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Three Phase Summer Plan for Renewal

The pressures and stresses of the past year took a toll on us. They sapped our energy, challenged our resilience, and often humbled us despite our considerable skills and experience. There was no road map to follow and the conditions under which we led the learning of our students seemed to change constantly. Now, as this incredible year is behind us, it’s time to think about how to take care of ourselves and be ready to re-engage when the time comes. This summer, maybe more than any other, calls for a plan to help us move beyond where we find ourselves. Some people recommend a summer completely disconnected from work. While such a shift can be a good start, as the summer unfolds, we also need to capture what we have learned and how we have grown, and then begin our preparation for a successful start to a new year in the fall. Consider a three-phase plan to renew your spirit and energy, reflect and learn from your experience, and build your readiness to return to the important work of nurturing learning. The first phase, refocusing, involves letting go and shifting your attention and energy. Now it is time to let go of what has worn you down, tested your resolve, and left you exhausted. Find time to relax, focus on yourself, and do what renews your spirit. You may find that a few good fiction books can refocus your attention and give you energy. Maybe rediscovering and engaging in a long-standing or new hobby can give you the separation you need. Volunteering in an area of significance to you may also be a good option. Returning to a regular cycle of physical activity could be the answer to your renewal. Or maybe your source of renew is spending time with family and friends. The key is to focus on what you need and give adequate attention to your emotional and physical health. The second phase, reflection, presents the opportunity to revisit what you learned and celebrate wins from the past year. You may find it best to delay this phase until you are feeling renewed and re-energized. With the refilling of your emotional and physical energy tank will come a readiness to revisit the experience of the past year with greater objectivity and perspective. Even though the year presented unusual, even unprecedented distractions and disruptions, it offered opportunities to learn, grow, and meet significant challenges. Reflecting on what you learned about yourself can be an important source of insight and professional pride. The instructional strategies you adapted to a new environment and developed to meet new challenges despite all that was happening can offer opportunities to enhance the experiences of students going forward. Of course, not everything will translate directly to a post-pandemic context, but your reflection will likely uncover a significant collection of options and opportunities to enhance your professional practice. The third phase, readiness to re-engage, draws on the energy you have refreshed and the insights and understanding you gained from your reflection. You may have identified aspects of your practice that you need to strengthen. You may see opportunities to go add to your instructional tools and strategies. An online or in-person workshop may offer the resources and support you need to get ready. Also, consider reading articles or listening to podcasts on the important impact educators have on the life trajectories of students and how educators often instill hope for students who may be struggling or experiencing tough times. This may also be a great time to reflect on and revisit the reasons that led you to decide that education is your calling and renew your commitment to be the force in students’ lives that will make a difference regardless of their backgrounds, circumstances, and current challenges. Summer may seem to stretch long into the future. Yet, we know that the time will pass quickly, and we need to take advantage of the break to refocus and renew ourselves. We need to reflect and capture what we have learned. And as the summer passes, we need to ready ourselves to re-engage and continue to make a difference in the lives of our students.

June 14, 2021

How We Viewed the Pandemic Matters – A Lot

How we view what is happening to and around us makes a big difference. What we perceive drives how we think, how we respond, and what meaning we assign to it. If we perceive an event or action as a threat, we move to defend ourselves. If we see something happening that we think is an opportunity, we explore how we can exploit and benefit from it. If we believe something has nothing to do with us, we will likely ignore it and move on. The pandemic offers a profound example of the difference our perceptions make in how we behave, especially from a leadership perspective. How we understood what was happening led us to define what options to explore, plans to develop, and actions to take. Now, looking back at what we hope is an experience that is largely behind us, we can begin to see the difference our perceptions have made in the way we responded, managed, and even leveraged the experience for our organizations. If we perceived the pandemic as a temporary disruption, we were more likely to put in place temporary structures and strategies to help everyone survive until normalcy returned and old processes and practices could be reinstated. On the other hand, if we saw the pandemic as a break from normalcy that offered opportunities to develop, test, and apply new ideas and approaches, this was a time of excitement, flexibility, and learning. It was a time to grow, accelerate change, and build a new normal. Seeing the pandemic as a temporary distraction likely meant that our leadership focused on making accommodations for needs, challenges, and expectations only to the extent they were demanded. If we understood the pandemic as a challenge to be met, we focused our communication and actions on imagining, innovating, and creating practices and approaches that would continue to serve the needs of learners well after the pandemic has passed. Our energy was given to getting better, not just getting through. Similarly, if we viewed the situation as something to survive, requests to set aside traditions and long-standing structures and practices may have been granted as temporary waivers that would expire at the end of the pandemic. Conversely, if we saw the needs for change as reasons to rethink and rework assumptions and traditions that may no longer serve as well as they once did, our response likely focused on how the changes could continue to serve learner and organizational needs into the future. The consequences of these two perspectives continue to play out as we near the end of the pandemic and we are laying groundwork for what comes next. If we perceived the experience as a temporary disruption to survive, we can expect intense pressure to return to life as it was two years ago. Of course, there will also be expectations to return to much of what existed prior to the pandemic even if we treated the pandemic as an opportunity for reimagination and innovation. Still, we have available an array of new options, approaches, and strategies to improve learner experiences, enhance the work of teachers, and move the organization forward in ways not within reach two years ago. To be clear, few of us viewed the pandemic exclusively as something to survive or an opportunity to be exploited. Regardless of our perspective on the pandemic experience, there remain opportunities to harvest what was learned and apply the lessons it taught us in ways that move our organizations forward. However, we need to move quickly in either case to identify, protect, and support implementation of these new practices and structures before systems re-calcify and change becomes even more difficult.

June 07, 2021

“Three-Legged Stool” Supports Successful Leaders in Turbulent Times

Now seems like a good time to step back and assess what we have learned and what has been reinforced about effective leadership. The past year has presented challenges that were never imagined. Some leaders excelled while others floundered. For the most part, the success and failure of leaders did not occur by chance. For some leaders, personality helped them to survive but personality alone was not a formula for success. Other leaders attempted to rely on their technical skills, yet the situation demanded more than tools and techniques. Some leaders tried to “fake it,” acting as though they knew what to do while hoping that others would “pick up the slack,” only to be unmasked at some of the most crucial times. Meanwhile, leaders who provided the guidance, support, and direction that led to success within their organizations over the past year typically relied on three key leadership elements. We might think of these elements as the legs of a three-legged stool. These “legs” provided the balance, stability, and confidence necessary to navigate new challenges and experiences without losing focus or touch with those who depended on their leadership. The legs maintained strong relationships and instilled confidence while leaders addressed serious and often controversial issues. Let’s explore this three-legged stool and how leaders can utilize it to generate success regardless of the conditions, challenges, and complexity they face. The first leg is empathy. Leaders who succeed during turbulent, uncertain, and unpredictable times are committed to listening. These leaders know that the insights, experiences, and perceptions of those around them are crucial to understanding reality and what people perceive to be reality. They reflect on what they hear and often test their understanding to ensure clarity and accuracy. These leaders demonstrate caring through their understanding of and concern for the feelings and experiences shared with them. In the end, these leaders seek to see through the eyes of others. The second leg is vulnerability. These leaders do not claim or act as though they have all the answers to every question and dilemma. They do not deny their experience and expertise. They also do not hide behind their position, past successes, or reputation. They are open and willing to consider advice without feeling threatened or offended. These leaders seek honest, even critical feedback to guide their growth. They readily admit to mistakes without excuses, and they choose to focus on learning and improvement over denial and defensiveness. These leaders want others to contribute meaningfully. In the end, their vulnerability also leads others to step up and step in when they need help and support. The third stabilizing leg is strength. This strength is not to be confused with the power that comes from position or expertise. While these aspects can contribute to the strength of influence these leaders demonstrate, their strength grows out of words and actions that are consistently aligned with important values. They tap a sense of purpose to guide priorities and develop strategies. These leaders are willing to make tough decisions, even when they may be unpopular in the moment. They are willing to take smart risks to move the organization forward and make necessary changes. Further, these leaders remain focused and persistent enough to see initiatives through, yet they are flexible enough to let go of what has demonstrated that it will not succeed. Certainly, leaders need knowledge and skills to be successful. They need strategies and tactics to address problems and advance important initiatives. Yet, none of these factors will lead to success, especially during turbulent times, without the three-legged support of empathy, vulnerability, and strength.

June 01, 2021

Eight Post-Pandemic Predictions for Education

Admittedly, the pandemic has caused confusion, trauma, and disruption. It has also offered important insights, alternatives, and opportunities to make schools better as teachers and students return in the fall. The experience we gained, the challenges we faced, and the lessons we learned can be harvested to provide some important modifications and improvements, but only if we commit to identifying, applying, and leveraging them. We know that pre-pandemic learning environments did not meet the needs of many students and educators. Now is the time to address some of the most intractable deficits of traditional education. However, we need to make specific commitments and allocate resources in ways that make the changes realistic and sustainable. Shifts in classroom practices, the role of learners, the nature of professional learning, and improvements in other areas are within our reach. Let’s explore eight post-pandemic predictions for this fall based on lessons we have learned. Prediction #1. Instruction and learning experiences will be more responsive to student readiness and needs. Lesson learned: One-size, standardized instruction does not meet the needs of too many students. Remote learning during the pandemic made this truth even more visible and had an exaggerated impact on learning. Prediction #2. The focus on building relationships and creating communities of learning will grow, gain greater credibility, and be viewed with increased urgency. Lesson learned: Building and sustaining connections and strong support presented a difficult challenge during remote learning. Unfortunately, where strong relationships were absent, students experienced lower levels of engagement, increased feelings of isolation, and lower levels of learning. Prediction #3. Families will remain more directly involved in their children’s learning. Lesson learned: Families can be effective and influential partners in their children’s learning, if given the right opportunities, adequate support, and necessary guidance. While in most families the intensity of involvement will retreat, there will remain an important role for families to play. Prediction #4. Classroom rules and discipline will offer increased flexibility and tap student motivation to manage behavior. Lesson learned: Many of the immediate behavior control levers available during in-person learning were not available during remote learning, so educators were forced to consider, adopt, and develop other strategies that led students to choose to cooperate and engage. These strategies are also effective in developing self-regulation, self-motivation, and learning independence as students return to in-person learning. Consequently, they will increasingly be recognized as key features of effective practice. Prediction #5. Teachers who must be absent will have options to connect and lead instruction remotely. Lesson learned: During remote learning, teachers routinely engaged their students in learning without being physically present. Many of the same tools and strategies can offer options for educator parents who need to be home with an ill family member, deal with a contagious disease, or otherwise be physically separated from school. While an in-person monitor may need to be present in the classroom, remote instruction can maintain continuity of learning even when the physical presence of the teacher is not practical. Prediction #6. Professional learning will be more flexible, practical, and personalized. Lesson learned: The pandemic forced rapid learning, flexible approaches, and increased collaboration. Learning that resulted led to shifts in instructional practices and modified classroom environments and innovative approaches. Lessons about flexibility, practicality, timeliness, purposefulness, and collaboration in professional learning will continue to be important to teachers beyond the pandemic experience. Prediction #7. Technology will be a more integrated tool for students to gain knowledge, apply new learning, and generate insights and ideas. Lesson learned: Prior to the pandemic, technology was often an appendage to the learning environment rather than a central tool for learning. Remote learning shifted technology to be a crucial access tool and learning conduit. Many educators also discovered the power of technology to give students a voice in their learning, an outlet for their creativity, and a way to extend their learning beyond the confines of prepared lessons. Prediction #8. Remote learning options will remain available to learners with conditions and where needed. Lesson learned: Remote learning can offer important flexibility to meet specific needs and unique circumstances. Some families may choose to continue remote learning in response to their children’s needs. Remote learning might also be helpful in response to extended school absences for travel, illness, etc. Of course, remote learning might also play a useful role during short term disruptions such as inclement weather and natural disasters. If we fail to honor and apply the lessons learned during the pandemic, we are likely to find that schools and classrooms return to what existed prior to the pandemic. Unless we make these changes a priority and provide professional learning support and adequate resources, we risk losing some of the most important and beneficial outcomes of what has been a difficult and disruptive year.

June 01, 2021

Cultivating Trust in a Skeptical World

These are tough times for trust. Well before the pandemic, doubt and skepticism were growing in our society as a whole, and particularly in politics. Doubt and skepticism are contagious. What grows in one area can quickly spread to others. Education and schools have not been immune. For generations, parents and the public consistently expressed high levels of confidence and trust in education. The public generally saw education as a way to improve our society and create opportunities for success so young people could do better than their parents. Taxes for public purposes, including education, were seen as investments in our collective future. Consistent with erosion of trust in other public institutions, over the past few decades, doubts have grown about the performance of schools. Educators have often been blamed for the perceived lack of progress achieved by schools, despite dramatic expansion in the scope of the population being educated and significant shifts in the demographics of students attending our schools. Of course, education has not always progressed at a pace consistent with the needs of our society. Yet, there is more evidence that the problem is rooted in how our schools are designed and organized than there is that educators are not doing their best to serve the needs of students. On the surface, the challenge of building and maintaining trust can seem insurmountable, even if we have done nothing to undermine or violate the trust of those we serve. Yet, while the challenge is significant there are steps and strategies we can employ to build trust and diminish skepticism over time. Here are five ways to build and sustain trust, even in the midst of controversy and conflict. Start by keeping the focus of your decisions and communication on the core mission of your organization. Decisions that prioritize the interests of learners and learning are more likely to be accepted than decisions that do not include a “why,” or reasons that are not clearly aligned with and supportive of the mission. Don’t assume that constituents can see the connection by themselves. Consistently reference the core mission of learning and learners when making key decisions and communicating about direction. Conditions may change and the challenges may shift, but the more consistent you can be about what drives your decisions the more trust you will build, especially when the core is what is best for learners and learning. When learning and learners at the center, it is much more difficult for skeptics to pushback, even when they may prefer another option. Establish decision criteria in advance where possible. Discussing what should drive considerations in advance of a decision can help constituents understand why certain criteria are important to evaluating options. Availability of decision criteria in advance can also help to prepare people for what may lie ahead. When a key decision is made, refer to the criteria as part of the rationale and confirm the decision with criteria-related data and evidence. Of course, be sure that the criteria are reflective of the purpose of the organization. Depending on the specific situation, you might even consider engaging constituents in discussions about the best criteria to use. Be visible. Apart from any specific controversy or decision, be physically or virtually present throughout the organization and community. Be sure that people see and can easily engage you. There is a direct correlation between leaders who people often see as engaged in constructive, non-controversial things and the level of trust they offer when difficult decisions have to be made. You can build a “benefit of the doubt” quotient well in advance of having to make difficult or controversial decisions. Anticipate questions and provide full information when announcing and communicating about challenging decisions. Don’t wait for people to ask. Anticipating questions allows you to frame answers and provide reassurance before doubt and rumors begins to emerge. Further, having thought about the concerns and perspectives of others offers reassurance that the decision is well-thought out and is more likely to be trusted. Be ready to listen and open to feedback and criticism. How we respond to questions, doubts, and criticism can send important signals to listeners about how confident we are in actions we are taking. Defensiveness can undermine and even sink workable solutions and credible paths forward. Of course, there are times when we might miss key implications or fail to anticipate some outcomes resulting from our decisions. Our willingness to listen, consider, and even make needed adjustments can go a long way to build trust and counter skepticism. Building trust takes time. It cannot be taken for granted. Winning over skeptics may require patience. However, consistent, mission-focused decisions supported by openness, flexibility, and listening will win over, or at least mute, most skeptics while building your credibility and making the case for trusting you and your leadership.

May 24, 2021

Five Priorities for the Coming Months

The next few months will demand careful planning and attention amid a flurry of urgent activity and pressure to make a wide range of crucial decisions. In fact, decisions made in the next few months may have impacts and implications that could influence education and learning in your organization for at least the next decade. An influx of federal funds may open opportunities to engage in projects, programs, and promising initiatives not seen in a generation, depending on the demographic make-up of the students you serve. Meanwhile, students and staff are finishing more than a year of disruption, uncertainty, and challenging circumstances for learning. Learning has lagged for a significant group of students. Sadly, for some students the past year has resulted in little academic learning at all. The combination of these factors offers a great opportunity and a monumental challenge. We may feel pressure to deal with all of the issues and pursue multiple opportunities simultaneously. However, such an approach would likely be a mistake and could be very costly. Fortunately, there is an approach that can help us to sort and sequence the issues and challenges ahead in ways that allow us to deal with the most urgent issues while designing and preparing for what comes next. Let’s explore a sequence of five priorities for action and how they can help us to successfully navigate the next several months and beyond. Our first and most urgent priority needs to be communication. Community members, staff, students, and other organizational stakeholders are likely hearing rumors, suppositions, and speculation about what will happen this summer to support students and learning in preparation for the next school year. Predictably, they are wondering what school might be like in the fall and what they should be prepared for. And, if the school district is receiving a significant allocation of federal funds, there is likely high interest in how they will be used. Of course, there are also requirements for sharing and gaining input on how portions of the funds will be spent. Now is the time to share as much information as you have with as wide an audience as practical. Obviously, some information will apply to subgroups and will need to be targeted. Communicating now is imperative to reduce anxiety and rumors. However, it can also help to build acceptance and support as people receive timely, credible, and relevant information. (See Use Summer Communication to Generate Credibility for a more detailed discussion.) A second and equally urgent priority is to ensure that summer learning experiences meet the needs of students and engage them in environments that inspire and motivate them despite the experiences of the past year. General content and skill review and traditional remediation strategies will likely not generate the learning needed and may leave students even more disillusioned than they are now. Students need targeted assistance informed by their specific needs to accelerate progress while rebuilding confidence and commitment to learning. They also need to experience the support and caring of educators who believe in their potential and are committed to their success. (See Not All Learning is Equal in Summer Learning Catch-Up for a more detailed discussion.) As the first two priorities are being addressed, a third priority, designing learning experiences and environments for next year and beyond needs to be underway. Now is the time to harvest learning about what works from the past year, glean what we know about nurturing rich, deep learning from research and experience, and design learning experiences that will help students to build robust learning skills. The combination of an influx of resources and a system already disrupted and experiencing change presents a unique opportunity to engage in redesign. If you have appropriate expertise on staff, you might charge and support them to develop a new design. If you are already on the journey toward learner-centered learning, now is a good time to accelerate the work. If outside expertise and support will be needed, choose carefully to ensure that the design will be consistent with your vision and deliver the outcomes you seek. (See Designing a New Normal for Learning for a more complete discussion and design criteria.) The fourth priority is to provide your staff with the professional learning supports, experience, and time to implement the new design as intended. The history of educational change is littered with examples of well-designed models and strategies that failed due to lack of staff capacity and commitment to deliver on them. Start this process with a thoughtful and comprehensive discussion about why a change in design and delivery of learning experiences is necessary to prepare today’s students for the future they will live in. Gain clarity about what the change in design will mean for learners and learning outcomes. Once there is clarity about why the change is important and what it means for instruction and learning, you can likely offer flexibility and support creativity as staff members engage students in the new learning model. The investment in staff capacity and commitment to changing learning experiences for students will be your most important investment now and in the long term. Failure with this priority will likely compromise your vision and risk a significant waste of resources. (See What About Summer Learning for Adults? for a discussion of key elements of effective adult learning.) The fifth and final priority is to provide the equipment, tools, and facilities that align with the learning experiences you are committed to offering to students. While it may be tempting to start purchasing, remodeling, and constructing new supports now, until the learning model is ready and staff and students have experience with the new approach, you risk spending funds and making commitments that will not align with new practices or support the outcomes you envision. Admittedly, this is a confusing, pressure-filled time. However, by sorting what is most urgent and important and allocating careful attention and resources to the design for learning and the capacity of staff to deliver on the promise is your best bet. While pressure to act now to remodel facilities and purchase equipment may be high, delaying until needs are defined and clear is a must.

May 24, 2021

Share Your Tips & Stories

Share your story and the tips you have for getting through this challenging time. It can remind a fellow school leader of something they forgot, or your example can make a difficult task much easier and allow them to get more done in less time. We may publish your comments.

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Clearing a Path to a Successful Ending

The end of the year may be only weeks away, but there is much to be done and many potential distractions and disruptions occupy the path ahead. Our role in the final weeks might be compared to clearing the path, showing the way, and preparing for a great arrival. One of our most important tasks during this time is to listen carefully and constantly. People will tell us what they need and what we need to do, if they believe we are listening. Of course, not everyone will have the same needs and we cannot do everything. What is most important is to be present, responsive, and ready to lead. Central to our “path clearing” work is a focus on protecting relationships, promoting shared effort, and preparing to celebrate success. Our message in these final weeks is that we are still in this together. We need to support each other. It is not a time to be distracted by petty grievances and meaningless arguments. If we give our best effort, we will be fine. We do not need to worry about what we cannot change. And we need to celebrate successes wherever they can be found. We need to “cut away” distractions and nonessential activities to preserve time and energy to focus on learning and teaching activities. Nonessential staff meetings might be replaced by video messages, printed updates, and personal conversations. Where possible, we might provide flexibility in deadlines for reports and other end of year paperwork. Look for ways to reduce out-of-class responsibilities. Encourage teachers to collaborate, share, and exchange responsibilities. Show the way forward by concentrating on a limited number of priorities for the final weeks. Keep learning at the center but avoid placing excessive pressure on people for activities that take time and need flexibility. Focus on essential skills and content, not coverage. Identify and monitor students who have suffered trauma and may be in crisis. Avoid cluttering the path and creating distractions. For example, where possible, delay announcements of new initiatives and major changes for the coming year. Now is not the time to introduce uncertainty and questions regarding issues that can wait. Consider reserving time at the very end of the year if announcements and changes for next year need to be shared. Keep the destination in sight and build to an ending high. This year has been a long journey and reaching the end is worth celebrating. Commit to making this the best ending ever. Use your imagination and make it special without having it become a distraction. Create anticipation for an event worth working toward. Remarkably, despite all that everyone has been through, a special ending may be what people remember most when this year fades into history.

April 26, 2021

Do’s and Don’ts for Finishing the Year Successfully

We are reaching the time of year when the end will soon be in sight. Meanwhile, for many students this a time of transition back to in-person learning after many months, or even a year, of remote learning. These factors and others will add complexity to lives and learning in the coming weeks. We need to be conscious of how the experiences of students may influence their perceptions and behavior in the transition back and respond with sensitivity and patience. We also may feel pressure to “catch students up” in the weeks that remain, wanting to avoid feelings of guilt if students have not been exposed to the full grade level or course curriculum. Time may feel short and pressure may be intense to make full use of what remains of the year. We need to use the time wisely, but we also need to realize that learning is what matters most. Our priorities need to reflect what we can do with the time and resources available so we don’t become overwhelmed and panic. To help us think about how we can negotiate our way through the coming weeks, here are some do’s and don’ts to consider. Don’t:

Ignore the emotional and psychological injuries and scars experienced by students. Just because students are happy to be back in classrooms does not mean the pain and distraction of family members they have lost, family conflict they experienced, and other myriad issues now are gone. They may be pushed down or set aside for now, but the feelings will resurface and need to be addressed eventually. We need to stay alert for signs of trauma and the needs of some students for attention and support.
Assume that everything remaining in the curriculum must be covered. In a normal year we may be able to engage students with the full scope of the curriculum. However, this is not a normal year. We may feel as though we must “cover” the full curriculum if we are to meet expectations of us, but what matters most is not coverage. It is learning. In the weeks remaining, our time and the time of our students will best be spent focusing on what they know and what is essential for them to learn.
Underestimate your role in helping students find their way in learning and life. Students need to feel stability, support, and care, especially now. When we provide a calm, engaging, and purposeful environment, we give students assurance that they can focus on learning. When we give students opportunities to explore, investigate, problem-solve, set goals, and take risks, we offer the autonomy and ownership students need to grow toward independence and “way finding.”
Give in to resentment or resort to blaming. Like our students, our lives were disrupted, we experienced loss, and we were deprived of celebrations and connectedness. This could be a time when our emotions turn dark, and we look for who to blame for our loss and resent the sadness we experienced. However, our energy and attention will benefit us far more if allocated toward what we can do going forward. How can we make the future better? What have we learned that we can take with us? What can we do to improve the lives of others?
Assume that life will return to the “old normal.” We and our students have experienced much in the past months. Our students are not the same and neither are we. Expecting life to be what it was prior to the pandemic will likely lead to disappointment. Now is the time to focus on what we can create. We can build on what we have learned, retain what is valuable from the past, and create a future that is worthy of becoming our normal.

Do:

Share your confidence in your students and their ability to thrive beyond the pandemic. Students need to know that we are there for them, especially now. So much has happened that brought uncertainty and confusion into their lives. They need to feel our belief in them, our reassurance and support, and the stability it creates in their lives.
Focus on purposeful content and useful skills. We can connect what students are asked to learn with the purpose their learning will serve. We can give students opportunities to apply their learning where practical and support them to use their new learning to develop new insights. Where possible we can encourage and support students to use what they learn to create and share with others. Learning is most fun and satisfying when it leads to something meaningful and opens doors to creativity.
Reinforce with students the value and importance of what they have learned, including what is not in the curriculum and will not be on a formal test. Our students learned many skills and developed an array of habits that helped them to survive, and even thrive, during the pandemic. However, many of the most crucial things they learned will not show up on a test or be included in an academic grade. Organization, prioritizing, managing time, solving resource problems, and mastering technology tools are just a few examples. We need to honor and reinforce these skills and habits as key tools for future success.
Take time to build community and nurture a culture of inclusion, connectedness, and acceptance. It has been said that “we all have experienced the same storm, but we were not all in the same boat.” Some students will need more time and space to deal with their experiences and feelings of loss. Others may be ready to move forward with less support. We need to be there to respond and support and to marshal the support of peers to help everyone succeed.
Give students time to make the transition. Some of our students may resist too much direction and close supervision. They have experienced levels of flexibility and autonomy that they value and may not want to give up without reason. Other students may struggle with non-stop school for the entire day, when they have been free to move around and take breaks in other learning settings. We need to be thoughtful about expectations, restrictions, routines, and consequences as students return to learning in the physical presence of others.

April 19, 2021

Carpe Diem—Seize the Day!

For most of us, the past year has presented more challenges and demands for change than any other time in our careers. It was filled with uncertainty, unpredictability, and constant need for rethinking and adjusting. Some changes worked well and moved us forward. Others had to be reworked and recalibrated before they could be successfully implemented. For some of our staff members, the rate and nature of change was exciting and invigorating. They were able to develop and try new strategies and approaches that would not have been possible in the absence of the challenges we faced. For these educators, more change in the future is a welcome prospect. For others, the early stages of the pandemic were filled with bewilderment and confusion, but as time passed, they became more confident and willing to try new practices and adjust to new and changing circumstances. In fact, they discovered that change is not as scary and uncomfortable as they used to believe. The experience has given them confidence and an appreciation for the opportunities change can offer. Still others began this journey reluctant to change, but they were unable to resist changing in light of the circumstances they faced. The experience has been stressful and exhausting. The prospect of further changes in the transition back and start of a new year is not welcome, especially if it can be avoided. Of course, clustering individual staff members into such broad groups over-generalizes their experiences and perspectives. Still, it can help us to think about changes to be made for the coming year and reactions any proposals might receive. We learned many important lessons over the past year about engaging learners, building learning independence, instilling learning commitment and persistence, using technology to support learning, and other aspects of our work. These lessons need to be captured and become part of learner experiences going forward, but support and persistence will be required to avoid a return to the previous state of practice. This might also be the time to consider changes in key structures such as the daily schedule. Maybe it’s time to move toward a “looping” strategy where students stay with the same teacher for more than one year. Moving to “grade bands” at this time could alleviate some of the issues related to variations in student progress and readiness. Now might also be a good time to introduce flexible learning opportunities such as “genius hours” and “passion projects.” The list could go on. One thing is certain, choosing to delay changes until after the next school year has started and people have settled into old routines and habits will not make changes any easier. In fact, by then, initiating change is likely to be more difficult and face more resistance. We have what appears to be a window of opportunity to make needed and beneficial changes. Unfortunately, the window will likely close in the coming months if we fail to take advantage of it. Leadership is about developing and recognizing ideas and opportunities to make things better. Leadership is also about finding the right time to act. We have learned much that is important, new ideas and insights have emerged, and openness to change may be at its highest. Now is not the time to pull back. Carpe diem!

April 12, 2021

Watch for Behavior Challenges During Transitions

For months, students who have primarily been in remote learning settings have lived by a different set of behavior expectations than are typical in face-to-face settings. Trips to the bathroom may not require specific permission or a hall pass. There is no need to ask for permission to sharpen a pencil or seek out a needed classroom resource. Yet, a different set of expectations may accompany students’ transition back to in-person learning environments. Obviously, some expectations are necessary to ensure safety, maintain focus, and avoid unnecessary disruptions. Accounting for the whereabouts of students is important within a school and ensuring an orderly learning environment may require some limits on student freedom and choice. For some students the expectations will be unwelcome and feel excessively restrictive. Having to ask permission for activities that were self-regulated at home may seem like an attempt to over-control or signal a lack of trust. Having to sit quietly and resist talking with friends that they haven’t seen for months may be a difficult expectation to meet. The bottom line is: We can expect some student confusion, uncertainty, and even resistance to the behavior constraints they experience as they transition back. For some, the expectation may not be much of an issue and they will make the transition smoothly. Other students may question and complain but will adjust and comply. Still others will predictably resist, pushback, and may even experience meltdowns as they are confronted with expectations that have not been part of their lives for as much as a year. This reality presents at least three implications for action from us. First, we need to examine the expectations we have for students as they make the transition back. Expectations that are based in tradition but have no compelling purpose need to be abandoned. They are not worth the fight associated with enforcement and they can damage our relationships with students. The expectations that are necessary to ensure safety, preserve order, and support learning need to be presented with a clear rationale and with as much flexibility as we can manage. Where practical, we can invite students to discuss and have input on how the expectations will be implemented and managed. Second, we need to reflect and consider how students were able to manage greater freedom and flexibility as they engaged in remote learning. Some of the routines and procedures allowed in remote learning settings may work fine in face-to-face settings or may be manageable with some modifications. We learned many lessons about managing behavior and engaging students in remote settings. We would be wise to bring as many of those lessons to in-person learning environments as we can. The fact is that in some cases, students can handle more freedom and responsibility than we have given them in the past. They may need supports and reminders, but the benefits can be significant. Third, we need to offer flexibility in the implementation of the expectations that students may struggle to meet. We may need to teach some of the procedures associated with the expectations. It is predictable that some students, especially young learners, may not remember routines and procedures that were once familiar. Some students may just need time and support to adjust and have expected behaviors become routine and consistent again. Our challenge is to anticipate and respond with clarity, empathy, and support. Behavior expectations are not academic learning, but they help to create the conditions under which learning can occur. Our careful planning and management of expectations can offer significant benefits to the learning environment if done well, or result in resistance and disruption if students fail to see the need for or the benefits of the expectations presented to them.

March 22, 2021

The Master Teacher Blog