It may seem counterintuitive, but COVID has so disrupted K-12 education that building leaders and teachers could look at 2020-21 as their first year in the profession.
That’s because online learning is a brand new instructional setting for most educators, says Adam Brown, assistant principal of the Renaissance Academy in Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
“The routines and rituals teachers have had for each school year have been flipped upside down,” Brown says. “Now, it’s about making sure they’re comfortable with the technology aspect, making sure they establish class norms for students and providing individual support as issues pop up.”
This school year, it’s even more crucial to celebrate teachers’ success in online learning and allow them to present and share new ideas with colleagues as they explore new approaches to remote instruction.
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“The key thing is to acknowledge the progress teachers are making,” Brown says. “The trap you can fall into is wanting to jump on the 20 different things a teacher can be doing better rather than focus on what they’re doing well and continuing that feedback loop.”
Click on the links for some guidance on preventing burnout during COVID’s many challenges:
