By: Stephanie Smith
Director of Public Relations, Fort Osage R-1 School District
In the past year, I have never been prouder to be a part of public education.
While I am not sure words can convey the COVID-19 pandemic or its impact on education, I have seen school personnel all over the United States demonstrating their impact on children, families, and communities. I have seen our schools and staff once again demonstrate we are the backbone of our society and always step in when the need arises to take care of our communities.
It might sound crazy, but I have actually enjoyed the pandemic experience, well, at least, from the perspective of my school role. Never have we had to throw everything out the window and truly start from scratch. I mean, really, who had a playbook for a global pandemic?
COVID-19 forced us to think outside the box on how we were going to meet student needs. COVID-19 challenged our way of doing business.
At first, I was feeling a bit like R.E.M.: “It’s the end of the World as we know it.” But as colleagues, we all came together for the benefit of our students and staff.
We dug in our heels, and I knew no pandemic would keep us down or stop us from doing what was in the best interest of our kids. As the months went on, I began to feel more like Gloria Gaynor: “I grew strong and learned how to get along…I will survive.”
As we get ready to begin another school year, now is the time to reflect on how far we have come, the impact we have on our communities, and more importantly, how many great things for kids’ education have come to the forefront.
I encourage you to do two things before school starts. First, take time to get away from the office and disconnect by doing something you enjoy. Take a day. Heck, take a week and just walk away. Your district will survive, and you will be a better educational professional for it.
Second, plan for what you want your school year to look like for both kids and staff. Not in the health and safety world (I mean, sure, you have to do that, too), but from the perspective of lessons you learned from COVID-19. What practices do you want to carry forward into the new year, and what can be left behind?
In the words of Dave Hollis, “In the rush to get back to normal, use this time to decide which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.”
