Gut-check time. A gut-check is a moment of reflection, introspection, clarity, and commitment. This September, when schools return to as close to normal as they have been in 18 months, when the need for a remote education has been eased by vaccination, and school activity levels rise nearly to pre-pandemic engagement, we, public schools, need to do a gut-check of our priorities. After becoming what we are not, closed and diminished campuses for child education, what is it that we want to be in the new normal?
Try these small checks.
- Re-examine your school mission statement and educational objectives. Mission and objectives are designed as the philosophic base for your school’s educational programming. Read the entire statement beginning to end. I did and I heard Elaine from Seinfeld muttering “Yada, yada, yada” in my ears. Thinking maybe it was just my district’s document, I read the position statements of other regional districts and Elaine was in my ears again and again.
What safely worded drivel! We “encourage” and “ provide opportunity for” generalized educational achievements that prepare our students and graduates for a world we only think we apprehend. Or, for the world we, as current adult school leaders, live in today. We “enhance” and “aspire” and “hope” children will be these things. And, then we shoot for average, state or national statistics, that we know from the beginning of our hopes are below par. Weak verbs leading to weak outcomes. Drivel now and when we wrote it.
Is this the best we can be in our time of renewal? Is this best we can do?
- Reread your curriculum guides. To what extent are the outcomes of each instructional unit compelling and a demonstration of significant learning growth? Or, are they statements of things done, time spent, a check list checked off?
Children in remote education engaged in too much non-compelling curricula, especially when instruction included lengthy screen time, and expectations were set at the “just get it done” level of performance. Such was education in a pandemic.
I observed flashes of strong teaching and learning from individual teachers using highly interactive, daily connection with remote children in the 20-21 school year. There were “All Star” teachers working in a completely foreign school environment who caused their children to learn. However, there were many more examples of classrooms where minimum was all that was given and all that was required.
That can not be the case in September. Compelling engagement and strong demonstration of learning must describe our new requirements not just expectations. If we, and there is no reason to, continue with pandemic-level teaching and learning in September, apathetic and lethargic student engagement in remote education will be our new normal.
- Realign your programming. Remote education caused schools to prioritize reading, mathematics and academic book subjects and to minimize or eliminate instruction that required hands-on and one-to-one interaction, such as art, music, foreign language, and technical education.
Prior to September, rebuild your capacity for total programming. Daily instruction in the total curricular program must be visible in the school schedules made public in July and August. Equity must be apparent, not a valued and devalued set of programs. Don’t wait until September.
Totality of programming includes the arts, athletics, and student activities. While classes may begin in late August or early September, fall sports, theater, and marching and pep band begin weeks before. Get in front of all 21-22 programming with new, inclusive, high requirement statements of learning and performance outcomes.
This is not an attempt at a “best we can be or do” question. It is a “we must be better” imperative. If we cannot be compelling and strong in our requirements, COVID will have caused another pandemic fatality – public education.
Every organization must do its own gut-check as it emerges from the Time of COVID. Some organizations will not survive the pandemic. Schools will. Our gut-check must be a matter of conscience. We will not be guilt-driven but conscience-compelled to be better than we were in the pandemic but also better than were pre-pandemic.
The purpose of gut-checking is not an organizational selfie. Gut-checks clarify what was and define what must be. It is time to be better!