Making a Plan for Returning to School
I’ve got a pretty specific idea of what school should look like. But, you may not know what the future holds for your school.
When school starts again in the fall, we don’t know what it will look like. In most states, this school year is over. The fall is still a question mark.
I know that for many of us, this is not good. Not only are we not really prepared, we don’t have the time to get prepared. And we may not have the willpower to get everyone to the finish line of being prepared, which is really just the starting line of a marathon!
There are a lot of different ways we could do things. I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a framework that might help you make some plans.
- Start asynchronous
Whether you are starting school just as you have every year, start with a plan to do your work asynchronously. If you’re doing direct instruction, plan to record and distribute. If you’re teaching asynchorsnously first, you’ve got a good plan to support in person or virtual learning. As a principal, plan your staff meetings and plans to be asynchronous as well. Save synchronous learning and activities for the most important things you do. That is probably building culture and providing support to those struggling the most.
- Build Culture
Establish what your culture of your school is going to be, then use synchronous and asynchronous meetings to establish that. Start meetings intentionally, use time wisely, and make sure that you are giving the attention that you need to give people to be successful at achieving your goals for your culture.
- Focus on what matters, leave the rest behind.
What really matters in your school? Is it grades? Discipline? Classroom management? Sports? Take the time to focus on what matters and let everything else go.
Truly, this is what great schools have always done. They’ve focused intently on what mattered most, and they ditched the rest.
UPDATE: I’ve had a pretty good response to this, and I’m offering a guided workshop throughout the month of June to make a plan. Get more info here!
It’s ok to let things go. If you want my help crafting a specific plan for your school, just click the button below to schedule a call with me and we can get your new school year started off right!
