Here are some ideas leaders/Principals can keep the school/organization moving during the time of COVID and remote working.
Keep the Leadership Team Focused - Yes, there will be meetings and talking of schedules, wellness of faculty/students and then circumstances change and you have to go back to the start, but focus on the wellness of the leadership team. What is the leadership team doing to take care of themselves? Put time aside in the leadership meeting to celebrate what is happening in the classroom or in Virtual School or tell a funny story once in a while.
Encourage Flexible Work Time - Each person has their own groove, when someone finds it, encourage the groove. Some employees love to come to school and use their classroom as home base, others enjoy the comfort of their own home. Many teachers are using the hybrid model of half at school and then half the time at home. Acknowledge and encourage what works best for the teacher. No point forcing everyone to work from school if there are no students there.
Focus on Mental Health - With longer periods of isolation or intimate friendship circles temporarily shrinking, thinking about emotional and mental well-being is a priority. If adults are not able to take care of themselves, how would they be able to take care of the needs of others? The Principal who is the “boss” but is also a friend just takes steps to listen to teachers, find out what their needs are, listen to complaints/concerns and just be there as a sounding board. Acknowledge the feelings teachers have and commiserate when needed but also be ready to say that “I don’t have the answer - yet”. Most of the time, problems are solved by listening and your talking partner is able to work through their emotions/trepidations after expressing their thoughts verbally.
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