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lthough nearly
everything about
the business of
schooling has
dramatically shifted over the
past few weeks, the primary
role of teachers is even
more evident — to deliver
instruction that enables
students to continue to learn.
What can and should school
leaders do in this moment to
carry out their responsibility
to support teachers, teaching,
and learning? School leaders
are overwhelmed by the
myriad of decisions that need
to be made about the logistics
of transitioning to online
education and the effective
facilitation of distance
learning. In this piece, we
outline ve conditions and
some practical suggestions for school leaders that may provide a ballast for navigating the waters of instructional
leadership during this highly uncertain time.
CONDITION 1: TEACHERS NEED EMPATHY
The idea that we must “Maslow before we Bloom” is uniquely true at the moment. Many families — teachers’
included — are in survival mode. This makes it hard to learn and hard to teach. As a school leader, you, too, may
be awash in worry and uncertainty. You are bound to take missteps as a leader; your teachers are likely to slip up,
too. Mutual compassion — cutting each other a bit of slack — is going to be necessary. Here are a few ways to
create a shared feeling of empathy among your faculty:
Individualized attention
Schedule individual video check-ins with each member of your staff, or at least with each department. Give people
an opportunity to share with you how they are feeling, and what they need.
LEADERSHIP FOR REMOTE TEACHING AND LEARNING
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR SCHOOL LEADERS DURING THE COVID CRISIS
By Rebecca Mazur, PhD & Rebecca H. Woodland, PhD
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