you oblige 129 00:08:07.100 --> 00:08:07.600 that. 130 00:08:08.600 --> 00:08:12.600 We do and we found this is very different in our community that in 131 00:08:12.600 --> 00:08:14.700 some of the other schools maybe in the St. 132 00:08:14.700 --> 00:08:15.000 Louis area 133 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:20.800 for example. A much higher percent of our parents requested an all 134 00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:22.000 virtual option. 135 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:27.000 A third is really much larger than what we've heard for example at 136 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:28.500 some of the other schools. 137 00:08:28.500 --> 00:08:34.500 We also give parents a chance to try out either option and what we did 138 00:08:34.500 --> 00:08:37.400 requested that if they want to make a change you can make a change one 139 00:08:37.400 --> 00:08:41.290 time, but then let's stick with it for a quarter so that we don't have 140 00:08:41.290 --> 00:08:43.290 kids kind of bouncing back and forth too much. 141 00:08:43.290 --> 00:08:50.100 It must have taken a lot of meetings of faculty staff your governing 142 00:08:50.100 --> 00:08:53.400 board to work this through. Could you just tell us a little bit about 143 00:08:53.400 --> 00:08:53.900 that? 144 00:08:53.900 --> 00:08:59.700 Absolutely, definitely we have an admin team about eight of us 145 00:08:59.700 --> 00:09:05.100 right at North and a crisis team some of us overlap in that in that 146 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:07.700 both groups intersect. But we met 147 00:09:08.600 --> 00:09:12.700 on average weekly throughout the summer for an entire afternoon 148 00:09:12.700 --> 00:09:15.700 this Tuesday and will come back together next week. 149 00:09:15.700 --> 00:09:20.700 So the summer was really spent planning designing and I guess I 150 00:09:20.700 --> 00:09:24.400 said this more than once we made the best plan we can today and 151 00:09:24.400 --> 00:09:27.600 honestly, we don't actually know if they're the right plans, but they 152 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:31.700 get a closer to the right plan that will need next week and it took a 153 00:09:31.700 --> 00:09:32.400 lot of adjusting. 154 00:09:32.400 --> 00:09:36.600 What kind of changes are you seeing? Now you've described for us the 155 00:09:36.600 --> 00:09:41.600 daily change in instruction, but there are other changes you're seeing 156 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:43.500 that probably didn't anticipate. 157 00:09:44.700 --> 00:09:48.700 Sure, you want to take that Cindy? Sure. 158 00:09:48.700 --> 00:09:52.400 I mean there's I think there's the physical changes that we see in the 159 00:09:52.400 --> 00:09:53.000 building, right. 160 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:56.400 So in addition to the other signage on the wall, it's reminders to 161 00:09:56.400 --> 00:09:58.100 social distance to wear your mask. 162 00:09:58.100 --> 00:10:02.600 So no one can come into the building without a mask on. You know 163 00:10:02.600 --> 00:10:06.200 the drinking fountains have caps on them and you know, you can fill 164 00:10:06.200 --> 00:10:08.500 your water bottle, but you can't get a drink out of the drinking 165 00:10:08.500 --> 00:10:12.700 fountain. So there are physical changes in our building, but then it's it's 166 00:10:12.700 --> 00:10:14.300 just the energy is different. 167 00:10:14.300 --> 00:10:19.000 It's a little quieter part of it is because you know where we're about 168 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:24.100 a third of our people students in the building but there's just people 169 00:10:24.100 --> 00:10:27.400 are cautious cuz you aren't interacting as much so it's a little 170 00:10:27.400 --> 00:10:31.900 quieter the energy isn't quite the same. But there's also a great 171 00:10:31.900 --> 00:10:35.500 determination in the building to of teachers to make things work to 172 00:10:35.500 --> 00:10:40.500 try new technology use new platforms and a willingness on the students 173 00:10:40.500 --> 00:10:42.300 to to jump in and give it a go. That's probably as blessing in disguise 174 00:10:44.700 --> 00:10:49.600 I assume. How are the students being affected? 175 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:55.400 Sure, well I mean the students are impacted high school middle school 176 00:10:55.400 --> 00:10:56.300 now with the middle school. 177 00:10:56.300 --> 00:11:00.500 I mean it's a time of great growth and development personally and 178 00:11:00.500 --> 00:11:04.200 inter-personally and a lot of that is social and they don't have that. 179 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:08.200 So I mean students are doing so sad what they're missing out. 180 00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:13.800 There is an increase in depression and anxiety for students for adults 181 00:11:13.800 --> 00:11:16.700 also during the pandemic but especially for students. 182 00:11:16.700 --> 00:11:18.700 So they're definitely grave concerns. 183 00:11:18.700 --> 00:11:23.200 I think personally I would say more for mental health than even academic 184 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:27.200 health because I think we're maintaining our curriculum at a very high 185 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:27.400 level. 186 00:11:27.400 --> 00:11:31.300 So the learning is still there, but I think it's hard for for a 187 00:11:31.300 --> 00:11:37.100 student's. Well as you said High School is a time of tremendous emotional changes you're 188 00:11:37.100 --> 00:11:37.600 going from 189 00:11:38.300 --> 00:11:45.600 8th grader to a young college-bound adults and and then on top of that 190 00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:49.200 you have everything else that's coming. 191 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:52.000 Now do you deal with that directly or 192 00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:58.200 sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly by the health messages 193 00:11:58.200 --> 00:11:59.900 that you send through faculty and staff? 194 00:11:59.900 --> 00:12:06.500 Of course now, it's a little harder to see because a lot of our 195 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:07.900 students are virtual. 196 00:12:07.900 --> 00:12:11.400 So it's hard to see them face-to-face and know that they're 197 00:12:11.400 --> 00:12:11.800 struggling. 198 00:12:11.800 --> 00:12:15.400 But yeah, sometimes they'll reach out and you'll see something 199 00:12:15.400 --> 00:12:15.800 directly. 200 00:12:15.800 --> 00:12:18.900 You see you would serve it in the classrooms 201 00:12:18.900 --> 00:12:20.400 or you hear about it through the teachers. 202 00:12:20.400 --> 00:12:26.300 So yeah, we try to put out resources. Students have lost that ability 203 00:12:26.300 --> 00:12:30.800 to connect with adults outside of their immediate family and that's 204 00:12:30.800 --> 00:12:34.800 pretty crucial as students as children grow up that they have other 205 00:12:34.800 --> 00:12:37.600 adults that they learn to trust and reach out to. 206 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:38.800 And that's a definite 207 00:12:40.200 --> 00:12:42.800 issue for students right now during the pandemic. 208 00:12:42.800 --> 00:12:47.700 That's interesting I hadn't thought about it, but immediately as I reflect back upon my 209 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:48.100 life. 210 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:58.700 Yeah, we Diane and I were also there for other kids besides our own and 211 00:12:58.700 --> 00:12:59.500 never thought about it. 212 00:12:59.500 --> 00:13:02.200 But that that that's that's that's interesting. 213 00:13:05.300 --> 00:13:06.400 I have to confess. 214 00:13:08.800 --> 00:13:14.500 My oldest grandson is a student at Lutheran High School South. 215 00:13:14.500 --> 00:13:23.700 The other one. Our sister school. His name is Christian and he's bummed out by not being 216 00:13:23.700 --> 00:13:24.700 able to do sports. 217 00:13:25.400 --> 00:13:28.000 I assume that's the same at Lutheran North. 218 00:13:29.300 --> 00:13:35.100 Currently, yes, and it kind of a day-to-day scenario again 219 00:13:35.100 --> 00:13:40.000 where some cross country athletes for example are able to participate 220 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:44.300 but right now there's no soccer games going on as you said. You and the 221 00:13:44.300 --> 00:13:49.100 kids missed a lot of fun activities whether last fall or last spring 222 00:13:49.100 --> 00:13:53.300 rather or this fall and prom was canceled for most every high school 223 00:13:53.300 --> 00:13:53.400 student. 224 00:13:53.400 --> 00:13:59.300 We take a retreat with our freshmen and our and our Juniors to be 225 00:13:59.300 --> 00:13:59.900 seniors. 226 00:13:59.900 --> 00:14:05.700 We do different Retreats that unfortunately we weren't able to host 227 00:14:05.700 --> 00:14:07.400 some of that. 228 00:14:07.400 --> 00:14:11.500 We've managed to capture information activities in different ways. 229 00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:14.900 But a lot of it is just hasn't been able to be done right now. 230 00:14:14.900 --> 00:14:18.900 We're hoping we can in the near future. You know the other thing 231 00:14:18.900 --> 00:14:23.500 I'll comment on briefly is last year when the pandemic struck we had 232 00:14:23.500 --> 00:14:26.900 had six or seven months of time with our students. 233 00:14:26.900 --> 00:14:29.300 We knew the Freshman pretty well because we 234 00:14:29.300 --> 00:14:32.400 a whole semester and the part of the start of the second semester. 235 00:14:32.400 --> 00:14:37.700 They knew us personally as teachers and and coaches and so forth. 236 00:14:37.700 --> 00:14:43.600 Starting the school year without that foundation is also been a real 237 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:48.500 challenge especially for our transfers and our freshman. Who are not 238 00:14:48.500 --> 00:14:52.100 only starting High School, which is already a big change in your life 239 00:14:52.100 --> 00:14:54.000 as you suggested Dale. 240 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:58.600 But to not to be able to do that in the whole class hasn't been in the 241 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:03.700 school together other than one orientation day. So there's 242 00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:08.600 challenges that way too that students are having to find new ways to to 243 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:10.200 overcome. Here at the Seminary 244 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:12.300 we're dealing with an older crowd of students. 245 00:15:12.300 --> 00:15:19.200 But orientation was not in person. Right For a lot of them, there 246 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:23.100 was it was a modified in person orientation, but distance students 247 00:15:23.100 --> 00:15:23.600 weren't here. 248 00:15:24.300 --> 00:15:29.400 And now yeah, even though I'm retired I come on the campus, but I 249 00:15:29.400 --> 00:15:34.800 don't get to know them the way we used to get to hobnob and get to 250 00:15:34.800 --> 00:15:35.500 know one another. 251 00:15:35.500 --> 00:15:37.900 How are the teachers taking all of this? 252 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:42.100 Go ahead you start. I think you start off. Right. 253 00:15:42.100 --> 00:15:47.300 I think for a lot of us and you know, we both been at 254 00:15:47.300 --> 00:15:50.900 Luther North a long time that a lot of our connections are I mean our 255 00:15:50.900 --> 00:15:52.300 colleagues are friends, right, 256 00:15:52.300 --> 00:15:53.300 They're like family to us. 257 00:15:53.300 --> 00:15:58.200 So I just think there's a level disconnect there to we're just we're 258 00:15:58.200 --> 00:16:01.500 not hanging out together in the teachers lounge or gathering around 259 00:16:01.500 --> 00:16:06.000 the faculty table in the lunchroom because we have to be distanced and 260 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:09.400 masked and everybody's really busy doing about their business. 261 00:16:09.400 --> 00:16:11.400 So teachers are working really hard. 262 00:16:11.400 --> 00:16:12.900 Those are Luther North faculty 263 00:16:12.900 --> 00:16:16.600 I mean, they are amazing and they're working really hard. And you 264 00:16:16.600 --> 00:16:19.200 should see the setup and some of these classrooms where they've got, 265 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:22.600 you know, maybe a class of six seven eight students in front of them. 266 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:25.300 And then they've got a screen that has those students who have signed 267 00:16:25.300 --> 00:16:29.100 in virtually and they've got another camera with the screen projecting 268 00:16:29.100 --> 00:16:30.000 what they're teaching. 269 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:32.700 Our teachers are working hard and 270 00:16:33.300 --> 00:16:36.400 there's a there's a level of stress there too with it because there's 271 00:16:36.400 --> 00:16:41.900 a lot. You know a little different topic but people would talk about the the 272 00:16:41.900 --> 00:16:47.400 the ease of virtual learning before this whole pandemic hit. They would 273 00:16:47.400 --> 00:16:51.600 say, you know, it's it's so much easier to teach online and we found 274 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:57.500 here that it takes twice as much effort to teach online as it does 275 00:16:57.500 --> 00:17:03.600 here in person. And that's without the pandemic mucking everything up. 276 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:10.200 So what you all and with the teachers are doing God love them. And then 277 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:11.000 let me ask this. 278 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:13.200 I mean, this is a Christian School. 279 00:17:14.800 --> 00:17:21.090 The motivation of faith has to be a huge incentive for all the extra 280 00:17:21.090 --> 00:17:23.300 miles that you're all going, Tim. 281 00:17:23.300 --> 00:17:24.000 Right. 282 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:24.300 Right. 283 00:17:24.300 --> 00:17:25.300 Yeah. 284 00:17:25.300 --> 00:17:31.700 It's it's that special thing that binds our Christian Lutheran Schools 285 00:17:31.700 --> 00:17:33.800 together right that we can still assemble. 286 00:17:33.800 --> 00:17:38.200 We do have a chapel service every single day at Lutheran North which 287 00:17:38.200 --> 00:17:40.600 is so central to what we do. 288 00:17:40.600 --> 00:17:43.200 We do have the student separated on bleachers 289 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:47.100 so they're further apart. Some classes maybe don't attend in the 290 00:17:47.100 --> 00:17:51.100 gymnasium so that other students can. We felt like it was really 291 00:17:51.100 --> 00:17:55.700 important to maintain that daily worship. And our theme this year is 292 00:17:55.700 --> 00:17:59.600 inseparable that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ and 293 00:17:59.600 --> 00:18:03.200 we played a little bit with the words of. Maybe we aren't together in 294 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:07.700 the same physical location, but reminding students every day that 295 00:18:07.700 --> 00:18:13.200 Jesus has died for us risen for us and nothing can separate us from 296 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:13.800 his love. 297 00:18:14.300 --> 00:18:18.400 It's been a good way for us to really drive that point home. 298 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:22.100 I suspect if you're like other parochial schools. 299 00:18:22.100 --> 00:18:27.100 You have a large percentage of of students who are not members of our 300 00:18:27.100 --> 00:18:29.100 local Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod congregations. 301 00:18:29.100 --> 00:18:35.800 So you got a real Ministry to them and and how is that going how 302 00:18:35.800 --> 00:18:41.500 best you know, how are they receiving the faith component in this very 303 00:18:41.500 --> 00:18:42.900 strange time we're in? 304 00:18:44.800 --> 00:18:47.800 Well, I don't know how to say how they're receiving it 305 00:18:47.800 --> 00:18:54.700 exactly but I do know our kids they they soak up what we give them 306 00:18:54.700 --> 00:18:58.600 whether that's during the class time or during the worship time. 307 00:18:58.600 --> 00:19:03.700 And I think the impact is is noticeable. Frankly 308 00:19:03.700 --> 00:19:07.100 I think today families and students are more comfortable telling us 309 00:19:07.100 --> 00:19:11.700 their unchurched than maybe they were willing to say even if that was 310 00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:12.700 the case of few years ago. 311 00:19:12.700 --> 00:19:18.700 So we've got a wide range certainly Lutherans, you know, and 312 00:19:18.700 --> 00:19:24.100 non-denominational Christians very active Baptist and Methodist and a 313 00:19:24.100 --> 00:19:28.300 subset of families who really aren't in church every week or aren't is 314 00:19:28.300 --> 00:19:32.100 active. So it reminds me of the passage in Peter that that this is an 315 00:19:32.100 --> 00:19:34.600 occasion to give an account for the hope that is in us. 316 00:19:34.600 --> 00:19:39.000 Are you finding this Cindy and especially in your one-on-one dealing 317 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:39.800 with students and parents? Oh, for sure I think as Christians we talk about our faith sustaining us through 318 00:19:44.800 --> 00:19:48.500 this we always have a hope right whether we're grieving or were 319 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:49.500 celebrating worshipping. 320 00:19:49.500 --> 00:19:55.100 We have a hope that's there and we can share that and sometimes that's 321 00:19:55.100 --> 00:19:57.800 sometimes that's all you can share it when someone sharing what's 322 00:19:57.800 --> 00:19:58.600 going on in their life. 323 00:19:58.600 --> 00:20:04.700 So without a doubt. You use the word grief, and I think we're all grieving 324 00:20:04.700 --> 00:20:07.700 because of the things we have lost from our normal life. 325 00:20:07.700 --> 00:20:11.900 We're going to take a short break, but then we'll be back with Tim and 326 00:20:11.900 --> 00:20:13.800 Cindy, please stay with us. 327 00:20:14.500 --> 00:20:16.000 Concordia Seminary St. 328 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:20.800 Louis provides continuing education resources for pastors and lay 329 00:20:20.800 --> 00:20:25.900 people to discover all the Concordia Seminary has for you visit us on 330 00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:28.400 the web at CSL. 331 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:29.200 EDU. 332 00:20:31.700 --> 00:20:34.700 Welcome back to Word and Work an Intersection. 333 00:20:34.700 --> 00:20:39.300 I'm your host Dale Meyer. Today our guest is Dr. 334 00:20:39.300 --> 00:20:43.200 Tim Brackman and counselor Cindy Burreson. 335 00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:43.800 Dr. 336 00:20:43.800 --> 00:20:46.800 Brackman is principal at Lutheran High School North in St. 337 00:20:46.800 --> 00:20:47.100 Louis. 338 00:20:47.100 --> 00:20:51.600 And Cindy is the director of counseling at that school. 339 00:20:52.800 --> 00:20:57.500 I'm concerned as I said in the first segment about the impact of this 340 00:20:57.500 --> 00:21:02.900 upon our young adults. And not only COVID but 341 00:21:02.900 --> 00:21:07.000 we're living in a dysfunctional time in the United States, 342 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:13.900 I mean the symptoms are all over. Would you share with us and and 343 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:19.300 please be unvarnished, you know, the emotional responses reactions that 344 00:21:19.300 --> 00:21:21.600 you see in kids and in adults, too. 345 00:21:23.300 --> 00:21:23.800 Cindy 346 00:21:23.800 --> 00:21:24.300 you're the counselor. 347 00:21:24.300 --> 00:21:28.400 I think in the pandemic first and foremost 348 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:29.300 it's anxiety. 349 00:21:29.300 --> 00:21:34.900 There's some concern and some fear for loved ones for their for 350 00:21:34.900 --> 00:21:42.400 students own health well-being, depression, sadness at things that 351 00:21:42.400 --> 00:21:43.100 they've lost. 352 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:48.700 Students have to accept they can't go out and socialize as much as they 353 00:21:48.700 --> 00:21:52.700 used to can't see their friends, can't get together for sleepovers or 354 00:21:52.700 --> 00:21:53.400 fun events. 355 00:21:53.400 --> 00:21:57.700 So anxiety and depression would be the first things that came to my 356 00:21:57.700 --> 00:22:03.400 mind. And then I think if you add to that, especially given the 357 00:22:03.400 --> 00:22:05.800 population that we have at Lutheran North. 358 00:22:05.800 --> 00:22:07.800 We have a number of minority students. 359 00:22:07.800 --> 00:22:12.000 I think their racial tensions and the issues surrounding all of that 360 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:15.900 going on in our world right now, think all that adds up to a lot of 361 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:23.600 stress for students. Do they act out? Some do some just get really quiet withdrawn 362 00:22:23.600 --> 00:22:25.100 drawing in, lose 363 00:22:25.100 --> 00:22:33.900 hope. Tim from your administrator's desk especially with racial tension the same as sooner or later 364 00:22:33.900 --> 00:22:34.900 comes to you in a 365 00:22:35.800 --> 00:22:40.700 difficult way could you talk about what Cindy said from your side of 366 00:22:40.700 --> 00:22:48.000 the desk? Sure. I think one of the things that I can't say for sure, but it's 367 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:52.900 sort of a feeling kids students are very good at masking in normal 368 00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:56.800 times when they're not quite feeling right, you know, maybe getting 369 00:22:56.800 --> 00:22:57.600 depressed weather right now. 370 00:22:57.600 --> 00:22:59.300 We separate them. 371 00:22:59.300 --> 00:23:00.500 We caught them to be further apart 372 00:23:00.500 --> 00:23:01.300 physically. 373 00:23:01.300 --> 00:23:03.200 We put a mask on everyone. 374 00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:09.400 I think it's even more easy maybe to just shrink back a little bit and 375 00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:14.200 my concern is maybe people are wanting or needing help and we would 376 00:23:14.200 --> 00:23:15.500 identify a little more readily 377 00:23:16.500 --> 00:23:20.300 under normal circumstances. That maybe weren't maybe we're not seeing 378 00:23:20.300 --> 00:23:22.000 some of our kids are not even in the building. 379 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:25.600 They're always behind a screen and we can still connect to them to 380 00:23:25.600 --> 00:23:30.200 some degree but we don't get that personal connection that we 381 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:34.800 sometimes do. I will say that's far and I hope I don't get a jinx it 382 00:23:34.800 --> 00:23:41.300 today but disciplinary issues have been very few and far between. Less 383 00:23:41.300 --> 00:23:41.900 kids in the building. 384 00:23:41.900 --> 00:23:47.800 Everyone's a little quieter again a little more distance that part has 385 00:23:47.800 --> 00:23:55.600 been easier in some ways than in others, but also concerned about the 386 00:23:55.600 --> 00:23:56.400 academic side. 387 00:23:56.400 --> 00:24:00.900 It's it's harder to keep up with your students when you don't see them 388 00:24:00.900 --> 00:24:05.600 in person day after day, after day, after day. In normal times 389 00:24:06.600 --> 00:24:11.400 we all whatever our age will take some emotions and stuff them. 390 00:24:12.800 --> 00:24:18.700 And we know that when you stuff it over and over again, that's not 391 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:23.600 healthy long-term and you suspect that the students and maybe the parents 392 00:24:23.600 --> 00:24:33.600 too are stuffing feelings that are better brought out for discussion. I think certainly at school they're 393 00:24:33.600 --> 00:24:35.000 reticent to share those. 394 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:40.600 I know some of the numbers I've heard during the pandemic that the 395 00:24:40.600 --> 00:24:45.400 reports the reports to our state agency know that Child Protective 396 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:50.500 Services, child division that reports of child abuse are down more than 397 00:24:50.500 --> 00:24:52.200 50% in many states. 398 00:24:52.200 --> 00:24:57.300 I think that just goes to show that students don't they're not 399 00:24:57.300 --> 00:24:59.200 connecting with the mandated reporters. 400 00:24:59.200 --> 00:24:59.500 Right. 401 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:04.400 So fewer students fewer kids are going to their doctor fewer kids 402 00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:07.000 are seeing their teachers seeing their counselors. 403 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:11.200 And so I think we're seeing this nationwide and statewide that 404 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:12.100 students 405 00:25:12.900 --> 00:25:16.600 they don't have the opportunity that the adults in their world can see 406 00:25:16.600 --> 00:25:24.700 that they need help. So your saying, if I am understanding correctly, the reports of abuse us are actually down, but you don't believe it. Significantly. 407 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:26.000 Oh definitely not. 408 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:29.200 I think probably there's a greater incidence of it now because parents 409 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:33.400 are under great stress. And where school for students was an escape 410 00:25:33.400 --> 00:25:36.300 and a place where someone could see that they're hurting either when 411 00:25:36.300 --> 00:25:39.800 they a teacher would see it and refer them to the counseling office or 412 00:25:39.800 --> 00:25:45.200 a nurse would see it and then we take action. And then sometimes we as 413 00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:48.100 mandated reporters we had to make that call if we were concerned about 414 00:25:48.100 --> 00:25:53.200 is really serious situation, but now those calls have decreased. 415 00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:58.900 Nationwide and statewide because students aren't seeing the adult 416 00:25:58.900 --> 00:26:02.300 helpers who can care for them. Well even a normal times 417 00:26:02.300 --> 00:26:07.300 I'm assuming at a high school, grade school level if a child is is 418 00:26:07.300 --> 00:26:10.900 dealing with a serious issue such as abuse 419 00:26:11.900 --> 00:26:14.500 It's still hard to pull out of the kid, isn't it? 420 00:26:14.500 --> 00:26:17.800 yeah, yeah, very hard. 421 00:26:17.800 --> 00:26:23.400 It has to either be so bad that it's a visible or they 422 00:26:23.400 --> 00:26:26.800 have to trust you have to trust an adult in the building and then 423 00:26:26.800 --> 00:26:34.900 they're willing to share that. And that suggest that trust grows from physical proximity among other things, 424 00:26:34.900 --> 00:26:38.100 but it's not putting down distance. 425 00:26:38.100 --> 00:26:42.800 But you know if I'm physically close to you day in and day out. 426 00:26:42.800 --> 00:26:46.300 Well, yeah, I can I can talk to Dr. 427 00:26:46.300 --> 00:26:47.500 Brockman about this. 428 00:26:47.500 --> 00:26:50.200 I'm not scared to death to do it, but I can do it, 429 00:26:50.200 --> 00:26:50.900 or Mrs. 430 00:26:50.900 --> 00:26:51.700 Burreson and I guess. 431 00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:56.800 Yeah, it's easier to build a relationship when you're in proximity to 432 00:26:56.800 --> 00:27:00.600 someone that it is through screen. And sometimes easier to pick up on 433 00:27:00.600 --> 00:27:05.800 the nonverbals that aren't as easy to capture over the over a screen 434 00:27:05.800 --> 00:27:06.600 or behind a mask. 435 00:27:06.600 --> 00:27:10.700 But I'm more likely to pick up on those nonverbals if I'm familiar 436 00:27:10.700 --> 00:27:13.900 with the normal tendencies of of an individual to right. 437 00:27:13.900 --> 00:27:17.400 So if I see you Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and all the sudden 438 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:20.900 Thursday, something seems a little different little easier to pick up 439 00:27:20.900 --> 00:27:25.600 on those tendencies. That now we are just naturally forced to be 440 00:27:25.600 --> 00:27:31.700 separated more so we may not those may come out 441 00:27:31.700 --> 00:27:33.000 front quite as readily. 442 00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:33.600 Okay. 443 00:27:33.600 --> 00:27:37.700 So the three of us are older people and then I presume our audience is 444 00:27:37.700 --> 00:27:38.100 older. 445 00:27:38.100 --> 00:27:40.800 So we've gone through stuff before, okay. 446 00:27:40.800 --> 00:27:45.600 I don't think anything like this at least not not in my lifetime. 447 00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:53.100 But we got a little little frame of reference for for dealing with 448 00:27:53.100 --> 00:27:56.700 pandemic and other issues, kids don't. 449 00:27:57.600 --> 00:28:01.700 My generation was shaped by was it Vietnam 450 00:28:02.700 --> 00:28:05.500 the Kennedy assassination and so on. 451 00:28:06.700 --> 00:28:11.400 I would think that the COVID crisis and in fact the dysfunction of 452 00:28:11.400 --> 00:28:15.500 American society today is shaping this generation for the rest of 453 00:28:15.500 --> 00:28:15.900 their life. 454 00:28:15.900 --> 00:28:17.900 Could you speak to that? 455 00:28:20.200 --> 00:28:21.800 And if I'm wrong tell me. 456 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:27.900 Well, I would have to agree with you that we don't know exactly how 457 00:28:27.900 --> 00:28:31.300 it's shaping everyone yet because we're living through it right now. 458 00:28:31.300 --> 00:28:37.700 But yes, so significant whether even if you just took the pandemic or 459 00:28:37.700 --> 00:28:43.900 just took the racial tension, those are are certainly events that are 460 00:28:43.900 --> 00:28:49.700 so large and remember our students are 14, 16, 18 years old. 461 00:28:49.700 --> 00:28:53.200 So it's a huge fraction of the life that they've lived as well. 462 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:53.590 Right? 463 00:28:53.590 --> 00:28:57.700 So it has to be formative. Now put a few of those things together at 464 00:28:57.700 --> 00:29:02.500 the same time and I can't predict what the end result will be 465 00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:06.400 but we have to think that there will be. Just the way that education is 466 00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:07.100 different. 467 00:29:07.100 --> 00:29:10.600 I mean you mean I don't have to be in school Monday through Friday 468 00:29:10.600 --> 00:29:12.700 from 8:00 to 3 and it's still okay. 469 00:29:14.600 --> 00:29:16.900 Not all that'll be bad. 470 00:29:16.900 --> 00:29:20.900 I think good positive change will come from some of what we're 471 00:29:20.900 --> 00:29:21.500 experiencing. 472 00:29:21.500 --> 00:29:27.000 But certainly I don't think it'll be just back to the what we used to 473 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:30.000 consider normal moving forward. 474 00:29:31.500 --> 00:29:33.600 Yeah, I agree with what Tim said. 475 00:29:33.600 --> 00:29:36.900 I think the I think the new normal on the other side of this is going 476 00:29:36.900 --> 00:29:42.200 to look different in education and just in students lives and family 477 00:29:42.200 --> 00:29:42.800 lives. And 478 00:29:43.800 --> 00:29:48.500 what their experiencing is so different than what we did to being on 479 00:29:48.500 --> 00:29:52.500 this side of the technology burst right where we didn't have a device 480 00:29:52.500 --> 00:29:56.700 in our hand growing up. And now not only do they have their own ideas 481 00:29:56.700 --> 00:29:58.200 and opinions of their parents. 482 00:29:58.200 --> 00:30:03.500 They have the ideas of hundreds upon thousands of other people that 483 00:30:03.500 --> 00:30:08.100 students look to right for who's who's guiding how I think about this. 484 00:30:08.100 --> 00:30:11.500 And they're just so many more influences right now students lives. 485 00:30:11.500 --> 00:30:13.600 What you're saying, suggest to me, 486 00:30:14.700 --> 00:30:18.400 what may be obvious to a Christian is it on the other side. 487 00:30:18.400 --> 00:30:19.900 Whenever we get to the other side? 488 00:30:19.900 --> 00:30:21.200 Whatever that means? 489 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:27.700 The premium has to be on on high-touch quality and quantity 490 00:30:27.700 --> 00:30:33.800 interactions with kids with each other just just time together so that 491 00:30:33.800 --> 00:30:43.500 they can eventually open up. Sure. Agree 100%. And you're one of the first things we 492 00:30:43.500 --> 00:30:47.200 talked about going back to the faith development and so forth. 493 00:30:47.200 --> 00:30:52.300 I mean from Joshua be strong and courageous what a time to be able to 494 00:30:52.300 --> 00:30:56.000 say not because I'm necessarily we know all the answers are on our own 495 00:30:56.000 --> 00:31:01.900 power, right but we can be strong and courageous. Just as as Joshua was 496 00:31:01.900 --> 00:31:06.700 commanded and reassured despite your your weaknesses 497 00:31:06.700 --> 00:31:08.200 and and so forth. 498 00:31:08.200 --> 00:31:12.800 God says I'm going to lead you were using those types of biblical 499 00:31:12.800 --> 00:31:16.400 references with students too. Let's expand that, 500 00:31:18.100 --> 00:31:24.100 what are the some of the traditional Christian teachings that we might 501 00:31:24.100 --> 00:31:30.200 have taken for granted that you are drawing on to encourage the 502 00:31:30.200 --> 00:31:36.300 students in this terrible time. The Joshua quotation is one. 503 00:31:38.300 --> 00:31:40.400 What about what about the big one of sin and forgiveness? 504 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:42.300 How does that factor in? 505 00:31:43.500 --> 00:31:51.600 Well, I think we whether in the classroom or specifically during the 506 00:31:51.600 --> 00:31:56.100 worship time, we have a phrase that Luther North that we 507 00:31:56.100 --> 00:32:00.900 talked about off and repentance forgiveness and renewal. And often 508 00:32:00.900 --> 00:32:01.000 times 509 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:05.100 we use a send a disciplinary sense of now it's time to repent weather 510 00:32:05.100 --> 00:32:05.800 in the adult or a child. 511 00:32:05.800 --> 00:32:09.900 Right. We messed up but we will forgive each other and we will we will 512 00:32:09.900 --> 00:32:12.500 move forward together and we'll be better and stronger and our 513 00:32:12.500 --> 00:32:19.500 relationship because of it. Just as of course Christ did the hard work 514 00:32:19.500 --> 00:32:24.900 for us and so in light of yeah, let's talk about the sin here and 515 00:32:24.900 --> 00:32:28.800 there's probably some consequences for those sins whether it's a minor 516 00:32:28.800 --> 00:32:29.200 infraction 517 00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:33.200 at school or what-have-you. But we can move forward and we move 518 00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:36.100 forward in the glory and and and reassurance of the Resurrection. 519 00:32:36.100 --> 00:32:39.300 So that's modeling the body of Christ were members one of another 520 00:32:39.300 --> 00:32:40.600 whether we're 521 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:46.400 socially close or socially distance and we have to hang tight. 522 00:32:46.400 --> 00:32:57.000 Sure, yeah, sure. And offer a little more grace, right. Right. I mean we've said that at Luther North among among the faculty and with students right we're 523 00:32:57.000 --> 00:33:00.100 going to try this is all new for all of us and we just have to be a 524 00:33:00.100 --> 00:33:03.800 little more flexible offer a little more grace if the student doesn't 525 00:33:03.800 --> 00:33:07.200 get an assignment in right away has trouble with technology. 526 00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:10.600 If a teacher tries something and this really didn't work, you know, I 527 00:33:10.600 --> 00:33:14.200 thought I could make this work and it doesn't and we just have to we 528 00:33:14.200 --> 00:33:18.400 have to extend a little more forgiveness. You bring up grace Cindy that reminds 529 00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:19.200 me a couple weeks ago. 530 00:33:19.200 --> 00:33:22.100 I wrote my little Meyer minute, daily thought. 531 00:33:23.100 --> 00:33:25.800 And I said pastors don't 532 00:33:28.200 --> 00:33:30.000 beat us up because of our sin. 533 00:33:30.800 --> 00:33:33.300 Because life is beating us up right now. 534 00:33:33.300 --> 00:33:38.500 Don't ignore it, but sin and evil is all around us and 535 00:33:38.500 --> 00:33:39.200 Grace. 536 00:33:40.200 --> 00:33:41.700 Grace comes in 537 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:47.000 not to take away the problem but to help us cope with the problem. 538 00:33:47.000 --> 00:33:48.000 It's 539 00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:55.600 It's enabling Grace. What does grace and the 540 00:33:55.600 --> 00:33:58.500 fellowship we have with one another in the body of Christ. 541 00:33:58.500 --> 00:34:01.400 How does that apply to racial tensions of pop-up? 542 00:34:01.400 --> 00:34:04.500 Now your racially diverse School, correct? 543 00:34:04.500 --> 00:34:13.000 I mean, how does that break down number-wise a percentage wise? On an average year we're somewhere 544 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:18.300 between sixty and seventy percent black or African-American about 20 545 00:34:18.300 --> 00:34:23.500 to 25% white and there's always a small mixture of multiracial or an 546 00:34:23.500 --> 00:34:27.900 occasional Hispanic or some International students from time to time 547 00:34:27.900 --> 00:34:28.900 that make up the balance. 548 00:34:28.900 --> 00:34:34.700 So the disparity is not only going to be the color of a person's face, 549 00:34:34.700 --> 00:34:37.100 but there's economic realities behind that. 550 00:34:38.200 --> 00:34:43.200 Some some groups that are are more susceptible to Covid then others some 551 00:34:43.200 --> 00:34:47.500 can deal with it better than others, economic situations. 552 00:34:47.500 --> 00:34:53.800 So how does the teaching of up of Christ and his love the grace that we 553 00:34:53.800 --> 00:34:56.400 enjoy in the special fellowship of the church. 554 00:34:56.400 --> 00:34:58.700 How does that help you? Well I would just say that we. 555 00:34:58.700 --> 00:35:05.000 This is not the first time we've dealt with this and and certainly 556 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:09.500 before my time there probably were some racial tensions at at Lutheran 557 00:35:09.500 --> 00:35:14.200 North. Back in 2014 with the Michael Brown shooting, you know, that 558 00:35:14.200 --> 00:35:20.400 became, proximity to those incidents was very close to our campus. 559 00:35:20.400 --> 00:35:24.500 And so we had to really work through some difficult times. 560 00:35:24.500 --> 00:35:30.900 What was really reassuring is that when we came together it was the 561 00:35:30.900 --> 00:35:35.000 safe place that people have known it to be Luther North with a good 562 00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:35.600 place to come. 563 00:35:36.200 --> 00:35:44.600 And in my opinion racial, race relations and tensions diffuse when we 564 00:35:44.600 --> 00:35:47.900 get to know each other personally, we look at each other too much as 565 00:35:47.900 --> 00:35:49.000 one big group. 566 00:35:49.000 --> 00:35:54.800 It's hard to know but when I know you as Bobby or Sally or or whoever 567 00:35:54.800 --> 00:36:03.200 now I see who you are personally and that helps us respect each other 568 00:36:03.200 --> 00:36:07.400 disagree with each other but do so in inappropriate ways and so forth. 569 00:36:07.400 --> 00:36:10.700 So were still living through some of that today, but I would say the 570 00:36:10.700 --> 00:36:17.200 the feeling on campus is not tense from a racial perspective at all. 571 00:36:17.200 --> 00:36:21.500 It's actually a wonderfully open and we don't take that for granted. 572 00:36:21.500 --> 00:36:26.100 I think we work toward that and that's not to say everyone sees 573 00:36:26.100 --> 00:36:30.200 eye-to-eye and everything or agrees all the time. But goes back to 574 00:36:30.200 --> 00:36:33.000 again the more we know each other the more we interact with each other 575 00:36:33.000 --> 00:36:36.200 personally the more I can them be comfortable disagreeing 576 00:36:36.100 --> 00:36:40.100 with you and you know, it's not that I'm good or bad. 577 00:36:40.100 --> 00:36:40.900 It's that I'm different. 578 00:36:40.900 --> 00:36:47.200 And so and then when you wrap that all in the hey we all have sinned 579 00:36:47.200 --> 00:36:50.700 and fall short of the glory of God. So as different as we are in some 580 00:36:50.700 --> 00:36:52.000 ways were exactly the same. 581 00:36:52.000 --> 00:36:53.200 We're all saved. 582 00:36:53.200 --> 00:36:55.900 Excuse me, I was smiling as you were talking. 583 00:36:57.800 --> 00:37:04.300 Because this reminds me that the United States and and so many people 584 00:37:04.300 --> 00:37:09.500 in this country need to take a look at the church and how the church 585 00:37:09.500 --> 00:37:13.800 imperfect as we are is dealing with this because what you just 586 00:37:13.800 --> 00:37:18.500 described Tim is not what we see in the news. Right. But this is what we want 587 00:37:18.500 --> 00:37:22.700 to experience it in our life together in our homes in our schools this 588 00:37:22.700 --> 00:37:25.100 kind of forbearing patient 589 00:37:25.100 --> 00:37:29.300 love of God that is modeled through us. Talking about modeling. 590 00:37:29.300 --> 00:37:33.100 So I'm a kid growing up in the 50s and those were the days when you 591 00:37:33.100 --> 00:37:37.200 still had supper you sat with mom and dad because he had two 592 00:37:37.200 --> 00:37:41.890 parents and you sat around the table and talked and and in hindsight, 593 00:37:41.890 --> 00:37:43.900 that's when I learned how adults cope. 594 00:37:46.100 --> 00:37:53.200 Now I presume that that your high school students are learning even 595 00:37:53.200 --> 00:37:57.600 though what they may not realize it and watching you how to cope with 596 00:37:57.600 --> 00:38:00.200 something that we we don't know 597 00:38:00.200 --> 00:38:02.800 what the outcome is. Is that fair? 598 00:38:03.700 --> 00:38:04.400 Certainly. 599 00:38:04.400 --> 00:38:08.100 Certainly. I certainly think they can see us saying we don't know. 600 00:38:08.600 --> 00:38:12.100 This is what we know for today and seeing that there is uncertainty 601 00:38:12.100 --> 00:38:17.600 and that we're okay with that and we're we're doing the best that we 602 00:38:17.600 --> 00:38:23.700 can. And the anxiety comes and you mentioned anxiety earlier hey when the grown-ups don't know 603 00:38:23.700 --> 00:38:26.900 where this is going to be. Are they anxious? 604 00:38:26.900 --> 00:38:34.900 Well, yeah, but but they're modeling a higher trust. Right, right. And I think higher 605 00:38:34.900 --> 00:38:39.800 trust and a greater flexibility then maybe we've ever had to be before. 606 00:38:39.800 --> 00:38:45.300 And in times of unrest you know, that a place of normalcy is so 607 00:38:45.300 --> 00:38:50.600 critical and school often times can be the place where when I get 608 00:38:50.600 --> 00:38:50.900 there 609 00:38:50.900 --> 00:38:53.600 I think I know generally how things are going to go. 610 00:38:53.600 --> 00:38:54.700 I know who's there. 611 00:38:54.700 --> 00:38:59.000 I know what's going to happen and that's reassuring in the distress or 612 00:38:59.000 --> 00:39:03.300 for young and older alike. I really appreciate all that you shared. 613 00:39:04.000 --> 00:39:08.800 Are there resources places we can go? 614 00:39:08.800 --> 00:39:13.000 I mean, we're not going to go to Lutheran North but places that that 615 00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:19.700 our audience can go to tap into some of this? Sure. Some of the places 616 00:39:19.700 --> 00:39:24.200 obviously if a student her family is in a true crisis, you might have 617 00:39:24.200 --> 00:39:28.400 to call 911 right or you might seek help from your physician the 618 00:39:28.400 --> 00:39:31.400 doctor's office or something like that, but then there are there 619 00:39:31.400 --> 00:39:32.600 places in our community. 620 00:39:32.600 --> 00:39:35.800 So there are locally there is in St. 621 00:39:35.800 --> 00:39:35.900 Louis. 622 00:39:35.900 --> 00:39:45.200 There's the Life Crisis Hotline and that number is 314-647-HELP or 4357. 623 00:39:45.200 --> 00:39:47.800 There's the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. 624 00:39:47.800 --> 00:39:52.300 That's 1-800-273-8255. 625 00:39:52.300 --> 00:39:55.400 There's there's youth Emergency Services. 626 00:39:55.400 --> 00:40:01.000 There's BHR Behavioral Health responses where families can call if 627 00:40:01.000 --> 00:40:03.800 they need assistance. And just this last 628 00:40:04.000 --> 00:40:08.600 SSM open the first Urgent Care for mental health. 629 00:40:08.600 --> 00:40:12.400 So they've been Medical Urgent Care is popping up on you know, every 630 00:40:12.400 --> 00:40:17.100 other corner but SSM on the DePaul campus open last week there first 631 00:40:17.100 --> 00:40:19.200 Urgent Care for mental health. 632 00:40:19.200 --> 00:40:21.200 Now that is specifically for adults. 633 00:40:21.200 --> 00:40:25.400 So that's on the DePaul campus, but that's a huge step in the right 634 00:40:25.400 --> 00:40:29.900 direction for our community to have that. Then there are places that can 635 00:40:29.900 --> 00:40:33.000 provide counseling if it's not something I have to have today but 636 00:40:33.000 --> 00:40:37.200 Lutheran Family and Children's Services school counselors can direct 637 00:40:37.200 --> 00:40:38.800 students Catholic Charities. 638 00:40:38.800 --> 00:40:43.600 All those agencies have therapists, counselors, mental health people who 639 00:40:43.600 --> 00:40:50.400 can work with families. Thank you Cindy for that list of resources, and obviously, I don't have it all 640 00:40:50.400 --> 00:40:52.800 in my head and and and it's hard to grasp. 641 00:40:52.800 --> 00:40:54.800 So at the end of our video 642 00:40:55.900 --> 00:41:00.200 program today, we're going to list all of those so just stay tuned 643 00:41:00.200 --> 00:41:05.000 video folks and you can see these resources that Cindy brought 644 00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:07.500 that are helpful to us. To wrap this up. 645 00:41:07.500 --> 00:41:12.600 There was a pastor that I've quoted many a time Reverend Arnold 646 00:41:12.600 --> 00:41:18.100 Kuntz and he says life and narrows down and crisis comes and isn't that 647 00:41:18.100 --> 00:41:18.500 the truth. 648 00:41:18.500 --> 00:41:23.500 We never had anything like this life narrows down and crisis 649 00:41:23.500 --> 00:41:24.100 comes. 650 00:41:25.700 --> 00:41:29.600 And suddenly only one thing matters and they're in the narrow place 651 00:41:29.600 --> 00:41:30.900 stands Jesus. 652 00:41:30.900 --> 00:41:36.700 I know it's your prayer our prayer and I hope all of our prayers that 653 00:41:36.700 --> 00:41:37.900 through this terrible time. 654 00:41:39.500 --> 00:41:44.000 We'll be brought closer to the Savior and one day all of this will be 655 00:41:44.000 --> 00:41:44.600 behind us. 656 00:41:44.600 --> 00:41:46.200 Thank you. 657 00:41:46.200 --> 00:41:46.500 Dr. 658 00:41:46.500 --> 00:41:47.000 Brackman. 659 00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:47.600 Mrs. 660 00:41:47.600 --> 00:41:49.000 Burreson for being with us. 661 00:41:49.000 --> 00:41:54.600 I I have just been very humbled by the whole discussion and thank you 662 00:41:54.600 --> 00:41:55.600 for joining us. 663 00:41:55.600 --> 00:42:02.600 I hope that the intersection of Word and Work is busy on your corner.