As we look ahead to the start of the 2020-21 school year it feels a bit like the Frozen II song “Into the Unknown.” We have this grand goal of educating and protecting our students, yet there is this invisible and mysterious force out there that is upsetting to a lot of people. There are different sides to the overall issue and not everyone agrees with the best path forward. Unfortunately, none of us can create ice castles or ride horses that appear from the sea. So how do we make this journey together?
Obviously real life is a bit more complicated than a blockbuster Disney movie. Facing a school year with the safety regulations and political pressures associated with coronavirus can be daunting. However, there are genuine lessons that we can take from the movie and apply them to this situation so that we can have a happier ending in real life.
Rely on your core beliefs – As we’ve all come to realize, there are no easy answers to planning for the 2020-21 school year. No matter what happens, school won’t be what it was before Covid-19 and it isn’t going to be what we want for our students or staff. So how do we create the best environment possible given the circumstances? This is when your core beliefs come into action. What are the things your school district and your community believe in the most? What is your main objective for your school district? What are the most absolute attributes you must stay true to? Whatever the answers are to these questions that is what you must come back to as you plan and make adjustments throughout the school year. This is where all that time spent on your district’s core mission, vision and beliefs comes into action.
Don’t go it alone – While the superintendent may be the face of district decisions, it is important to make sure you have a strong team behind you. This should include your building principals, the board of education and union leadership as well. Many school districts don’t have the capacity to have their own full time experts in online learning, healthcare or communications. It’s ok and usually more economical to reach out to various service providers to get the expertise you need to make your plans a reality. The superintendent’s job is to provide guidance, leadership and oversee that all areas of implementation are happening. They can’t take care of every detail of the plan as well. Get the help you need, especially if it’s offered from a funny magical snowman!
Do the next right thing – When you aren’t sure what to do, break it down into really simple and small steps. Once you know what to do about the immediate choice in front of you, that will help to provide the clarity you need for other decisions. Keep moving forward with these small steps and you will eventually have a fully thought out and well designed plan of action. Anna learns this difficult lesson and eventually saves the day because she puts other issues aside and does the next right thing based upon her core beliefs.
Don’t make promises you can’t keep – Elsa tries to promise everything to everyone. As Anna points out that’s not realistic. You can promise to try, but be careful promising specific outcomes. There are so many variables that are out of the control of school districts and so many things are changing on a daily or weekly basis. You can promise to trust in your core beliefs, you can indicate what your intentions are, but you do not have magical powers so don’t over promise what you can’t deliver.
Keep everyone informed – Communicate what is happening often. What are the core beliefs you are using to make these difficult decisions, what outside expertise are you relying on, what are the choices in front of you right now, what decisions will come next, what are your goals for students, staff and parents? Not everyone is going to agree with your decisions. In fact, no matter what happens you are likely to have a number of people who disagree with the final outcomes. However, if you are open and honest with your thought processes and decision making along the way you can build a sense of trust and cooperation that will last longer than the pandemic.