Exactly one month ago today the Class of 2021 threw their caps in the air culminating the end of a school year that can best be described in a word....challenging.. Teaching, leading and learning as we knew it took a dramatic shift. The effects of COVID-19 forced changes to the master schedule, led to an instructional focus on hybrid learning and required creative planning on how to provide our school communities with a little bit of "normalcy." Combined with the continued concern for our families and communities that remained at the forefront of our minds, the challenges of the school year made for a bumpy ride. For the past 16 months we navigated through uncharted territory not only in education but in just about every facet of our society. The ebbs and flows of emotion, periods of isolation, hope, strength, determination, fear, anger, sadness, empathy, compassion all were so very real and at times, overwhelming. Looking in the rearview mirror now that we are a month removed from the craziness of the school year, how do we measure how far we came this year? I measured it in our ability to work together to develop a plan to educate our students in a remote and hybrid environment. I measured it in my teachers' ability to adapt to a blended learning environment, implementing new strategies and tools to reach your students. I measured it in our creativity in celebrating our students virtually and in person. I measured it by the efforts of our health care workers, first responders and volunteers who supported each other, their communities and their schools through this time. I measured it in our flexibility and dedication to reopening schools with a variety of schedules and collaborating together to do what is best for our students. I measured it in the personal sacrifice that was made by educators everywhere. The late nights, the early mornings, the long zoom days, the relentless emails, the changing schedules, and all the thousands of other things that teachers experienced on a daily basis. I measured it in the care and compassion that teachers provided to their students, their colleagues and the community through the good times and especially the difficult ones. I measured it in the strength, hope and determination shown by our teachers and students every day. I measured it in the conversations I heard between colleagues and with students, smiling and laughing through masks. I measured it it the ways we worked together to organize activities for our students where they could, even for a few moments, feel like everything was back to "normal." I measured it in our ability to reclaim the joy in why we are educators and the positive difference we make every day in our students and our community. I measured it in our impact we continued to make together as we reimagined education. This journey over the sixteen months was difficult. However, knowing that we were all supporting each other made all the difference. Yes, schools are about educating students about literature, mathematics, science, art, music and social studies. However, school, more importantly, is a place where students and staff should feel safe, supported, cared for and appreciated. When the going gets tough, school needs to be a place where everyone stands together, united in a common goal, being a place where everyone has the opportunity to have success. There are positives that can be taken from this year that impacted instruction, benefited students or helped organize school a little better. No matter what may happen in the future my colleague and friend, Jimmy Casas has a quote in his book "Culturize" that rings true today. "To be an excellent educator is a gift---a gift to our students, our families, and our communities. Being an excellent educator is, in fact, a gift to our humanity. It is our time to continue to heed that call, now more than ever. As we continue to reflect on what was last school year and refresh our minds and bodies for what a new year will bring, remember that while success looks different for everyone, it will be easier to measure when we see the smiles of our students and colleagues.
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Richard M. HayzlerA life long educator and current Principal of Pequannock Township High School in NJ, Rich is excited to share his ideas and thoughts about education and how we can change the world for our students and our staff. Currently Reading
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