To wear a mask or not… that is the question…Hamlet’s questioning skills are spot on!
As our schools navigate opening in a few weeks, the question
remains for many students, parents, teachers, and administrators… will masks be
mandated or will the school community opt to wear masks (even those who are
vaccinated) to help curb this uptick in the Delta variant? Will the school
community take a stand and encourage all to wear masks so that we walk the
talk about providing safe havens for our students, families, and
communities? Will students and teachers be ostracized or worse, bullied, for
wearing masks and keeping the health and welfare of the school community front
and center?
As if schools haven’t faced enough discrimination and racial
disparity…
Sure, we all want schools to reopen. But, we must insure
that schools are opening safely AND proactively plan for the event that they
might be forced to delay in-person learning for a bit. Do I think that’s a
possibility? Absolutely! Have I been saying all along to learn from the last
two school years and develop action plans that have a Plan A, B, and C? You
bet!
Wearing masks has become such a polarizing political crisis
that it’s hard to believe some still doubt the science behind the practice. For
everyone, but especially the school community, how can this even be an issue?
Haven’t our voices been heard about how the pandemic has affected the
social-emotional learning for everyone? Don’t we want to provide every
opportunity for our students and families to re-connect with each other and get
back to school business? I know schools will look different going forward and
that’s the silver lining of the pandemic… students and their teachers have
learned a tremendous amount about agency, technology, flexibility,
instructional delivery, and a new culture of learning to name a few. Let’s
capitalize on the new learning and move forward.
So, what does this mean for instructional coaching? Well,
instructional coaching may look different in different buildings. Our coaches
may continue to work with teachers but also have their own classrooms to manage
since there is a teacher shortage in some areas. Here’s the thing… continue to
support teachers with ongoing conversations and resources, provide
opportunities for collaboration, open your classroom as a demonstration site,
and above all, be safe and don’t wait for a mandate… plan for progress and
promote the culture and climate that is respectful, accepting, and concerned…
take care of each other and begin the school year with a growth mindset and
continued desire to make a difference in our students’ lives.
What are your first instructional coaching steps as you re-ignite the teachers with whom you work?
