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V I R T UA L P LC s AT W O R K ®
Hawthorn District 73’s focus centered on student learning, positive behaviors emerged, and created positive influences identified by Hawthorn District 73’s leadership group. These positive behaviors influencing the culture within the school district included creating and protecting time for teachers to collaborate, celebrating teacher and student success, prioritizing the learning of students, and leaders modelling how to communicate and maintain a focus on student learning. These behaviors allow for celebration while maintaining the social and emotional well-being of faculty and students. Variables within educators’ control include protecting time for faculty collaboration; focusing and refocusing conversations aligned with student learning outcomes; modeling learning behaviors and practices in faculty meetings; providing time for students to receive enrichments, extensions, and interventions during the school day; celebrating teachers’ and students’ successes; communicating what is valued; prioritizing learning and students; and, of course, determining their own reactions as leaders. The subtle shift to remain concentrated on those items within educators’ control, with a centralized focus on learning, builds the foundation for the school culture and provides positive experiences for all faculty. When educators can focus on a world full of positive results rather than negative realities, they regain their capacity to experience joy, vitality, positivity, and connection and to impact future generations’ education.
Social-Emotional Effects of Educators’ Actions The shift to deliver teaching and learning in a variety of formats has created an unforeseen social and emotional strain on faculty and students. Focusing on positive behavior during a transition from face-to-face instruction to virtual or hybrid learning is essential to address the social and emotional needs of the school community. The overall impact of limiting social interactions through quarantine has created negative psychological effects that include post-traumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger, producing social and emotional concerns for both students and educators. Researcher Samantha K. Brooks and colleagues (2020) report, “Stressors included longer quarantine duration, infection fears, frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies, inadequate information, financial loss, and stigma” (p. 912). With the unprecedented societal norms of a pandemic, or with a learning environment’s shift to a virtual environment, quarantine-like symptoms radiate throughout the school or school system. Brooks and colleagues (2020) further identify stressors during quarantine that impact individuals’ social and emotional health. The impact of long quarantines, fear of infection, frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies and inadequate information all may have long lasting negative effects on a person’s psychological well-being (Brooks et al., 2020). The psychological impact of change associated with the identified stressors accelerates negative psychological effects in schools and school districts. Schools need to consider the psychological effects on faculty and consider how to avoid these psychological impacts. Brooks and colleagues (2020) find that a lack of transparency or clear guidelines or a rational, perceived difficulty complying with quarantine protocols produce negative
