Here is a a bit of our e-mail exchange which started with my first e-mail of the day to all staff. (I have edited this down to remove some specific information with names for privacy purposes),
"Good morning everyone, I hope you are well…let that sink in. How are you? I’m going to guess that you may feel a bit anxious or overwhelmed about the task ahead of you? But breathe for a moment!...I’m not sure exactly what that routine will look like yet. But that’s okay. We do not need to solve every problem instantaneously right now. Okay!?...your connection with your students and parents is the most important thing right now, so make it count! Don’t worry about having a plan or all the answers right now. Just show them that you care! I’m sure this is extremely uncertain and overwhelming for parents right now as well."
She gave me permission to share her response back to me,
"I love Under Armour’s branding with 'I WILL' and 'Be Humble, Stay Hungry'. The past few days, our teams have rallied together with incredible effort, have reminded me of one of their more recent campaigns, 'The Only Way is Through.' As we face this unprecedented situation, the only way IS through and I know with the care and commitment we share for our kids and each other, WE WILL get through it together."
With in class instruction being suspended in our region, and social/physical distancing measures in place, we are having to make sure more than ever before that our communication is clear, thoughtful and uplifting. Every time we write something down we risk a misunderstanding, especially when emotions are already on edge and uncertainty is in the air. But when we write or receive messages like the one I got today, it can brighten our day and give us hope to keep moving forward. Remaining positive and hopeful is so important when we face unknown challenges, and that needs to come through in all our messaging whether it is an e-mail, text, tweet, phone call, video conference or a whole host of new digital platforms that we are figuring out to use for the very first time! It's not the tool that matters, it's the message that makes a difference!
Our routines are different. At school we have been so used to walking down the hall and into each other's spaces to quickly solve problems or collaborate and share ideas. Often even with just a look we could understand what another colleague was thinking. This is what makes working in a school such an amazing place! The energy and activity in schools is something I already miss, just a few days into this new routine. I miss the kids and parents, and I miss the staff. I miss parking lot duty? Did I just say that?? Everyone is feeling a little in the dark and wondering what will happen and how they are going to do this! So do something to shine a little light!
After this e-mail exchange earlier in the day, I was inspired and recorded a video message for my school community and I tweeted it out to them. I shared,
"Routines feel a little weird and different right now, and that is okay!"
I think one of the best things we can do right now is to to try and connect with each other and be honest about how we are feeling, because that is what others might also be experiencing. At our school our motto is 'Together We Are Stronger!' If ever there was a time where we needed to live this, now is the time. We all need to know that we are not in this alone!
COVID-19 has forced us to think differently and communicate in different ways, and physically it has separated us. It also seems that everything that we want to do, or the way we used to do it, takes much, much longer. But ultimately everyone, and I mean everyone, just needs someone to talk to and someone who will listen and tell them that everything is going to be okay. And in this way it can also be a time to bring us closer if we focus on reaching out to each other. So, do you have time to talk? The answer is yes, because the 'only way is through!'
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