As we navigate these unprecedented times, the importance of each child feeling safe, a sense of belonging, and a sense of purpose is illuminated in each face we see, every minute of the day, across the myriad of instructional environments, whether on campus or off campus. The stress is palpable. The spring of 2020 seems years removed. Many deemed the spring "emergency learning" as people hoped it to be a temporary solution. Instead, it was an entry point into a new reality.

The call for educators to enhance their instructional practices while transitioning into the fall of 2020 was heard loud and clear. The biggest question we had to ask ourselves is how do we continue to adapt, change, and grow at such an accelerated pace? Each school and every school district has a story unfolding. Some commonalities are shared, and other attributes are unique. The following serves as one story where a principal and her colleagues work to rise above the noise of self-doubt and unseeming odds to adapt and grow together.

The following quote resonates with me deeply during these trying times: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

As I look in the rearview mirror at the journey we embarked on over nine months ago, I think of the foundational pieces that continue to fuel our progress and lift us up when we have seemingly lost our way. The questions I asked myself in March of 2020 were, “What do the faculty and staff need to meet the most complex and vulnerable learners’ needs best? As the principal and lead learner model, how can I coach and encourage their efforts to be the very best versions of themselves in an incredibly stressful and uncertain time?”

Building teacher resilience continued to come to the forefront of my mind. As Brené Brown laments, “It is a tolerance for discomfort.” Tolerance for discomfort. This statement continues to resonate with me as we traverse these uncharted waters, at times knowing where the stepping stones can be found and at other times learning from our missteps. Building resilience is a process. Elena Aguilar (2018) describes resilience as “how we weather the storms in our lives and rebound after something difficult.” To that end, three overarching themes have guided our journey. No doubt there will continue to be challenges to navigate, but I sincerely believe that our collective commitment to these core beliefs will allow us to emerge stronger and more resilient as individuals and as a community of learners.

Communicate With Transparency

Transitioning into “emergency” remote learning in the spring of 2020, I emphasized to teachers the importance of communicating with transparency, allowing themselves to be vulnerable, and providing themselves and one another grace along the way. In doing so, these were three guiding tenets:

1. Seek to understand, before being understood
2. Capture hearts and minds
3. What is the experience you want your audience to have?

Seeking to understand before being understood could be considered communication 101; however, it can be difficult to pause and think before acting in times of great stress. Faculty and staff were implored to look for the best in others and assume positive intent both in working with one another as colleagues and in interactions with students.

Capturing hearts and minds is the opening of our school's lesson planning template. The purpose is to send a clear message to students that they belong as members of the learning community. These activities are a daily occurrence that invite the learner into a community where they are valued and respected by their teacher and peers for who they are and the voice and perspective they bring to the learning environment.

The third and final tenet presents itself as a question: What is the experience you want your audience to have? Whether teaching in-person, virtually, or both, keeping one's audience in mind is critical when building relationships within the classroom community. In addition, through our own professional learning as educators, the emphasis was placed on purpose: Know your audience. In developing lessons, think about the most complex learner in your classroom. How are elements of the lesson planned and facilitated so that each student has an equitable experience while meeting or exceeding the expected proficiencies the activities are purposefully designed to meet?

As mentioned above, the tenets are consistently modeled in interactions with faculty and staff in all professional learning. Seeking to understand before being understood has served us well. As a district, school, classroom, and individuals, we have adapted and changed at a more rapid pace than ever before. The ability to pause, reflect, and then act provides time for the head and heart to align to remain focused on the greater good before embarking on the next steps. The ongoing modeling during professional learning provides an authentic example for teachers as they continually refine and enhance their instructional practices across multiple environments.

Narrow the Variance Across Classrooms

Remaining committed to growing AVID Schoolwide was non-negotiable transitioning into the 2020–2021 school year. Yet, how do we continue to build our individual and collective resilience to be responsive when much of what we were managing seemed so daunting and uncertain? While the initial entry into the school year brought a steep learning curve with new mitigation procedures and protocols to learn and embed into routines, we turned to what we know best: high-quality instructional approaches to teaching and learning. I reactivated a story we often integrate into our professional learning and use when onboarding new faculty: How do we ensure that the Steffen triplets have an equitable experience as they transition through sixth to seventh grade and seventh to eighth grade? Of course, they may have some of the same teachers, but they will also have different teachers throughout their middle school experience. These young ladies desire an equitable learning experience with teachers who have the knowledge, skills, and disposition to facilitate high-quality instruction in a culturally responsive learning environment.

This story has resonated with the faculty and been a driving force in our commitment to narrow each classroom’s variance. Each child deserves a teacher equipped with the knowledge, skills, and disposition to facilitate high-quality instruction through a lesson’s purposeful development, using a common language with strategies that empower learners and build student agency. Teachers are responsive to the diverse needs of students and the diversity of each student. To that end, we have developed non-negotiables as a school:

• Greet students at the door
• Implement 75/50/35-minute lesson planning template
• Utilize the Instructional Framework for Teaching and Learning
• Use of data to inform our equitable practices

The use of non-negotiables has been a key in narrowing the variance from classroom to classroom. Whether in-person, virtually, or both, faculty members have a common approach so that students’ experiences are equitable while meeting each learner’s needs.

Systems and Structures

Embracing a vision of forward thinking aligns with a schoolwide commitment to continuous improvement. The transition into the 2020–2021 school year has provided multiple opportunities to adapt systems and structures that have been developed over time to serve us in a landscape that looks much different than one year ago.

Systems and structures provide foundational components of how we work and who is leading the work. Our “why” was collaboratively developed by the Building Leadership Team (BLT). Steffen Middle School’s Instructional Framework for Teaching and Learning defines critical practices and guiding beliefs to support the attainment of the goals identified in the 2020–2021 school year. In addition, both the Building Leadership Team and the AVID Site Team collaboratively support Steffen Middle School’s School Growth Plan specific to Reading, Math, and Social/Emotional, which in turn supports the district's strategic plan.

It is important to have checks and balances in order to monitor that we are doing what we say we will do. The Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) comprises the Principal, Literacy Specialist, Math Specialist, Research and Digital Learning Specialist, AVID Site Coordinator, and Social-Emotional Coach. This team actively monitors the fidelity of our implementation in the systems we are using and collaborates with teacher teams in a variety of capacities.

The alignment of teachers' Professional Practice Goals (PPG’s) and Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s) directly support our school growth plan. The Instructional Leadership Team, which includes the AVID Site Coordinator provides leadership for professional learning based on the menu of offerings for PPG’s and SLO’s. This has been a welcome format for all teachers and strengthens the effectiveness of our work.

Trust between and among colleagues is paramount to continuous improvement. I continue to be amazed at the transformation we have been immersed in for the past nine months. It has been daunting at times. We continue to look for the best in others and illuminate the bright spots for our students and one another. This has been a journey filled with celebrations and challenges. The commitment to communicate with transparency will continue to serve us well. As each of us looks in the mirror, I trust you will give yourself the grace to be the very best version of yourself, and you will be proud of your ability to be resilient in the face of adversity and the unknown and turn those moments into opportunities to learn and grow.

Reference

Aguilar, E. (2018). Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators. John Wiley & Sons.