As the first semester of the most unprecedented school year of our lives comes to a close, I reflected on my experience leading during this difficult time. I’ve done a myriad of things this semester and yes, they were all very important. However, whether I was arranging class lists, making personnel decisions, preparing my building, distributing technology, learning to use technology apps and programs, hosting staff meetings, providing professional development, etc, I kept coming back to the one thread that was most prevalent through all of them: relationships.
As school leaders, it is essential that we establish and maintain positive relationships in our schools with all stakeholders. It has been an absolute must during these times of uncertainty. This school year has provided us with many unforeseen challenges to performing our jobs. Due to COVID-19, school systems across the country are delivering instruction very differently: Some schools and districts are delivering instruction entirely remotely while others continue to operate at a school campus. Others still have adopted a hybrid approach that blends remote teaching and live instruction. Teachers are teaching from home, school, an alternate location, or a combination thereof. They are teaching district curriculums and/or purchased programs. Instruction is being delivered digitally and/or via paper and pencil. Students are learning from home and/or school. Sometimes they are learning from both environments on the same day. The list could go on!
As an administrator, I have asked myself, “How do I keep my school community whole, when there are so many moving parts? How do I meet the needs of each of my schools’ stakeholders so they can take care of themselves and be supportive for one another? How do I guide my community in living out the phrase ‘school family’ when we are not all under one roof?” These are thoughts that keep me up at night and often get me off task during the day. I’m certain many of you have asked yourselves the same questions. I hope to offer some suggestions of ways I have tried to answer these questions in my school. I, in no way, have all the answers! This time is new, different, and scary for me too! But, if I’ve learned anything during this unfamiliar time, it’s that we are all in this together. We can’t do it alone.
Connecting With Students
A September article in Education Week states, “This can’t be emphasized enough: Strong relationships will be essential to students’ academic success and well-being this coming school year” (Prothero, 2020). Positive relationships with and among students any school year are a challenge. During this first semester, at times, it seemed almost impossible to create and maintain those connections. The challenge has been breaking the barrier of students learning in different settings. However, there are ways to accomplish this objective with our students.
AVID utilizes a structure for establishing relationships called relational capacity. It is grounded in the work of Bruce Tuckman, a researcher of group development. It provides teachers and administrators with a starting point at the beginning of the school year. A couple of years ago, my staff and I focused on creating relationships in our school using this model. I have been intentional about continuing to communicate to staff the benefits of building relationships with and among their students, especially in a digital environment. Stage one of relational capacity is “safe shaping” (Bendall, Bollhoefer, & Koilpillai, 2015). This stage walks educators through how to create an environment for students where they feel safe and have a sense of belonging or ownership. This is achieved by designing non-threatening activities where students can do the following: be themselves, learn each other’s names and interests, and contribute to and feel like a part of their class community.
Teachers guide students through stage one of Tuckman’s work by providing time for interactions with their students and between their students. This is extremely important during this year of remote learning. Teachers provide collaborative opportunities through group creation of class norms/rules, getting to know you activities, one-on-one interactions with peers and adults, positive reinforcement/encouragement, etc. A favorite collaborative activity in our building is, “Would You Rather.” These activities have worked extremely well for my staff and students in the past and have proven to be successful during remote/hybrid learning. We have every intention of revisiting these practices in January when students return from winter break.
Connecting With Families
“It takes a village” is an understatement when it comes to learning during a pandemic. Relationships between schools and families are even more necessary to increase a student’s chances of success. Daily, families need assistance with technology, teachers’ directions, keeping students on task, understanding concepts, monitoring assignments, and helping students be accountable and responsible. This enormous responsibility often leaves parents feeling frustrated and worried about their child’s learning. Providing parents with avenues for connecting with teachers, administrators, and other staff members provides them with the support they need to be a team player. This gesture helps them feel valued, appreciated, and an important part of their child’s learning experience.
The teachers at my school connect with families through the usual means: phone calls, emails, messaging platforms such as Remind or Dojo, and class newsletters. This school year has brought challenges, as well as new ideas to keep the lines of communication open. Teachers, administrators, and I are using services such as Zoom and Google Meet to have virtual meetings. These virtual meetings include parent/teacher conferences, parent trainings, student work support, support with technology, counseling sessions, and other vital services. Our administration held Zoom office hours at the beginning of the school year to assist parents with the transition to remote learning. They were eventually discontinued as parents preferred to call and talk as opposed to video chat. Parents also have the option of meeting face-to-face at the school building (by appointment) to discuss issues when needed. We began communicating with our families via a virtual interactive newsletter this school year. We limit the amount of information covered to keep everything relevant. Resources, tips, and tricks drive its purpose.
Virtual Family Nights are an additional way to keep families connected to the school community when we are not physically in the building. Next week is our first event, a Movie Night. Some other virtual events we plan on holding are Family Paint Night, STEAM Night, Yoga Night, Dance Along, SEL reminders and tips, and possibly a Family Fitness Night. Our hope is that these events will contribute to our sense of community, even though we are not together.
Connecting With Staff
The welfare of our staff members should be one of the primary goals for all administrators this school year. Teachers and staff have been thrust into an unprecedented time in education. The transformation taking place across the nation’s school districts should have been a 5 to 7 year process. We have achieved it in 5 months. This process has included learning to utilize technology to deliver instruction quickly and efficiently. It goes without saying that this task has been challenging, even for the most tech-savvy educator. The toil this venture has taken on some educators across the country has left them feeling exhausted, burnt out, and drained emotionally. Establishing and maintaining positive relationships with and among our staff members during this time is of the utmost importance.
Administrators can stay connected to staff and encourage them to stay connected with one another in the following ways: communicate relentlessly, provide curricular and technological support, allow time for learning and collaboration, permit time and space to “just talk” (my staff loves this!), show empathy, provide encouragement, praise often, and extend grace. Administrators should regularly visit classrooms, in-person and/or online, so we can know what supports our teachers need and can deliver that assistance in a timely manner. Additionally, we can assist our staff by providing support with technological problems, contacting families for various reasons, providing time for hands-on learning, etc. During the first semester, there were times when I refrained from having staff meetings to give teachers additional time to plan. When I did hold meetings, I was intentional about allowing time for collaboration.
Helping staff stay connected is not just the job of the administrators. Staff members can also be a support to one another. The behavioral and social emotional committee at my school has arranged activities for positive staff interactions. We had our first Coffee Talk a week ago. There was no agenda. Staff members were given time to just talk to one another. This talk time allowed them to work on maintaining old relationships and to establish new ones. Providing teachers with time to work through how to teach remotely was one of the best decisions we ever made! We now have a staff that support one another with virtual teaching practices, activities, and resources. They are the leaders in our building when it comes to navigating technology to instruct students. That honor was once reserved for the Tech Leader but not anymore. This has been a tremendous confidence booster!
Commitment Continued
As building administrators, we have been presented with the enormous challenge of leading our schools during a difficult time in our nation’s history. This era calls for emphasizing not just academics, but also the social and emotional well-being of all our stakeholders, including ourselves. Building and maintaining relationships during a pandemic is difficult, but we now know it is doable. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF US!! Our perseverance, commitment, and engagement with our school communities have provided us with a successful first semester.
References
Prothero, A. (2020). How to build relationships with students during COVID-19. EducationWeek. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/how-to-build-relationships-with-students-during-covid-19/2020/09
Bendall, P., Bollhoefer, A., & Koilpillai, V. (2015). AVID critical thinking and engagement: A schoolwide approach. AVID Press.
Additional Resources
- This AVID Open Access resource explains how establishing relationships leads to learning and growth in a classroom community.
https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-parents-can-deal-with-the-stress-of-virtual-education-5077955
- This article speaks to the difficulties of Virtual Learning from a parent perspective. It also gives suggestions on how to help them cope.