The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a lot of grief and distress to the world. From the inconvenience of wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing, to closures of businesses, schools, and places of public gatherings. And of course, there’s the sickness and death that the virus has wrought.

And it’s no different here in Somerville. Most of us have learned to properly follow the mandated guidelines, we grudgingly do without our favorite eateries and nightspots, and – yes – we do the best we can to give our children the best educational opportunities that the situation can allow.

Since the beginning of this pandemic, the city and the school system have been spinning their wheels trying to come to grips with how best to deliver a safe and viable plan for educating our children.

And with every step either forward or backward that the city takes in gaging the severity of case counts, the plans are repeatedly revised again and again.

Meanwhile, practically anyone who has a stake in this – parents, children, teachers, etc. – has strong opinions on whether in-class attendance or at-home learning, or some combination of the two, should prevail.

What seems obvious is that the situation is fluid. As case counts in the city fluctuate, it inevitably comes down to following whatever measures seem appropriate at any given time.

We want our teachers and students to stay safe and remain healthy. That’s the bottom line. If home schooling is hard, rampant contagion is far worse.