Posted Ponderings

Rapid Response We find ourselves in an unprecedented place in our educational systems. The road has taken a sharp left and we are trying to figure out how to smooth out the ride. How can we lead our organizations when we don't know where we are headed? How do we help the staff navigate this change? When we got the call to close schools down we were not completely unprepared. Teachers had prepped enough educational material for 2-3 weeks. By the next day, Saturday, We realized that it would be more like 4-6 weeks or more. What do leaders do when they don't know where they're headed? They research, go to webinars, and ask the experts. That is what our administrative team did the weekend after the school closed. We found that quality online instruction incorporated an online platform, with a playlist of educational tasks, and virtual interactions between teachers and students (Modern Teacher, 2020). Armed with this information we set up meetings with our staff for...

Why Try So Hard? Teachers around the country and the world are scrambling to support students. They are passionate but not getting the same satisfaction in their work. Emotional batteries are running on empty all across the nation. Teachers are balancing home lives and teaching. Parents are juggling jobs and kids. Kids lack much of the structure that supported their development. The effort that must be put forth to educate students in the current situation is causing some to burn out (England, 2020). The teachers at my site are trying to stay positive and push on but every day they get up to teach they are reminded of the fact that only half of their students are engaging in instruction regularly. Of these only a fraction complete the daily assignments. They are left with questions about how meaningful their efforts are. Why try so hard? We are no longer testing students or giving real grades.  While not all students are engaged in the offered activities, some are...