AUTHOR: BECKI COHN-VARGAS, DONALD COX, AND SUSAN CHARLES
“It is during times like this that you will learn what you are made of; this is what you have been preparing for all these years,” Don said last week in a Zoom conversation he leads with a group of new and veteran principals and aspiring administrators. Heads nodded. He went on, “In the most challenging times, transformational leaders are those who step up to the plate. The current Covid–19 challenge is the first time in recent history that schools everywhere have been forced to restructure how teaching and learning is conducted.” As the conversation continued, each participant shared the difficult choices and dilemmas they were facing: how to get technology to families who lack access, how to track down students who aren’t participating in distance learning, how to address parent concerns about at-home schooling, and how best to tackle grading.
As the group shared their vulnerabilities, everyone described feelings of overwhelm, especially the weight of leadership on all our shoulders. Each person feared how impending academic divides will further harm our most vulnerable students; they worried about not having all the answers; and they were terrified of failing their communities.
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