What do you think is the indispensable attribute that schools and districts are looking for in teacher candidates? Is it technology skills, experience with distance learning solutions, understanding the standards, or none of the above?? That’s right… according to the top school jobs this week in EdWeek July 28, 2020, the most sought-after quality is not in that list; it’s being empathetic!

Much has been said and written with respect to the social-emotional lens of learning. We’ve all read the articles and journals… sustain the connection not only between teacher and student, but also teacher to teacher and student to student. We have all heard about and most likely experienced the void in remote learning… our students and their teachers missed the day to day contact and real time support with feedback. They missed seeing each other and getting the personalization they craved. Yet, the tools drove the learning, not the conversation around the learning.

In far too many instances, technology became the focus even though student access to technology presented almost insurmountable issues. (Let’s not minimize teacher inexperience as a factor as well). Either the hardware was unavailable, or the connectivity was unavailable. Add to that the potential limitations of home support to use the technology. So, the digital divide widened, and student access continued to be inequitable. Teachers scrambled because their teaching was emergency teaching with stop gap measures rather than measured teaching that followed their plans. Sending learning packets with worksheets became the norm in many places. These were the kinds of things that gained attention. What was missing…the ability to communicate regularly with the school community and the plan to ensure that happened.

The communication between and among school aged children, families, and the school community highlighted the gap and raised issues that needed (and still needs) immediate attention. How that communication was “delivered” became a source of anxiety and shifted the focus for teaching. This August, the communication and start of the year may be different from last August but the concept and the importance of establishing effective relationships has not changed. Students need to feel connected to each other and their teachers. And, teachers need to feel connected to their students and each other as well.

Instructional coaches know first-hand the importance of establishing and sustaining relationships. The virtual learning environment compounds relationship building because when schools start, the teachers will not know their students and will need to establish those relationships differently than in the past. But make no mistake… those relationships must be forged and making a plan to do that is critical for a successful school opening. That will “set the tone” about how students and teachers will work with each other.

So, here are some thoughts to ponder:

1. Think about the possibility of teachers beginning the new school year with their former students for about 2 weeks to reconnect with students and give them some sense of “normalcy” before they break into their current classrooms;
2.  Send digital postcards to each new student with your picture and something about the new school year;
3. Create some type of class FB page or Instagram account so you can connect with individual      classes; post questions and ask students to respond;
4. Create a classroom newsletter and ask for students to submit some topics for inclusion. Perhaps students can use an online collaboration tool and write short pieces for the newsletter. Maybe a  parent could submit something short to publish as well.
5. Make beginning of the year phone calls and introduce yourself to the students and their parents. Ask for something to note about each student from the parent’s point of view and from each student, e.g., what’s one thing the student wants you to know about them;
6. Ask students to create a “badge” or video about themselves and post them using an online tool  like Lino.It; Scrumblr, or Flipgrid (or one of the many others available);
7. Create a Kahoot game about something they learned last year or some trivia facts;
8. Start using Seesaw so you can have a portfolio of student work;
9. Schedule weekly “town meetings” with students to talk about life, not academics;
10. Schedule one-on-one meetings to personalize your time with each student.

Regardless of where the learning takes place, make sure that personal connection is reinforced with each student and your teaching colleagues.

How will you ensure that empathy is every bit as important as learning content?

To send or not to send… that is the question… how do we figure out the answer to this highly politicized and polarizing question? What are we sacrificing either way?

The New York Times, July 23 offered these three suggestions:

• 1    Establish “Pandemic pods” otherwise referred to as “microschools.” This option provides an opportunity for families to hire private teachers, tutors, or “instructors” to teach a group of children in someone’s home or other controlled environment. Of course, this will continue to widen the gap between the “haves” and “have nots.” Again, the racial divide rears its ugly head. One NY University professor suggests that these privileged families invite other children from families who cannot afford to buy this service on their own into their “pod”;
• 2      Rethink the configuration within a building. Schools will need much more space if the number of students is halved so that social distancing can be followed. More room means the need to “repurpose gyms and cafeterias.” Or, holding classes outside in portable structures where space is not an issue. Think for a moment when classrooms without walls was the trend… we all taught in hallways, lobbies, or in those huge cafeterias along with several other teachers. This time, the placement would need to be deliberate to prevent the transmission of the virus. Of course, these students still leave their classrooms and travel back home where distancing may not be a reality;
• 3      Design a hybrid model. This hybrid is not necessarily that students have a combination of attending F2F and virtual school. This is where some students stay in their homes and connect virtually while their classmates who do not have that capability would go to buildings/classrooms converted for virtual use so that everyone connects virtually. A variation of this theme is to have all high school students engage in distance learning and the elementary students work F2F in buildings that have been repurposed for elementary use.

Each district’s decision is certainly a unique one. I applaud all school communities that are making these incredibly difficult decisions to offer remote, F2F, and/or the blended approach as we move into the next school year. Certainly, this is new territory for all of us and may clear heads and hearts prevail.

As a coach, what are some of the strategies you will employ to promote ongoing communication and help teachers navigate the new school term?