Dear Friends,
In my video message to all of you during that first week of remote learning, I shared Lynn Ungar's poem Pandemic, specifically noting the Quaker concept of centering down that she references. These weeks later, still settling into this temporary new normal of physical distancing, I keep returning to the idea of this time as an opportunity to center down.
That's certainly been the theme of these two weeks of spring break. We have been centering down. Divisional teachers and administrators have used this time to coordinate post-break curriculum and programming, and colleagues and I met throughout the break to consider multiple scenarios related to the end of this academic year, from a possible return to our physical campuses to the continuation of remote learning through the remainder of the year. I expect to have an update for you in the coming weeks as we learn more about the flattening of the curve here in California, and the ongoing directives from medical authorities and government leaders.
Break has also been a time for collaboration and contribution. Schools locally and nationally continue to struggle mightily in making the shift to remote learning. In response, the Wildwood Outreach Center, led by director Steve Barrett, provided 188 educators with a series of free online workshops to support the work of public and independent school teachers at 71 other schools in 10 states (plus Vietnam!), specifically sharing what we've been learning in our transition. In separate workshops for K-5 educators and 6-12 educators, colleagues Jaimi Boehm, Maddie Bradshaw, Meira Gottlieb, Sarah Simon, Nicholas Smith, and Jenn Spellman outlined both the theory and practice behind our planning and execution in the last month, as well as the changes we have been making based on what we're learning—and what we've heard from you.
We have adjusted the schedules on both campuses for our post-break return, as communicated by our school directors just before break in letters available on the COVID-19 section of our website. Jenn Spellman recently participated in a remote learning webinar that included education reformer Rick Wormeli, who noted that we'd all be well-served to see this time of physical distancing, specifically as it relates to educators' practice with students, as being, "…a process, not an event." The adjustments we continue to make at Wildwood are very much in keeping with that sentiment.
All of us—students, teachers, and parents—are learning. As I noted weeks ago and still believe: it's important that we all focus on patience, rather than perfection.
Parent, writer, and political commentator Mary Katharine Ham wrote in a recent article in The Atlantic, "The coronavirus is serving up a rare and tragic mix of grief, drastic life changes, and economic stress to a huge swath of the country." Reflecting on how the loss of her spouse four years ago provided her with tools to meet the current challenge while raising her children to become resilient adults, she writes, "…when something outside your control changes your life, it's what you do with what you can control that really shapes your children." Ham goes on:
Practice makes slightly better over time. It's no "practice makes perfect," but perfect is not what you're after. You're not instantly going to be an expert homeschooling mom who also works a full-time job, nor should you try. Once you've decided what kind of mom or dad you are, do something small every day to put that identity into practice. Clear puts it this way: "Prove it to yourself with small wins."
We're not the only ones who are learning. A parent shared with Katie Rios and me a Washington Post article about security concerns that were raised as Zoom became the tool of choice for many public and independent schools around the world. Zoom has, of course, learned and introduced default security measures for their K-12 clients like Wildwood School. And, although without incident, prior to the recent attention to security concerns, our technology leaders had already pivoted weeks ago to implement additional Wildwood-specific measures like waiting rooms and links available only through our Learning Management System (LMS).
I've written this and said this before, but your messages of support, gratitude, and affirmation of the work my colleagues and I are doing are both comforting and motivational. Thank you. Please understand that, especially now, we may not be able to respond to all emails but know that your words both steady us and inspire us.
Thanks, too, to those who've asked how they can help folks at school. I've been particularly heartened by those who've offered to contribute to—or even start—a fund, with a particular eye toward supporting Wildwood School employees whose jobs might be negatively impacted by the current crisis. In a decision supported by our Board of Trustees, our CFO Alan Hunt and I made the decision weeks ago to proceed through this spring providing our full and part-time employees, including coaches, with the income they'd otherwise have earned, even in a time when not all of them have been able to do their jobs. The best way for you to support that decision—and our work in general—is to continue to contribute to our annual giving program, which is approaching but has not yet met its $2 million goal for this academic year. This support is vital and is greatly appreciated.
Years ago, I shared that one of my goals in this work I feel blessed to do is to help parents raise the kind of people they'd want to be around when their children reach adulthood. That continues to be a goal, and I was reminded of how many people responded favorably to my sentiment when reading one of the closing messages in Mary Katherine Ham's essay. She wrote, "Finally, remember how cool your kids are."
Experience tells me that you're not so bad yourself.
With warmest regards,
Landis Wildwood School |