COVID-19 has put many of us school leaders into remote leadership that requires a different skillset than face-to-face leadership. We have been forced to make this transition quickly and, for the most part, without training. As a result, we find our roles more difficult than ever before. Managing the many unique obstacles can prove difficult, but we can be successful if we implement clear communication plans. When we establish strong and effective lines of communication, we develop effective means for teachers and staff to communicate with one another.
Here are some suggestions for making the shift to establish strong and effective lines of communication during remote learning, teaching, and leadership.
The words “fluid,” “pivot,” and “shift” are just a few of the words that seem to be used a lot during these unprecedented times. Things seem to change by the minute, if not by the second. It is frustrating to hear updates secondhand rather than from your leader, which can create confusion and animosity. It is best practice to not only regularly update our staff but also involve them in the discussion and decision-making process. Actively inviting our staff to give feedback and to ask clarifying questions fosters positive relationships and culture, encourages participation, provides valuable feedback, makes staff feel valued and respected, and builds personal investment.
The current pandemic has accelerated much of what has been inevitable for some time now. For example, with the emergence of online shopping, many of the large department store chains have been slowly dying. Due to COVID-19, these closures happened much more rapidly.
As leaders, we can use this as an opportunity to accelerate the collapse of systems that we know aren’t working and create more effective systems of operation. Use this time to make your systems and school better by consolidating knowledge and reducing confusion and inefficiency. See it as an opportunity to accelerate needed change within your systems.
Many teachers are feeling the pressure of virtual learning. Concepts are taking two to three times longer to teach and master. Student engagement is a guessing game at times. Even accomplished teachers report feeling like first-year teachers. This is leaving our teachers feeling defeated, depressed, and inadequate. This sort of feeling can and will quickly disrupt any positive culture.
Our leadership communication must encourage teamwork, support interaction, and empower our teachers. Through teamwork, we can share the burden of virtual learning and fight the feeling of isolation that our new world engenders. When we share the work, we learn new best practices, build distributive leadership, and align our mission and vision.
However, teamwork does not just happen because we say it should. We as leaders must create opportunities and venues for teamwork to happen naturally. We have to organize social activities that nurture the opportunity to not only work together but also get to know each other. We may not jump with excitement at every teambuilding activity, but when done well, we learn about each other beyond the workplace, building relationships that allow us to work together as a team more effectively. Some ideas to create these spaces in our virtual world are virtual happy hour games (an internet search can provide some inspiration here J), virtual staff lounge, virtual restorative justice circles, and more.
It is very easy to forget that those we lead are human beings. Human beings that are struggling, affected by what is going, and in many ways on the frontlines. Our teachers not only see how this pandemic affects them and their family but also how it affects our students and community.
We talk a lot about our students’ needs, but we need to be aware of our staff’s needs as well. Regular check-ins to see how people are doing shows you care and let your teachers know there is someone out there willing to work for them and share the burden of teaching in this virtual world. Most check-ins only take 60 seconds but translate to hours of relationship building.
Last but not least, praise, recognize, and celebrate. Our staff is doing great work considering the times and current environment. They are making connections, building relationships, and providing hope for our students and community despite the difficulties of virtual learning. They are showing up for the students and want them to be as successful as possible. Celebrate them often and show you care.