The global pandemic created an “anxious generation,” and everyone is talking about how to “fix” education or improve students’ mental health. But what are the challenges students, teachers, and their families are really dealing with on a daily basis, and what are some ways we begin to reclaim connection?

In this unique, important book, experienced middle school teacher Amber Chandler engages us in an honest discussion of how we can counteract the impact of the pandemic by rethinking how communities, families, and schools can collaborate for student success. Chandler’s conversational style features frank discussions, actionable strategies, and interviews with top thinkers on the way forward, out of a Scared New World. Reclaiming connection is the way to meet the “anxious generation” where they are and show them the way to do more than survive—to thrive.

During this time of uncertainty, this book doesn’t lament about “kids today” but proposes real solutions. Shifts in society are accompanied by unrest, but we can’t walk around it—Chandler helps us grow through it.