Q1. How do you think Leadership will change as a result of COVID19?
DP: I think that leadership will, similar to teaching, be focused more on the social and emotional side of leadership. As leaders, we have to ensure our teachers have not only the materials, curricular resources, and support they need, we have to be working to support the whole human being.
JK:
Very well stated Darrin. Your answer highlights something we not only don't have lots of best practices for but we aren't totally sure how to train. Leaders must be finding ways to support those virtual and hybrid classes similar to how we have in brick and mortar. Leaders will need to ensure counselors, aids, parents, specialized staff and themselves are very visible in all those virtual environments.
The challenge kids face with the emotional side of online experiences is they never know what is real. Emojis are different from real faces. Helping them express their feelings will be a key to their success.
DP: Absolutely James, we know that our kids are and will continue to struggle with this current version of normal and will need a lot of support from their teachers, counselors, paraprofessionals and so forth. In order for the adults to fill the bucket of their kids, we, as leaders, have to work to help them fill their own buckets. This might be through some organized strategy, planned timed for staff to disconnect, or even something as simple as one on one conversations asking, ‘how are you doing?’
Q2. What are some strategies to help schools be prepared for the start of the new school year?
JK: With all things, I think we must keep the end in mind. The number one question we have to address is how are we going to assess whatever we are teaching. This is not proposing more tests but instead schools need to have opportunities for students to demonstrate their mastery of learning. Once we understand how we can know what they know then we can look at the ways that we can teach.
The other strategy is to communicate NOW with parents, staff and students and build options. Schools need options that will address what hybrid, virtual and “normal” school can look like. How will we address connectivity? What does childcare look like? How will the community adapt to fill the need for students not in schools?. The more specific we get, the more comfortable everyone is, with dealing with the what if.
And maybe the biggest elephant we need to address, what was lost?. We need to know where students are and be clear that next year's fifth grader might be at fourth grade level.
DP: I think it is imperative that we are sharing our thinking in a very transparent way with our communities. Moving forward for next year cannot be done in isolation. From an instructional standpoint, it is important that we focus on the most important standards. We lost a fourth of a school year to COVID-19 and we will see something beyond any summer slide we’ve seen before.
JK: Transparent is a great way to phrase that Darrin. We must work together and start working on this...last week. Was part of a conversation with teachers about simply creating an at home supply list so we all could plan activities on what is truly common in home and not assume access to random things like ping pong balls.
Q3. ...What are some skills, support, PD teachers and leaders might need going into next year?
DP: We have been talking at length about blended learning professional development for our staff. It’s easy to look at the negatives from COVID-19’s impact on education. However, if we think instead of it as a shock to the system, we see opportunity. Teachers have so many strengths unique to themselves, and in blended learning they should hold fast to those skills. If we then can integrate use of technology in different ways to build on their current skill sets, the impact on student learning will be incredible. Focusing on blended learning will allow for improvement in engagement, lesson design, student ownership, and many other areas.
JK: I think you are spot on when looking at what teachers strengths are. I really feel the chance to help us all understand what engagement looks like when on-line is very important. We might need a few youtubers to help us. This is not an easy task because most of the engagement experts that deal with on-line learning are not tied to public schools. We need to reach out and build some digital training connections to assist in this process.
Q4….What do you see as the long-term impact on education from COVID-19?
JK: I guess I am hopeful that COVID-19 lights a fire under education. As a whole, the educational system has seen very little substantial structural changes in over 100 years. School content and expectations have changed but the structure and delivery have been relatively the same. As an earlier post, Never Waste a Crisis, I believe education will look different from this time forward. I believe we will see more parents taking children out of school, (for vacations, family events, etc) and as result educational delivery will be much more agile. That agility will allow us to deliver education in an engaging way that can reach students no matter where they need to be. I do think schools will redesign schedules that allow for more personalized flow through the physical environment. That will allow for schools to create more purposeful learning spaces instead of maximum capacity seating.
DP: As I mentioned earlier, this is a shock to the system. One which allows for a renaissance in education, if we will let it happen. Parents will expect more of their schools after our response to the crisis. Students should expect more flexibility and a more modern approach to learning. From an assessment stand point, accountability should and must change. We didn’t have our usual spring test-a-thon...and the world didn’t come to an end. Education continued, our system responded! Now, let’s capitalize on the love being heaped upon educators and bring a new, reborn education from this point forward.
JK I love the idea of capitalizing on the heaping of love teachers are getting, now let's do something with that support for sure.
Thank You Darrin for taking the time to help us get further on the #roadtoawesome! Always good chatting with you!
Darrin M Peppard, @DarrinMPeppard https://roadtoawesome.net/
James Kapptie @jpk38 https://ourchildrenarecalling.blogspot.com/
James is a 20 year classroom veteran. His experience includes Middle and High School, Administration, Technology Director, Education speaker and consultant, and Computer Science and “Purposeful Technology" Evangelist. Creator of #wyoedchat.
Darrin….Dr. Darrin Peppard is a school district superintendent, speaker, author, consultant, and former high school principal. His expertise in school culture and climate along with coaching and growing emerging leaders has made him a leading voice in school leadership on the national level. Darrin was awarded as the Jostens Renaissance Educator of the Year in 2015, Wyoming Secondary School Principal of the Year by WASSP/NASSP in 2016, and in 2019, Darrin was inducted into the Jostens Renaissance Hall of Fame. Darrin is the author of the upcoming book “Road To Awesome” being released in July from CodeBreakerEDU.
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