How do you elevate capacity?

This image represents a video made by school staff to acknowledge and thank families for their amazing contributions during the spring remote semester. 

 As educators return to teaching students this fall, how do we elevate the capacity of educators, students, and families to make way for a positive, life-enriching education during a pandemic. 

Acknowledge the good work and effort

In addition to the health risks the pandemic posed for me, another reason I retired this summer from a 34-year career as an educator was that decision makers' ignored the good work my team and I invested in 24-7 during the spring remote semester. All they could do was speak of the negative, poor work that some, probably only a handful, of parents spoke of with regard to the collective work of many, many educators, families, and children. When I compared our spring efforts to efforts of prior years, I know that we did an awesome job in spite of the pandemic. I was ready to do the same in the fall, but clearly decision makers put no trust or value into educators' voices, ideas, experiences, or efforts. This was discouraging, and served to diminish any capacity I had for the year ahead. I could not be treated like this anymore. I could not withstand more oppression from these individuals--individuals who appeared to have a narrow, me-first perspective for the most part. 

To build capacity, you have to acknowledge the expertice, experiences, investment, and commitment of all stakeholders. You can't dismiss this. Instead you have to reach out, listen, and notice the good that is happening. You cannot rely on the voices of a few dissenters, but instead use a data-based, humane, and respectful perspective that emphasizes the wins over the losses. That's not to say that you ignore the losses, but instead use an analytical, how-can-we-make-this-better approach to losses that exist.

Respect experience and expertise

To be a leader, doesn't mean you have to be an expert at everything. The best leaders acknowledge the experience and expertise of their consituants and work to maximize that for success.

Ask questions

Growing capacity with stakeholders begins with the questions:

  • What do you need, want, and desire?
  • What can I do for you?
  • What do you think is most important in this situation?
Keep mission and vision center stage

Collectively, work with all stakeholders to create a vision and mission. Share that vision and mission with all, stick by it, and refer to it regularly. That's the light that will lead you successfully ahead. This is imperative. 

The best decision makers focus on mission and vision while leaving the details to the experts--stakeholders who are daily working with the details of the situation. Great decision makers don't get lost in the weeds, but keep the big picture center stage.

Celebrate the small wins

Good work in challenging times takes considerable energy, focus, and capacity. The capacity will quickly disappear if you don't make time to "chunk it" and celebrate the small wins. Take it step-by-step with mission/vision guiding your efforts to meet one goal after another. 

Look for the promise in the problem

The pandemic is a problem, and if you look for the promise in the problem, you will improve your work, organization, and capacity for the long run. As far as teaching and learning goes, there are many promises in the problem the pandemic poses.

One promise is the need for a clear long-range vision and mission. Working on this and holding it center-stage will better schools for the long run. Another promise is the extensive need for collaboration at this time--strengthening teamwork and collaboration will better schools into the future. And, of course, the promise of learning more about the advantages of high-tech, blended learning--this has the potential to better the way children learn by personalizing education more, using the best tech tools and processes, identifying terrific real-world projects and problems to solve, and looking deeply at brain-friendly pedagogy. Of course, empathy too is a promise in this problem since great empathy is required to work together successfully during a challenging time like this pandemic.

An overarching promise in the pandemic problem is understanding how to build significant capacity for all stakeholders in ways that support and elevate eduation in positive ways, ways that will benefit students, teachers, families, and the nation long after the pandemic passes. This is critical.