TSPRA VOICE Conquering the enemy from within By Monica Faulkenbery, APR
We need to focus on connection over perfection, and grace over pace!
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chool districts are no strangers to crises. In many school districts, something unexpected goes awry almost every day. Superintendents and school public relations professionals deal with it and move on. We don’t like them, but we understand that they happen and have worked through enough scenarios to pretty much have a formula on how to deal with most of them. The pressure from those crises becomes almost second nature to some degree, and we’ve long learned how to shake them off and move on to the next one. Then enters COVID-19. Unlike 9/11, we saw this coming — kind of. We heard about a strange virus based in another country but never realized the impact that it would have as it came barreling our way. At my district, prior to spring break, we started having discussions about what we might need to do “if,” but none of us really thought that we would be closing campuses when we returned from break. By mid-spring break, it was all hands on deck, and the pressure was on for superintendents to come up with plans for distance learning, food distribution, working at home, paying employees even though they might not be working, modifying grading systems, sanitizing facilities, canceling traditional events, communicating with families and dozens of other things. What added to the stress was the rate of change and the information overload that came as a result of this virus. Superintendents and school public relations professionals are planners by the nature of the job. When a crisis arrives, our offices are the first to respond and offer plans and support. Our jobs are 24/7 most of the time, and that can take a toll on a person. We are the ones used to taking care of others, and not worrying about ourselves. “Like most who read this publication, I am here to help students be successful,” says Dr. Brian Woods, superintendent of Northside ISD in San Antonio. “One of the greatest perks of my job is to be able to, every day if I can, watch students do what they love. Like all of us, not having this connection adds to the stress.” Healthcare workers, preachers, counselors and even superintendents and school PR professionals can suffer from what is called “vicarious trauma,” which in simple terms means “when compassion overwhelms the helper.” One can suffer from compassion fatigue, which is emotional residue from exposure to working with those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events. This past year, both the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) have been focusing on “K12 PR Wellness,” something that superintendents should also consider. When Edna St. Vincent Millay said her famous quote, “I burned the candle at both ends and it often gave a lovely light,” she wasn’t thinking about the consequences when it came to working in the school business. Dr. Edward T. Creagan, a professor of oncology at the Mayo Clinic said, “It’s become a
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