From the Desk of our Associate Executive Director

FROM THE DESK OF OAESA’S Associate Executive Director

Silver Linings Pandemic

BY MARK JONES

There’s an old adage that behind every dark cloud lays a silver engagement in a positive, constructive way. For years, we’ve all listened lining. Of course, when you’re in the middle of a heavy to educators complain that far too many parents seem completely rain, it can be awfully difficult to look for that hopeful sign! absent when it comes to a helpful level of involvement in their child’s And right now, our nation seems to be struggling with a torrential schooling. (I am reminded of the father who once showed up in our downpour, as the COVID crisis has dwarfed even the typical office, having been told by his wife that it was his turn to take their election-year polarization and critical civil rights protests triggered son to the dentist. When our secretary asked who the boy’s teacher by our inability to successfully eliminate systemic racism from our was, so she could page the classroom, he had no clue. When she asked society. Indeed, things seem awfully dark for us at the moment. what grade he was in, again he was befuddled. Finally, after giving his son’s name, the secretary informed him that his This is precisely why we, as school student had “graduated” from our school two administrators, should all take a few moments to consider those silver linings “We, as school years earlier, and was now an eighth grader at the junior high building. But I digress.) Clearly, the that such dark forces have created for us. For example, think about the leaps in both administrators, level of engagement that we now see between home and school has grown tremendously! For the use and understanding our teachers have made in terms of applying technology should all take a the most part, this new level of communication has been positive, as parents everywhere are to instruction. True, we had no choice in the matter, but only such a monumental few moments to expressing a newfound appreciation for what teachers deal with on a daily basis. It is certainly shift, like massive school closures, could consider those incumbent upon our educational leaders to use have produced such consequential, rapid this opportunity in support of promoting better change. Now, we have the opportunity to silver linings parental engagement. Yes, that’s you. leverage these newly acquired skills among our workforce to take full advantage for that such dark Finally, there is the age-old issue of establishing improving learning outcomes for students. forces have appropriate educational priorities. Most teachers and principals can point to a long Or, consider this idea. We’ve all known for years that “opportunity gaps” exists within created for us.” list of legislative priorities for education, and describe them as misplaced, if not downright our society, as many groups of individuals, counterproductive, to good teaching and like the poor, rural, or inner city families, learning. Consider, for example, the efforts we’ve struggle to provide access to the same growth experiences enjoyed all endured with topics like evaluations (OTES/OPES), state testing by middle and upper class suburbanites. But, while these inequities and assessments, building and district Report Cards, and monitoring have always been apparent, never have they been shown in as bright a student attendance (HB 410), all in the name of “accountability.” In light as the one cast by the coronavirus. Under such intense scrutiny, this time of a pandemic-induced crisis, resulting in statewide school perhaps our culture will finally be forced to seriously address these closures, legislators have been forced to reassess priorities in order disparities rather than conveniently ignore them. to preserve the opportunity for as much learning to take place as possible. Personally, I’m enjoying the respite, however brief, from And then there is the persistent issue of how to encourage parent some of these concerns! Ahh, silver linings are indeed beautiful!

editor’s note

Our purpose continues. Our mission endures. But as educators we are FOREVER CHANGED

In April, on a conference call with OAESA’s Communications Service Team, we made tentative plans for our fall communications. Publications. Membership collateral. Twitter chats.

As we naively planned for our “post COVID” communications, we hoped and dreamed of what lessons we could share, experiences we could learn from, and improvements we could make for our schools, staffs, students, and communities. We adjourned our meeting for the year and made plans to meet again in the fall.

Fast forward four months, and we are in a much different place than any of us had envisioned. I opened up the plans for our August Twitter chat, and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The theme we had planned was, “Gratitude: We Made It!”

While the end of this journey is still far off and unknown, I think we can all agree that we have felt the profound shifts in our society as we grapple with a global pandemic, racial unrest and social justice, poverty and inequity, and polarizing politics. Now, our job is to charge forward and work to help our students achieve in whatever manner we can. Consider not only what has changed, but how you’ve changed—and what you’ll do differently as a result.