Every week, I share an update with the division that has a little bit of inspiration, a little bit of learning, and a few logistics. In the last four weeks, my counterpart and I have shared messages with our divisional families. It is my goal that each week, I share openly about our work, our lives, our realities, and this week, in particular, I wanted to address our woes with openness and honesty. It is so important to honor and own the fact that every teacher, leader, parent, and child is facing unprecedented emotional experiences in addition to the practicalities of our new routines.
I believe in resilience. I believe in optimism. I believe in acknowledging wherever we might be in our hearts, souls, and minds. I believe in the power of ice cream. I believe in the power of rest. I believe in the power of openness, even if the sharing acknowledges hardship.
Here’s what I sent this week:
“Perspective is a product of experience”–attrib. Brené Brown
Dear Families,
As we enter week four of our new reality, I am in awe of the incredible way that our Trinity community has demonstrated flexibility, resilience, and creativity. I have heard your stories of creative problem solving, new routines, and seen evidence of student learning throughout our various platforms. I have heard stories of difficulty and worry, too, and that is to be honored and embraced as well. I suspect that as we go through the continued weeks apart, we will continue to experience a myriad of emotions and responses, not only to the work of school and learning but to life in general.
As a podcast junkie, I am always listening to something, but Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us podcast has been significantly meaningful in these first few weeks. Her quotation above speaks directly to what we are facing globally. We do not have the perspective of having lived a global pandemic and as such, it can lead us to fear or anxiety. What we do know is that the human spirit, particularly in children, is remarkably resilient. In a webinar with SAIS this week, psychologist Michael Thompson spoke beautifully about the resiliency of children and their ability to come out of this new experience stronger. I found comfort in his reminder.
This week, we will focus on a routine for learning that we hope to remain consistent for the rest of our days out of the building. This was part of our intentional method to find the “goldilocks” space for distance learning. We continue to evaluate and relish feedback from our families. This week is Virtual Spirit Week to bring a bit of levity to our homes and screens before we head into a well-deserved four day weekend. May this week bring you joy and a peaceful holiday.
Onward,
Sarah
And to our teachers in the UED:
This new reality is challenging for all of us. As the global collective, we have no roadmap for a pandemic. Our perspective is being built each day. It is tapping into zones of resilience, creativity, and problem-solving we may have never known we had. It has created moments of great joy and deep anxiety. I encourage you to articulate both sides of these feelings-to me, to your team, to your trusted folks. This is not the time to suffer in silence, nor is it the time to focus on only the negative of these times. You are rising to the challenge, my friends, and it is a sight to behold.
This week is the first of what we hope to become our routine schedule for our continued distance learning. Live it this week and provide feedback to ALT as you have time. It is also Spirit Week wherein we hope to remind our community of the joy that knits us together. I encourage you to participate each day as you are able.
You’ve heard this said in every team meeting last week, and it is written below, but please take Friday and Monday off. Whether you are celebrating Passover, Easter, or just observing rest time, please do so. It is critical that we use these days for renewal for the continued realities ahead.
Onward,
SBT
How are you communicating around the emotional elements of this crisis with your families and teams? Share with me: @teach2connect
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