School’s out for summer! Or forever?
I’ve participated in a lot of discussions and conference calls in the last few weeks that revolve around what will happen when school resumes in the fall. The reality is that we don’t really know what school will look like when it resumes. For students, parents/families, educators, staff, and school leaders.
The unknown is overwhelming; but let’s not let it be paralyzing. School districts and leaders are eagerly and thoughtfully moving forward on what will be the best scenarios in a seemingly impossible situation. As we move past virtual high school graduations, a spring with no proms, and sports seasons that never saw the fields, we need to refocus on the fall.
How many days a week will my kids go to school? How will I work? Will there be busing?…cafeterias?…sports? The questions are endless and the answers aren’t available. While the answers to these questions as well as the cleaning protocols, distance learning standards, and more are being determined, what schools can and should be doing is communicating. And then communicating more. Like every terrible scary movie my siblings forced me to watch, we all know that silence is scary. You can build confidence and trust through a continued cadence of thoughtful and honest communications with those students, parents/families, educators, and staff that are desperate for information.
Someone once told me, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.” (You know who you are.) This applies so perfectly right now. Communicate what you know. Admit what you don’t know. And then tell them what you’re working on. If you wait for all the pieces to fall into place, it might be a year (or two!) until you reach out.
Now is the time to lean on those plans you developed, and give them a fresh look with the following in mind:
Tone. Write in the way you speak. Be honest, straightforward, and offer explanations. Authenticity goes a long way.
Detail. Assume people don’t know what you know. Include the timeline, resources for more information, and answer the relevant questions.
Alignment. Everyone wants and needs to know that safety is THE priority. All plans and communications need to align to the appropriate government offices, CDC, etc.
Rule of 7. It’s widely believed that we need to hear/see a message seven times before we “learn” the message. Get to your audiences through social media, website, emails, newsletters…and then do it all again. And again…and again…
Reality. Plans should be living and breathing documents. They should evolve based on new information and continue to meet people where they are. Emotionally and physically. We don’t know what happens this summer, or this fall. What we do know is that we’ll need to continue to adjust.
Regardless of where you’re working and where you’re reading this, it’s important now, more than ever, to stay connected to your stakeholders. Ask them what is most important to them. Ask them what they want to know more about. And then keep communicating. If you’re overwhelmed, you’re not the only one. There are resources and templates available to you. Get help where you need it!
In the meantime, I’m going to hope and pray that my 5, 7, and 11-year old kids can all return to a full schedule mid-August, so I can work without interruption, eat a meal without sharing it, and take a phone call without silently threatening them through gritted teeth. A girl can hope.
