We are all dealing with a lot of changes. My focus as an educational leader in this time continues to be about taking care of people, but now at a safe distance. So this has meant that my normal routine of walking through the school and outside, connecting face-to-face with staff, students, and parents is gone. It's been replaced with a massive amount of communication via e-mail, phone and video chats. It's different, it's more challenging in many ways, and it's not what I'm used to.
What it has done for me is that it has helped me filter everything down to one single priority - health & well-being. I know that's two words and one of them is even hyphenated, but no they are not separate, for me it's one and the same. It's about taking care of myself so that I can take care of others. I have written and shared about my health journey over the past three years and it's been my pinned tweet for awhile now.
It's important for me to remember, and share with you, that we are not alone in this journey. As I interact with my staff and parent community I am reminded that we are all in this together and we have to prioritize what really matters. The decisions I am making as a school leader have to include the experiences and stories from staff, students and parents, in order to live out authentically our school motto "Together We Are Stronger".
As a result, my messaging to my community of learners has consistently been about slowing down and taking it one step at a time. We could easily get distracted by looking at what other communities are doing, but what matters most is about what matters to us! I am used to being action-oriented, building vision for my school, and moving quickly on an idea. I am used to making decisions on the fly, solving immediate and emergent problems in the moment, and then moving on to the next thing. But this is different right now, everything seems to move slow. I am learning to be more patient. I am realizing that as much as I might feel the need to reach out every day, share or ask questions, I have to think first through my priorities:
1. Is this the safest way to do this?
2. Is this needed right now?
3. Is this helpful right now?
4. Is this message clear for everyone?
5. Does it show that we care?
1. Is this the safest way to do this?
2. Is this needed right now?
3. Is this helpful right now?
4. Is this message clear for everyone?
5. Does it show that we care?
Every story I am hearing from parents, teachers and staff is unique. Some families are ready for more, some are just getting into this new routine at home, others are still trying to figure out how to get up to speed with technology, and many are struggling with basic needs and just providing the essentials for their family. What is common, is the shared experience is that we all just want to know that someone cares and is there if we need them.
Something that has been an amazing help to me has been to bounce ideas off colleagues, and my PLN (personal learning network). There is a ton of good information out there, but it can also be distracting. What really matters to me is reading and be inspired by people I feel connected to. Here are a couple of most recent posts that inspired me today:
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"This is a period of dissonance where we are trying to make sense of what is happening to us. We will adjust and move forward. But we must allow people time to move through the dissonance or it will continue to create difficulties and they will not be able to move on successfully."
This post by @datruss about being able to sustain the entire journey is a good reminder about maintaining a sustainable routine for the long haul. He writes,
"Most importantly, I’ll remind myself that there are more than two and a half months of school left… If I’m going to be my best, it will be because I remember that I’m needing to be my best over a marathon of time, and not just for a short sprint."
I worry about the future too, and there are decisions right now for my own family that I'm not sure about. My wife will soon be laid off, it's inevitable. How will we make it financially? My daughter is just trying to meet the demands of her high school courses - now on-line. She feels overwhelmed and we have only just finished week one. My son has been off work for awhile, but is about to enter a brand new post secondary education in three weeks. Can you imagine starting a brand new school experience on-line without actually meeting anyone?!
"This 'shut down' of society is causing all of us to slow down and be more patient, and that is a good thing. Are you reading more, writing more, watching the news more? Don't forget to rest and find routines that are healthy for your mind, body and spirit! I'm thankful for the daily encouragement I get from others in my networks! Although the path ahead is uncertain, together this is the time where we can look ahead with hope!"
The experiences we are all going through are new, they are challenging, they are filled with a wide spectrum of emotions. No matter what you do in these next days and weeks and months, don't forget to appreciate the blessings of today. Take time for yourself, take time now and rest if you need to. Reach out for help if you need it, reach out to others and ask them if they are okay or need help.
Sometimes that's all we all need right now.
Even though it's a long weekend for Easter, the temptation for me is still to try to do more because I care and I'm worried about my staff and school families. But I'm going to take the advice from my educator friends @kellywchris, @datruss and even gave myself in that recent post. I'm going take a few days away from my work to reflect and rest, and in this way I know I will be better able to serve my community.
How long will this be like this where we are in these altered routines? No one knows for sure, but right now I encourage you to take the time you need. That work e-mail or assignment is not necessarily the most important thing right now. Sometimes less is more, and that just might be what we all need to hear right now. Take care!
This post by @datruss about being able to sustain the entire journey is a good reminder about maintaining a sustainable routine for the long haul. He writes,
"Most importantly, I’ll remind myself that there are more than two and a half months of school left… If I’m going to be my best, it will be because I remember that I’m needing to be my best over a marathon of time, and not just for a short sprint."
I worry about the future too, and there are decisions right now for my own family that I'm not sure about. My wife will soon be laid off, it's inevitable. How will we make it financially? My daughter is just trying to meet the demands of her high school courses - now on-line. She feels overwhelmed and we have only just finished week one. My son has been off work for awhile, but is about to enter a brand new post secondary education in three weeks. Can you imagine starting a brand new school experience on-line without actually meeting anyone?!
Recently I share about keeping a healthy routine in a post about the path ahead being uncertain but being filled with hope. This is what I shared:
The experiences we are all going through are new, they are challenging, they are filled with a wide spectrum of emotions. No matter what you do in these next days and weeks and months, don't forget to appreciate the blessings of today. Take time for yourself, take time now and rest if you need to. Reach out for help if you need it, reach out to others and ask them if they are okay or need help.
Sometimes that's all we all need right now.
Even though it's a long weekend for Easter, the temptation for me is still to try to do more because I care and I'm worried about my staff and school families. But I'm going to take the advice from my educator friends @kellywchris, @datruss and even gave myself in that recent post. I'm going take a few days away from my work to reflect and rest, and in this way I know I will be better able to serve my community.
How long will this be like this where we are in these altered routines? No one knows for sure, but right now I encourage you to take the time you need. That work e-mail or assignment is not necessarily the most important thing right now. Sometimes less is more, and that just might be what we all need to hear right now. Take care!
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