Principal Navigator Fall 2020

principal

Vol. 16 No. 1 • Fall 2020 • $9.95

Nav gator the magazine of the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators

FOREVER CHANGED Emerging lessons and growth as we live, learn, and lead from a distance

Executive Director’s Exchange Forever Changed, For Good Dear Colleagues, For this issue we asked you to share how you and your colleagues worked, and are still working, through the unprecedented challenges of the global pandemic. How are you forever changed? You delivered with your stories of lessons learned!

Dan Sebring writes: “Kids who typically thrive on and feel security in the structure of their daily routines were suddenly surrounded by change in pretty much every aspect of their world.” Read how Sebring and a colleague prerecorded daily video announcements, providing daily routines benefitting both the kids and their families. And, what ever happened to fun? It’s still alive in North Royalton. Kirk Pavelich shares how “The Principals’ Bear Huddle” debuted March 30, became a hit with the entire school community, and included National Superheroes Week and a Field of Dreams staff appreciation week—great examples of school community engagement.

Humor is always important, but even more so during this ambiguous and stressful time. I really enjoyed Jane Myers’ “Top 20 Things I’ve Learned,” including the fact that she’s only worn four out of her 54 pairs of shoes since March! Myers also notes that innovation was encouraged and the faculty responded with many creative ideas.

Paul Walker and Tim Tarvin write how Shelby City School District pivoted from holding face-to-face professional development focused on Leader in Me to socially distanced professional development.

Walker explains, “The Leader in Me program has given me a new way to operate and think about my personal life and career.”

I am moved by the honest article shared by first year principal, Tiffany Selm, in which she shares many heartfelt lessons learned from this past year. She has organized the lessons into four categories that are pertinent to each of us, no matter where we are in our career!

And, thank you, Rebecca Huber, for sharing how she changed her approach from “‘This is what you need,’ to ‘What do you need?’” For Huber this change allowed for powerful honesty and relationships to flourish. She writes, “I hope that in the future if I lean towards the directive and try to force inspiration upon my staff, they will gently remind me of this article and the lessons I learned about putting their needs above my own agenda.”

Matt Bradley’s article is an excellent resource for you, your faculty, and your school community as you are thinking through different scenarios and responses which may be necessary during this year.

Bradley utilizes Daniel Pink’s book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, which provides guiding questions for the ideas of premortem, we-do, and lessons learned as we analyze, respond, and revise our responses to challenges.

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Occasionally I serve as a committee member for one of our SAIL/ CUC student’s dissertation committee. I had the privilege of serving as the reader on Tom Bailey’s committee, and I asked him to share his work with us via this magazine as it has implications for our many members serving in rural communities. Bailey explored the culture of expectations educators have for student academic growth in rural education in Ohio. His findings are fascinating.

Margaret Searle explains: “Students need to immediately feel safe, welcome and stable. If each teacher takes time to intentionally build relationships–teacher/student and among students–this barrier will not loom so large in remote learning. Also, if students are taught to work in small, flexible learning teams using consistent roles and protocols, they will be less dependent upon adults in both school and home learning environments.” This lesson is critical no matter the mode of learning!

Mary Crabtree shares a personal and poignant journey focusing on the symbiotic power of relationships. What has “forever changed” for her during this experience is the knowledge that when we reach out because we care, it builds a community of support. She also learned that community is vital when times of trouble arise, and we can never go back to the way things were.

Katie Nowak, writes that “applying our R Factor skills as a leadership team in our district allowed us to respond to the unprecedented event of the COVID-19 school closure, to support our staff in adjusting and adapting to this event, and ultimately, to take care of each other and our students.” She witnessed that as she adjusted and adapted, learned new tools, and modeled support and grace for the staff. They in turn did the same for students.

Carrie Sanchez’s article, “This is Our Time,” suggests we want things to go back to normal. Maybe not, though, as Sanchez proposes compelling arguments against that back-to-normal thinking as we are...forever changed.

We have all been changed, and will continue to be. But, how have we been changed? And, for what? What are you learning that is a positive for you, your loved ones, your faculty, your students, and your community? And to what end? As you lead this year, I urge you to believe that you are in your role for a reason and you will positively impact many lives. The lyrics of a song from one of my favorite musicals, Wicked, says it much better than I could (excerpted lyrics included on page 3).

Because I knew you, I have been forever changed, for good!

“For Good”

from the musical, Wicked music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

I’ve heard it said That people come into our lives For a reason Bringing something we must learn And we are led to those

Know What They Know and Give Them What They Need Balance unfinished learning with grade-level content with i-Ready.

Who help us most to grow if we let them And we help them in return Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true But I know I’m who I am today Because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit As it passes the sun Like a stream that meets a boulder Halfway through the wood Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better But because I knew you I have been changed for good

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FOREVER CHANGED In this issue This Is Our Time

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Highland Middle School: Forever Changed

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Carrie J. Sanchez Matt Bradley

Lessons Learned 20 Jane Myers

What Schools Should Look Like in the Fall

Margaret Searle

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You Can’t Go Back 22 Mary Crabtree, Ph.D.

Principaling in a Pandemic 24 Katie Nowak

Virtual Announcements 26 Dan Sebring

Socially Distanced Professional Development 28 Tim Tarvin and Paul Walker

A Rookie Principal Year to Remember 30 Rebecca Huber

Heartfelt Lessons

Tiffany Selm

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The Principals’ Bear Huddle 33 Kirk Pavelich

Forging an Electonic Community in an Instant 34 Ryan Stowell

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In every issue table of contents

ABOUT THE PRINCIPAL NAVIGATOR EDITORIAL SERVICE TEAM & READERS Natalie Buchanan, Cambridge City Schools Julie Kenney, South-Western City Schools Nick Neiderhouse, Ed.D., Maumee City Schools Katie Nowak, New Albany Plain Local Schools Cathryn Rice, Xenia Community Schools Dan Sebring, Bay Village City Schools Jeromey Sheets, Ed.D., Lancaster City Schools Erin Storer, Forest Hills Schools Tammy Elchert, Ed.D., Carey Exempted Village Schools Paul Young, Ph.D., retired Stephen Zinser, retired

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Executive Director’s Exchange

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OAESA Board of Directors

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Highlighting an OAESA Hero

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SAIL for Education

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From the Desk of our Associate Executive Director

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OAESA’s 2020-2021 Awards Program Winners

ELEVATE: Educators on the Rise Dr. Julie Davis Our 2020-2021 Board

Andrew Smith, III, OAESA Columbus City Schools District Representative Living Up to Expectations: How High Standards Impact Student Achievement in Rural Ohio Tom Bailey Silver Linings Pandemic Mark Jones

Learn the winners of our annual awards program for 2020 and 2021

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Health Matters

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Legal Report

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Legislative Update

OAESA/SAIL STAFF Julie Davis, Ed.D., Executive Director Mark Jones, Associate Executive Director Nancy Abrams, Business Manager Patty Cooper, Executive Administrative Specialist Melissa Butsko, Graduate Program Specialist Rebecca Hornberger, Ph.D., Department Chair, SAIL for Education Mary Mitton-Sanchez, Director of Communications EDITORIAL POLICY Unless otherwise noted, all articles published in the Principal Navigator become the property of OAESA and may not be reprinted without permission from OAESA. The articles published in the Principal Navigator represent the ideas and/or beliefs of the authors and do not necessarily express the views of OAESA.

COVID-19 Prevention resources for schools Ann Connelly Administrator liability at school during COVID-19 Dennis Pergram

Advertising inquiries should be directed to OAESA by phone at 614.547.8087 or by emailing info@oaesa.org.

Advocacy in a COVID-19 world Barbara Shaner

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The Chalkboard

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Welcome OAESA’s New Members!

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We’re Booked

The Principal Navigator (ISSN 1088-078X) is published three times per school year by OAESA, 445 Hutchinson Ave., Suite 700, Columbus, Ohio, 43235. Subscriptions are available only as part of membership. Periodical postage paid at Columbus, Ohio, and additional mailing offices.

News from the Association

OAESA is affiliated with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP).

Members’ reviews of the latest, greatest books for principals and students

INTENTIONALLY C

NNECT

EFFECTIVELY DEVEL PASSIONATELY

POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Principal Navigator 445 Hutchinson Ave., Suite 700 Columbus, Ohio 43235

P

DVOCATE

Look for these symbols by each article to denote the aspect of our mission that the article reinforces.

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OAESA’s 2020-2021

Board of Directors PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT ELECT

Abbey Bolton

Kesh Boodheshwar

Davey Elementary Kent City Schools abolton@kentschools.net

ZONE 1 DIRECTOR

Ryan McGraw

Huntington Elementary Brunswick City Schools

kboodheshwar@bcsoh.org

ZONE 2 DIRECTOR

Chad Hinton

Gretchen Liggens, Ph.D.

Cathryn Rice

Walton Pre-K–8 School Cleveland Metropolitan Schools gretchen.liggens@clevelandmetroschools.org

Zone Directors ZONE 3 DIRECTOR

Tecumseh Elementary Xenia Community Schools cpettic@gmail.com

ZONE 4 DIRECTOR

Sue Brackenhoff, Ph.D. Nick Neiderhouse, Ed.D.

FEDERAL RELATIONS

Katie Nowak

New Albany Intermediate School New Albany-Plain Local Schools nowak.3@napls.us

ZONE 5 DIRECTOR

Tammy Elchert, Ed.D.

Carey Elementary Carey Exempted Village Schools telchert@careyevs.org

ZONE 7 DIRECTOR

ZONE 8 DIRECTOR

ZONE 9 DIRECTOR

ZONE 10 DIRECTOR

Alexandra Nannicola

Susanne Waltman

Natalie Buchanan

ZONE 6 DIRECTOR

T.J. Ebert

principal navigator

NAESP REP

Fairborn City Schools sbrackenhoff@fairborn.k12.oh.us

Maude Marshall Elementary Talawanda Schools hintonc@talawanda.org

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PAST PRESIDENT

Wayne Trail Elementary Maumee City Schools nneiderhouse@maumeek12.org

Minford Elementary Minford Local Schools rmcgraw@minfordfalcons.net

Independence Primary School Independence Local Schools tebert@independence.k12.oh.us

Executive Board

Central Elementary Champion Local Schools

alexandra.nannicola@championlocal.org

Office of Curriculum & Instruction

Strausser Elementary Jackson Local Schools sew2jc@jackson.sparcc.org

Little Bolts Preschool Franklin Local Schools

natalie.buchanan@franklinlocalschools.org

Jessica Rardon

Hilliard Tharp Sixth Grade School

Hilliard City Schools jessica_rardon@hboe.org

OAESA needs county representatives and district liaisons. Is your district represented?

Zone Map

Contact your zone director or email info@oaesa.org to find out more information about this opportunity.

Sign up to be a district liaison online: oaesa.org. membership/ district-liaison

Board Representatives CENTRAL OFFICE

ASST. PRINCIPAL

MINORITY

Bob Buck

Joy O’Brien

Felecia Evans

Office of Teaching and Learning Forest Hills Schools bobbuck@foresthills.edu

Ayer Elementary Forest Hills Schools joyobrien@foresthills.edu

Lander Elementary Mayfield City Schools fevans@mayfieldschools.org

MIDDLE SCHOOL

CLEVELAND DIST.

COLUMBUS DIST.

Carrie Sanchez

Audrey Staton-Thompson

Andrew Smith

Port Clinton Middle School Port Clinton City Schools csanchez@pccsd-k12.net

Office of Contract Implementation Cleveland Metropolitan Schools audrey.staton-thompson@ clevelandmetroschools.org

Valley Forge Elementary Columbus City Schools ansmith@columbus.k12.oh.us

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a matter of

PRINCIPAL a conversation with OAESA Columbus District Representative

Andrew J. Smith, III T

ell us about your background and current position.

I am originally from Atlanta, Georgia. I taught middle school math, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, English 9, English 10, Life Skills, and PE while teaching at Bowie High School in Prince George’s County Maryland, Poe Middle School and the Area II Alternative Learning Center in Fairfax County, Virginia. This is my 22nd year as an administrator in Columbus City Schools with a total of 27 years in education. I am currently principal of Valley Forge Elementary School.

What is the culture/climate like in your school?

We are collaborative, caring, welcoming, and passionate about the educational and overall well-being of our students. We are a purposefully inviting and engaging school community.

What do you view as your most important contribution to the day-to-day operations of your school?

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My most important contribution to the dayto-day operations is creating an atmosphere of calmness that allows us to focus on supporting the diverse needs of our students.

If we interviewed your staff, what are three words they’d use to describe you? Why? Family-oriented: I say this for many reasons, but specifically because I had the honor of donating a kidney to my older sister in 2013.

Supportive: I encourage healthy risk-taking to promote growth for students and staff.

Inclusive: I make attempts to give everyone a voice during school-based discussions and meetings that support the needs of our building.

Congratulations on serving on the OAESA Board as our Columbus District Rep. How long have you been on it? Why did you join?

I have been serving for one year. I have been a member of OAESA for many years and have appreciated the guidance, support,

and camaraderie of principals in our organization. I joined for professional growth and insight on impactful issues across the state that may help my continuous leadership development. I am happy to support fellow educational leaders and possibly advocate on behalf of our profession.

This issue focuses on how education has been changed as a result of COVID-19 and the racial justice movement of 2020. How has your school been changed thus far? How will your staff continue to evolve during this time of societal change and shift?

My school has increased its social justice awareness, empathy, and the desire to celebrate cultural diversity. We will continue to evolve by way of adapting learning, teaching, and leading during this pandemic and beyond.

What are some challenges and some silver linings of the societal changes that we have encountered in 2020, specifically when it comes to education and students?

Challenges have been ensuring an equitable and accessible education for ALL of our students. The abrupt change to remote learning in March really highlighted the issues surrounding students having access and means to learning. The joy within is the passion and desire we have to ensure learning is equitable and accessible for ALL children. As educators, we are in the position to give children what they need for sustainable access to opportunities for success in any arena!

Could you share any advice or words of wisdom for those who might be considering an administrative role?

Why should they make this professional leap?

As parents, we experience many “firsts” with our children, from speaking to walking and more. As an elementary principal or teacher, we have the opportunity to experience many “firsts” with our students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade.

We get to experience in some cases, the joy of listening to children read for the first time, critically think in the school setting for the first time, or solve multi-step or higher level math problems for the first time! The why of making the professional leap is threefold.

1. The happiness that comes from experiencing the various ways children learn while providing a quality education 2. Facilitating the professional development and growth of staff members 3. The continued development of leadership skills during your own professional journey I am very thankful and fortunate to be a principal in Columbus City Schools for as long as I have. My advice is to strive to build trust, value, healthy risk taking, and have an empathetic ear to the sounds that ring throughout your school.

“As educators, we are in the position to give children what they need for sustainable access to opportunities for success in any arena.”

Highlighting an OAESA Hero!

THE BASICS YEARS IN THE CLASSROOM? YEARS IN ADMINISTRATION? 5 years in the classroom 22 years as an administrator EMERGENCY DESK FOOD? Snickers FAVORITE MEMORY FROM BEING IN THE CLASSROOM? The joys of seeing the lightbulb of understanding go off within children when the “aha moment” occurs.

PERSONAL MANTRA? I tell my students to do the right thing even when you think no one is looking.

FAVORITE DOWNTIME ACTIVITIES? Exercising BEST DECISION? Becoming a living kidney donor.

UP NEXT ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? Skydiving WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A STUDENT? I was the unidentified gifted student sitting in the back of the classroom not engaged and slyly disrupting class.

FAVORITE OAESA EVENT? SAIL professional development at the Cherry Valley Lodge (That may tell how long I have been a member of the organization!)

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Living Up to Expectations: How High Standards Impact Student Achievement in Rural Ohio

BY TOM BAILEY, ED.D.

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n 2017, after living for 48 years in the suburbs of a large US city, I accepted a job in rural Ohio to become a superintendent. So we packed up part of our family to head to a sparsely populated county to begin the next chapter of our lives. Even though I was still in the state I lived my whole life and we were only 90 miles from the suburbia that I was familiar with, I was intrigued by the differences that rural communities and rural education presented to me in those first few weeks.

When I arrived at my first superintendent assignment I had already completed all my coursework for my doctoral degree and I was well into chapter two of my dissertation. I loved researching and writing about school culture, however, I felt the need to take those cultural pieces of my research and start over again. This time to focus on rural education in Ohio.

The importance of education in rural America can be considered the backbone to the survival of those that live in these rural and small town areas. Of the 609 school districts in Ohio, 231 are considered rural and another 200 are small town districts, many of those in rural areas. While these rural and small town districts comprise 70% of the districts in Ohio, the enrollment at these schools accounts for only 40% of the student population state-wide (Ohio Department of Education, 2013). Ohio, along with the states of Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia, serve more than one-fourth of all rural students in the country (Johnson, Showalter, Klein, Lester, 2014).

Success in high-performing, high-needs rural schools was studied

by Barley and Beesley and the perceived factors that led to success included high expectations for all students (2007). In fact, having high expectations for students was reported by more principals in the study than any other factor.

With an ever-changing landscape in education and advancement of future-ready careers, the expectations are that rural education and student learning must also advance. Rural America cannot neglect

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the changes that are taking place in careers, job opportunities, and technology; thus, rural America cannot neglect the changes needed in education to meet these new needs. In order for rural students to compete in a global market, rural education must keep pace with urban and suburban students. Teacher expectations of student academic growth must be consistent with those of urban and suburban counterparts.

There are several implications that came to light based upon the research of Balfour, Mitchell, and Moletsane. The most significant is the concept of truly preparing educators with the knowledge they need to successfully teach in a rural environment. Gruenewald (2003) suggests place-conscious pedagogy enhances rural schools because learning becomes more relevant to the lived experience of students.

This would allow programs for teacher preparation to provide placesensitive orientation for teachers specifically in rural areas. This also could provide opportunity for interdisciplinary dialogue within the context of rurality. This interdisciplinary dialogue could take place with people in the field of medicine, social services, government, or safety. These discussions could lead to more production by these very entities in rural areas. Factors that highly affect rural education to a high degree are poverty, rural “brain drain,” teacher expectation, and self-fulfilling prophecy.

Rural areas are more likely than metropolitan areas to experience higher rates of poverty, concentrated poverty, and generational poverty (Lichter & Graefe, 2011). Generational poverty is a major factor affecting the Appalachian, southeast region of Ohio. Ladd & Pascal state “many families face ongoing crises with housing, food insecurity, custody issues, and alcohol and drug addiction” (2019).

They go on to state that “students facing these circumstances lack hope for the future, become disengaged, and feel discouraged. This leads still further to students becoming depressed, angry, and in some cases, suicidal” (2019).

Another unique problem that rural areas have, more so than urban centers, is “rural brain drain.” This phenomenon occurs when the highest achievers leave rural homes to attend higher education in the urban or suburban centers. Once there, many rural achievers do not return home, thereby decreasing the achievement potential of the rural area in which they left. However, urban centers and suburban areas experience the benefits of “rural brain drain.” These difficult economic circumstances found in many rural areas lead to “brain drain,” where those that have the ability to leave often do, which further handicaps the area from economic adaptation.

Rural adolescents, more frequently than their urban or suburban counterparts, are more likely to experience the conflict of choice between the desire to live close to family and the necessity of moving away to achieve success (Homan, G., Hedrick, J., Dick, J, & Light, M. 2014).

There has been research dealing with expectancy in many forms as it relates to education and student learning. Some of the research has been based on student expectancy of themselves, while other research has dealt with expectations that teachers have for their students. When looking at the research of teacher expectations and students they teach, it really brings to light the concept of nature versus nurture. Environmental influences in education do not occur independently of factors inherited by students. Students who have been given a label that signifies difficulty learning typically do not receive, over time, as many intellectual opportunities as students who may be labeled gifted. Teacher expectations of student achievement that are systematically too high or too low compared with actual student achievement level are called biased expectations (Timmermans, Kuyper, & Van der Werf, 2015). In relation to risk factors that students face, it is even more critical that teachers have high expectations for their students.

It matters even more for students that live in poverty. “The greater the risk factors in a student’s life, the more high expectations matter to the student’s life chances” (Wood et al., 2011). Rubie-Davies (2006) discovered that over a school year, elementary students’ selfperception in academic areas changed “in accordance with teachers’ expectations for their classes” (p. 550). Positive expectations of students lead to students having a self-fulfilling prophecy of greater achievement and engagement in the classroom. The reverse is also true. According to Schmader, Major, and Gramzow (2001), continued exposure to low and negative expectations leads to detachment from the task and consequently to devaluing of the academics by the student. Weinstein (2002) concludes that expectations of teachers directly impact students in the early grades and by the fifth grade teacher expectations are influenced by the children’s expectations of themselves. When out of school factors are controlled, teachers are the biggest predictor of a student’s success in school (Carey, 2004).

This is critical as teacher expectations play a key role in the success of the student.

The purpose of the research I did was to explore the culture of expectations educators have for student academic growth in rural education in Ohio. It was to help ensure that programs are in place to create a culture of high achieving students and to create a professional mindset for teaching and learning. In addition, this research aimed to identify how educators in a rural school district in

Ohio perceived their own level of expectations for student academic growth. From a broader perspective it will help teachers in rural education to reflect on their own level of expectations for their students and what practices they use in the classroom to promote student academic growth.

The research focused on three main areas: environment, instructional practices, and the influence of rural communities, in general, on expectations. In addition, the knowledge gained from this research allows for educators within rural schools to understand that there is a need for high expectations for their students in order to have the best outcome possible. The research findings really come down to several areas. The culture that the participants of this study work in is that of high expectations and the building of an environment that supports academic growth. The findings reveal that personal relationships and the emergence of instructional practices that involve the active engagement of students best created a culture of high expectations within the context of rural education. This is important for the future of rural education.

Overall, the participants believe that student engagement and relationship building is the best opportunity that teachers have to increase student academic growth. By also detailing this concept within the context of the relationship piece it is clear that the participants believe this is critical for the culture within the school, as well as a strength of the rural community. The outcome for this relationship piece is important along with the positivity that participants spoke about in the research. There was a general understanding that being positive toward students within the concept of relationships was important. This is supported by Schmader, Major, and Gramzow (2001), who stated that continued exposure to low and negative expectations leads to detachment from the task and consequently to devaluing of the academics by the student.

Faculty members are encouraged to use project-based lessons to help build these relationships and to lecture less while engaging with students more. The use of only lecture and paper-pencil learning is not how students and teachers engage, relate, expect and grow. Fyans and Maehr described culture as this “feeling of community” (1990).

This community/close-knit feeling allowed for teachers to know their students on a level that most educators could not. It allowed educators to understand the nuances of students’ lives, and it also allowed for the ability to more closely build the environment that supports strong student-teacher relationships. Much like the research of Donovan (2016), the participants had supported the notion that schools may begin to become places of community renewal rather than factors in community disintegration. Schools and districts are encouraged to offer worldly experiences to the students. In many cases, worldly experiences are just a “click” away on a computer or smartphone. Gone are the days where students must board a bus to experience something in the nearest urban center. Even visiting places such as Washington D.C. can be accomplished through media and technology.

Rural communities and their leadership are encouraged to begin to refocus and come to the realization that mediocrity is not acceptable.

Rural students must have high expectations cast upon them and likewise they must grow in all areas, but especially academically as fall 2020

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the careers, jobs, and, in some cases, community survival depends on it. Mediocrity cannot be seen as an acceptable expectation for anyone in rural communities. Not for teachers, not for students, and certainly not for teachers as it relates to their expectations for students. Teachers in rural districts must create an environment that fosters and supports student academic growth.

From this research it is clear that teachers must build relationships with the students if the students are to grow. This relationship must be authentic and must be respectful. The teacher is to be actively engaged with the learning that is taking place in the classroom. Teachers shared that modeling behavior and expectations for the students led to higher student growth and ultimately a higher sense of self-esteem on the part of the student. Rural education is the foundation for

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the viability and long term survival of many communities. Through academic growth, the students are able to perform at higher levels with the potential to compete with all students in the country and for that matter the world as we become a more digitized and therefore a shrinking global society. Rural students do not just have aspirations of farming. Rural students have and need to be contributing players in the entire engine of the global economy.

Dr. Tom Bailey is the Superintendent of Washington Court House City Schools.

He also serves students of Concordia University Chicago through his work as dissertation committee member. Prior to becoming the Superintendent, he served as Assistant Superintendent, High School Principal, Elementary Principal and Director of Communications at Three Rivers Local School District in Hamilton County. He also served as a building principal in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

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FROM THE DESK OF OAESA’S

Associate Executive Director Silver Linings Pandemic

BY MARK JONES

T

here’s an old adage that behind every dark cloud lays a silver lining. Of course, when you’re in the middle of a heavy rain, it can be awfully difficult to look for that hopeful sign!

And right now, our nation seems to be struggling with a torrential downpour, as the COVID crisis has dwarfed even the typical election-year polarization and critical civil rights protests triggered by our inability to successfully eliminate systemic racism from our society. Indeed, things seem awfully dark for us at the moment.

This is precisely why we, as school administrators, should all take a few moments to consider those silver linings that such dark forces have created for us.

For example, think about the leaps in both the use and understanding our teachers have made in terms of applying technology to instruction. True, we had no choice in the matter, but only such a monumental shift, like massive school closures, could have produced such consequential, rapid change. Now, we have the opportunity to leverage these newly acquired skills among our workforce to take full advantage for improving learning outcomes for students.

“We, as school administrators, should all take a few moments to consider those silver linings that such dark forces have created for us.”

Or, consider this idea. We’ve all known for years that “opportunity gaps” exists within our society, as many groups of individuals, like the poor, rural, or inner city families, struggle to provide access to the same growth experiences enjoyed by middle and upper class suburbanites. But, while these inequities have always been apparent, never have they been shown in as bright a light as the one cast by the coronavirus. Under such intense scrutiny, perhaps our culture will finally be forced to seriously address these disparities rather than conveniently ignore them.

And then there is the persistent issue of how to encourage parent

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engagement in a positive, constructive way. For years, we’ve all listened to educators complain that far too many parents seem completely absent when it comes to a helpful level of involvement in their child’s schooling. (I am reminded of the father who once showed up in our office, having been told by his wife that it was his turn to take their son to the dentist. When our secretary asked who the boy’s teacher was, so she could page the classroom, he had no clue. When she asked what grade he was in, again he was befuddled. Finally, after giving his son’s name, the secretary informed him that his student had “graduated” from our school two years earlier, and was now an eighth grader at the junior high building. But I digress.) Clearly, the level of engagement that we now see between home and school has grown tremendously! For the most part, this new level of communication has been positive, as parents everywhere are expressing a newfound appreciation for what teachers deal with on a daily basis. It is certainly incumbent upon our educational leaders to use this opportunity in support of promoting better parental engagement. Yes, that’s you.

Finally, there is the age-old issue of establishing appropriate educational priorities. Most teachers and principals can point to a long list of legislative priorities for education, and describe them as misplaced, if not downright counterproductive, to good teaching and learning. Consider, for example, the efforts we’ve all endured with topics like evaluations (OTES/OPES), state testing and assessments, building and district Report Cards, and monitoring student attendance (HB 410), all in the name of “accountability.” In this time of a pandemic-induced crisis, resulting in statewide school closures, legislators have been forced to reassess priorities in order to preserve the opportunity for as much learning to take place as possible. Personally, I’m enjoying the respite, however brief, from some of these concerns! Ahh, silver linings are indeed beautiful!

Ready for the next step in your career?

OAESA has you covered with our SAIL/CUC Graduate Programs

Apply now to reserve your seat!

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-100% of SAIL/CUC students successfully completed their internship in 2018-2019 -SAIL/CUC had the largest population of principal interns in the state in 2018-2019 -Simple, streamlined application process -Up to 50% transfer credits considered -MA degrees can be completed in 2 years -Approved by the Ohio Dept. of Higher Ed. -Aligned with standards for Ohio Educators & Principals

Contact us today to get started! info@sailforeducation.org 888.964.SAIL

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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.

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This Is Our Time

Educators have a chance to make real change this year

BY CARRIE J. SANCHEZ

“

I

sure can’t wait for things to get back to normal.” I have to be honest with you, I have not said that yet, because I really do not want to. If I said it, it would most certainly be a lie. Confessing that to you now almost feels like some level of betrayal, but it is absolutely the truth.

This August, I am excited and proud to begin my twelfth year as a middle school principal and twenty-fifth year in education. Our work as principals and school leaders is unlike any other. The amount of time, energy, dedication, resilience, compassion, and expertise that is required is second to none. We are champions of children and teachers.

We are advocates for all. And we are, unquestionably, self-sacrificers.

We had to do it without guidance on how to do it or an acceptable margin for error. I remember feeling early on that I was standing in the middle of a playground teeter-totter and one small move would upset the balance and the whole thing would come crashing down.

53 days of instruction, 83 total days of quarantine until our school year concluded—I could not relax, I could not sleep, I could not breathe, I could not allow the balance to topple.

I remember prior to the quarantine I would rush home from school to let my loyal and faithful dog outside after countless hours at home. I would have a thought like: “I can set my timer for 8 minutes,” so I could momentarily close my eyes before having to return to my school to attend an event or a meeting or a concert...or maybe just return to the office to tackle the mountain of emails I had not gotten to that day. I would cheer on my own daughters at their respective events or shuttle them to and from practices while trying to come up with something for dinner that resembled mediocre quality before rushing through the obligatory “How was your day?” onesided conversations with teenagers. Showers, laundry, homework, lunch packing...you know the relentless chaos. After my girls were tucked into bed then what I refer to as “Second Shift” began: the writing of teacher evaluation rubrics and comments.

“I have not yet said, ‘I can’t wait for things to get back to normal,’ because that would be a lie.

COVID-19 and the nationwide quarantine created an experience unlike any of us have ever experienced. Until COVID, I had not realized that I was deteriorating, but I had not tested positive for the coronavirus. I am not sick. I am an educator. A proud and dedicated educator. An exhausted and truly spent educator. Does this sound familiar? School leaders do not say things like this. Somewhere along the course of our careers, we learned that admitting being stretched too thin was an indicator of weakness.

I don’t want normal.

I want BETTER than what normal used to be.”

In March we all suffered the same whip-lash event. Our schools were closed unexpectedly. Our students were taken away. Our teachers became franchise managers of virtual classrooms. This was not a blizzard or natural disaster or community crisis. This was different.

This hurt us in places we did not know we could hurt. We had to re-invent, re-establish, and re-design without any warning. We had to do what we have always done in a way we had never done before.

What I am sharing is nothing different than many of your lives, I am quite certain. We truly love our work. We deeply love our schools.

We do what it takes. I have not yet said, “I can’t wait for things to get back to normal,” because that would be a lie. I don’t want normal. I want BETTER than what normal used to be. fall 2020

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Several leaders throughout history have been credited with the quote “Never let a crisis go to waste.” Rather than worrying about who said it, let’s act upon it. We now have an incredible opportunity, and we cannot let it pass us by. We are going to make history and influence the trajectory of education in America in the next twelve months. We will either do it right, or we will do it wrong. We are in control of how this goes. Let us seize the opportunity and deeply influence education in Ohio and beyond.

Do What Matters In one way or another, all school leaders have had the opportunity to reflect upon what truly matters in our schools.

If you have not had that opportunity yet, make the time. Ask your students and your parents and your families.

What TRULY matters when it comes to educating our children? Let’s figure that out and do it better this time.

Let’s talk to our policymakers and influencers. We don’t want “normal.”

We want to do better for our students and our teachers. We want our students to be organized, innovative, resilient, independent, compassionate, and hungry for knowledge. We want our families to value education and see its relevance in the world outside our school walls. Let’s build schools that promote those skills and values. This is our time.

matter what your school platform looks like in the fall, focus first on those relationships. Take the time that is necessary to communicate and then communicate some more. Even if you do not have a lot of information to share, let them know you are there. You are planning and designing. You care about them, and you are going to take care of them. Be the voice of reason for your school and your school community. People need us on a bigger scale more now than at any other time in history. Do what needs to be done to provide moments of calm and peace, even if ever so slight. Our teachers need that from us. Our students need that from us. Lead strong. Lead brave.

This is our time.

“Let’s do better as educational leaders in supporting the MOST important thing that our schools do for our communities and society as a whole.

Let’s connect the dots more and stop creating lessons or experiences that live in isolation.

Redefine Learning

Social Professional Distancing In order for school leaders to effectively lead schools through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, we must also intentionally care for ourselves.

While we have heard the term “social distancing” countless times in the recent past, I would like to propose that we school leaders equally promote PROFESSIONAL DISTANCING to our teachers, as well as for ourselves.

It feels impossible, but it isn’t. It is ok to step away. It is ok to unplug. It is ok to close the screen and breathe. Our teachers will follow our lead, and it is unfair to them that we model 24/7 work. Let’s be diligent in redefining the work behind the work. Let’s be just as passionate about our quality of lives as we are about the quality of our schools.

This is our time.

Let’s promote the value of connectivity and relevance.”

The act of learning was suddenly put under a new microscope beginning in March. What had often been disguised as learning was truly just compliance or completion. What does learning look like in your school? How do you measure authentic learning? Talk about that with your staff and your parents. Let’s do better as educational leaders in supporting the MOST important thing that our schools do for our communities and society as a whole. Let’s connect the dots more and stop creating lessons or experiences that live in isolation. Let’s promote the value of connectivity and relevance. Let’s also champion for our students and make sure that their learning is measured in meaningful ways, free from penalties and shame. This is our time.

Communicate and Connect We all had the opportunity to reevaluate the value of relationships during the COVID-19 quarantine. Students who were not deeply connected with their teachers or school staff members prior to remote learning did not engage within the remote learning setting. No

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COVID-19 and our country’s response to it have undoubtedly changed our world. The implications of that change will most likely last a very long time.

This is our moment as educators and educational leaders. What we do will be remembered in history. Now is our opportunity to change and influence like never before. We have an amazing opportunity to improve what has needed improvement for so very long. Embrace the challenge. Take care of your people AND yourself. Best wishes to each and every one of you as you embark upon the school year that awaits. THIS is our time.

Carrie Sanchez is the principal of Port Clinton Middle School in Port Clinton, Ohio. She also serves Bowling Green State University as an adjunct instructor in the Graduate School of Teaching and Learning. Sanchez is the Program Director for Leadership Ottawa County and recently launched their Virtual Leadership Institute. In 2019, Sanchez was awarded the Deborah Kasak National Distinguished Leadership Award in Washington, DC. The author can be contacted via email at csanchez@pccsd-k12.net or via Twitter at @ carriejsanchez.

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HMS: Forever Changed

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BY MATT BRADLEY

hat a ride! The 2019-2020 school year was unlike any we’ve ever experienced before. Our teachers and staff at Highland Middle School are true heroes. Literally over the span of a weekend, teachers created online learning for students, kitchen staff planned and created a system to provide sack lunches to students, the transportation department and paraprofessionals created a system of lunch delivery, and custodians began a deep clean and disinfecting of the entire school building. It was heroic and amazing!

Because of the uncertainty of what school will look like in the fall, we are focusing on three ideas for next year at Highland Middle School: premortem, we-do, and lessons learned.

“Use a video format, much like we used Zoom this year. For example, I can show them how I find information in a non-fiction resource and how I would put that in an outline note format. I could have them try the same skill with another resource or objective. Then, I can check their notes when requesting assessments to see how they are working with the skill.” –7th grade social studies teacher “The structure of a lesson should be teacher-led by a video lesson then transition into a zoom with guided practice, followed up by independent work.” –8th grade math teacher “I will continue to video myself working through a lesson with them so they all have access.” –6th grade science teacher

Premortem

Lessons Learned

The idea of a premortem comes from Daniel H. Pink’s book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, and is an excellent way to begin thinking “upstream.” Naturally, postmortem is a term that we typically hear when coroners examine a dead body to determine the cause of death. A “premortem” shifts the focus from after the fact to before.

Throughout each school year, but especially during our time of remote instruction, teachers are challenged to reflect on what is working and what aspects of online learning need to continue even in the regular school setting. We cannot emerge from the pandemic unchanged! I am excited about what our teachers will continue to use and develop. Staff members have said that they will continue to use the following practices after remote learning ends:

Pink writes: “Suppose you and your team are about to embark on a project. Before the project begins, convene for a premortem.

‘Assume (at its completion) …our project is a complete disaster,’ you say to your team. ‘What went wrong?’ The team, using the power of prospective hindsight, offers some answers…by imagining failure in advance…you can anticipate some of the potential problems and avoid them once the actual project begins.”

Our team at Highland Middle School did an amazing job providing remote instruction. But, there are certainly areas where we can do better in the event of another school closure. By focusing our energy on a premortem, we can anticipate problems and try to solve them before they occur.

We Do Quality instruction is broken down into the steps of: I do, we do, you do with support and feedback, and you do. One of the biggest challenges faced with remote instruction was replicating the “we do” aspect of instruction. This naturally occurs during in-person lessons, with back-and-forth dialogue between teachers and students. “We do” will also be a focus of our premortem. Staff members focused on this idea and how they will approach it this school year:

“Continuing scheduling and expectations in weekly email.”

–7th language arts teacher “Use videos when possible to give instruction to students if I am not there, or even if I am. So many students respond better to oral directions than to written. That may be something I try to pull into class projects more often.” –8th grade language arts teacher “I will continue to make screencast videos and post them in a Google Classroom. I think they are a great tool for absent students as well as students who might need multiple exposures to a concept in order to solidify it.” –6th grade social studies teacher Truly, these past three months have been unforgettable. Both in a good way and a not-so-good way! Regardless, I believe that we will emerge stronger than ever before as a professionals, and specifically, as a school. Highland Middle School rocks!

Matt Bradley is the principal of Highland Middle School in Morrow County.

He has previously served as the assistant principal of Highland Elementary, as well as spending nine years in the classroom as a middle-level language arts teacher. You can contact him via Twitter at @MrBradleyHMS. fall 2020

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Lessons Learned

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BY JANE MYERS

hroughout spring and summer, there were a lot of social media regarding lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home order. Regardless of what your views were about the order, I am sure that you learned some things, both positive and negative, both personal and professional, about yourself and others, and life in general. In no particular order, here are the top 20 things I learned: 1. I need a larger Keurig coffee maker. I drink a lot of coffee, but being home with fewer distractions afforded me the opportunity to drink even more while it was hot. Therefore, I had to refill the water more often.

2. I may never go to Walmart again. I was no stranger to Amazon, but suddenly we became BFFs for both necessary items and the random things I didn’t even know I needed.

3. We use a lot of toilet paper when we are both home 24/7. Wow. Time to go back to work if for no other reason to save on TP. 4. I’ve only worn 4 different pairs of shoes since March 13, and I own about 54 pairs.

5. I kinda like the dog. To be truthful, it’s always been a love/hate relationship. Maysie belongs to the husband, and she always has.

During the first few weeks, she stared at me every morning like, “Why are you STILL here?” We have now come to an agreement to tolerate one another. She still prefers to snuggle with the husband, but she will at least acknowledge me. I’m calling it a win.

6. It’s going to be a long time before I do another jigsaw puzzle.

Yes, every afternoon it was Puzzles with DeWine (and wine, okay?).

I even had a folding table set up in my living room for eight weeks.

11. Teachers will rise to the challenge every single time. In many instances we asked them to build a plane after takeoff. I was constantly amazed by their tenacity and perseverance in every aspect of their jobs. They adjusted over and over again.

12. I have never worked so hard in my 24-year career in education as I did those first few weeks. It was very hard to shut things off at 4:00 each day. I felt the need to be available to staff, students and parents 24/7. Likewise, my teachers were doing the same.

13. Our grading system is antiquated and needs a complete overhaul.

Big discussions will ensue this fall.

14. We learned quickly that the disparity in our students’ home lives and support was more evident than ever. We “lost” some kiddos through no fault of theirs, in spite of our best efforts to make connections.

15. Drive by home visits and phone calls by teachers, administrators, and school resource officers are valuable tools that need to continue on a regular basis.

16. Testing is not the be-all, end-all. I saw students show tremendous growth in so many areas via Google Meets, videos submitted for assignments, and connections made to real life situations. No test would show me that.

17. Likewise teachers were freer to do some real teaching via Google Meets during March and April instead of test prep. I saw over and over again examples of teachers trying new things and becoming more comfortable thinking outside the box.

18. Arranging the books in my office by color is aesthetically pleasing.

7. I have really gotten to know, and sincerely like, some people via Zoom and House Party. These social media apps have allowed me to reconnect with elementary, high school, and college friends on a pretty regular basis. Some I hadn’t talked to in many years!

19. I have said if I could retire I would, but I don’t really mean that.

Leaving my school without seeing kiddos again is painful. We did not think it was the end back on March 13. But I know I will see them in August.

8. I miss my cleaning lady. A LOT. She is truly a blessing to me.

And finally 20. I learned that slowing down was good for my mental health and that the anxiety I was feeling was completely normal.

Reflecting on what was, and is, truly important has helped me to refocus for the new school year regardless of what that may look like.

9. I love porch drops, giving, and receiving. This is a practice that I want to continue.

10. I miss hugs. I am the touchy-feely girl in the office. Seeing people anywhere and not being comfortable to shake a hand or give a hug has been hard.

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Jane Myers is a 24-year veteran of public education. She is the principal at Defiance Elementary in Defiance, where she resides with the husband and the dog. She is mom to Abby and Mamaw to Hans and Hayden, who she missed hugging the most. She’d love to hear what lessons you learned at jmyers@defianceschools.net or via Twitter at @teacherjpmjane.

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What Schools Should Look Like in the Fall

BY MARGARET SEARLE

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hat did we learn this spring that will help us rethink how we start in the fall? According to a national survey of teachers conducted by the Gotham Research Group, here are five major COVID-19-related barriers to student learning:

participate in chat rooms, and stay focused. Small groups should practice these skills together and learn to answer each other’s questions, with the teacher only as a guide. Gradual release of responsibility is critical to student independence.

1. Teachers’ stress because they can’t keep up with the learning curve and hours adjusting to remote lessons 2. Students who lack necessary skills or resources to succeed in a remote environment 3. Loss of personal relationships causing stress, anxiety, and depression in many students 4. Lag in academic performance due to poor engagement and attendance 5. Limited availability of family members to assist with remote learning

Students need to immediately feel safe, welcome, and stable. If each teacher takes time to intentionally build relationships—teacher/ student and among students—this barrier will not loom so large in remote learning. Also, if students are taught to work in small, flexible learning teams using consistent roles and protocols, they will be less dependent upon adults in both school and home learning environments.

Regardless if we open with full classes in school, total remote learning, or some hybrid of the two, we need a plan. Here are a few suggestions to consider: Chronic stress in teachers compromises both social-emotional and academic growth in students. The number of hours teachers are working compounds an already stressful job. To reduce the workload teachers must work as teams to accomplish a number of things. One is to determine which standards and content are essential, which are important, and what is simply great to know. Consistency from teacher to teacher is essential not only in what to teach but also for which basic learning tasks to assign. Given a consistent plan across a grade level, teachers can then differentiate for students needing pre-requisite, extension, and enrichment skills. This consistency also makes it easier to share tasks like: who is comfortable in front of a camera to record remote lessons, who will design learning projects, who will assess individuals or small groups remotely?

We must prepare for another possible shut-down. In the fall, students need to be taught immediately how to use the platform and apps for that grade level. Basic remote learning skills need to be taught to mastery as early as possible: how to log in, find folders, ask questions online, create videos, upload pictures and documents,

Lessons and practice need to be highly engaging. Student talk should go from the typical 20% to 60%. This is accomplished best by having small student teams learn by generating alternative solutions and completing projects together. This will be a struggle for students at first but is well worth the effort. This powerful strategy does not work well without rigorous assignments that students cannot complete as well on their own as they can in a group. Assignments need to be fun learning games, standards-based projects, and activities where the team produces a product.

Having the district limit the number of K-12 learning platforms and apps reduces the learning curve for parents. Consistency on how folders and files are labeled helps. Parents need regular, short tutorial videos that address problems they are likely to face.

Survey parents to find out what problems they had in the spring and what support will be helpful. Having students help each other in learning teams of four should also relieve many of the homelearning problems.

Margaret Searle is president of Searle Enterprises. She specializes in consulting with districts and schools on social-emotional learning, executive function development, differentiated instruction, inclusive education, leadership team development, and implementing RTI and MTSS. Look for her newest book Solving Academic and Behavior Problems: A Strength-Based Guide for Teachers and Teams coming out in September. You can contact the author via email at searle@bex.net or via Twitter at @margaretann05. fall 2020

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You Can’t Go Back

Relationships help one teacher navigate a life-changing year

BY MARY CRABTREE, PH.D.

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n March 13, my life as a teacher, a mom, a grandmother, and a wife was forever changed. Most of you might guess that this is because of the Governor’s orders to close school buildings and charge teachers with finding a way to teach from home, in order to protect both kids and teachers from the unknowns of the COVID-19 virus. It was that, and so much more, things I could have never predicted, learning I would stumble upon, and a life-changing event that helped me see how important a school community can be, even when we are physically isolated.

Let’s start with the closing of school and all that it changed (or didn’t) for me. In my classroom, we don’t use paper. My students both receive and turn in their assignments electronically and while instruction is face to face, the work is done on a Chromebook in Google Classroom. This is not to say that there is a lack of human interaction, my classroom is full of couches, chairs, tables, rocking chairs, and other alternate forms of seating. There is an option to have a desk, but one only exists by request. My students collaborate with each other, and me (and the co-teacher in the room) and there is a LOT of social interaction!

work and follow the instructions. Teaching was recorded, so students could watch instructions multiple times, or on their own schedule, then log in to Zoom meetings with questions. It wasn’t seamless, but it worked, and with a great deal of parent support, every student found their way successfully through the end of the school year.

As a teacher, I missed my colleagues, I missed our lunch discussion, their support when I felt confused or troubled, and I just missed their sense of humor and fun. Enter multiple texts, Zoom meetings with individuals and groups, and again, lots of online Facetimes and other ways to connect. I even set up a time to take walks with a colleague and friend who lives nearby, so I could stay connected. Our principal made sure to have weekly department meetings, which kept us all connected and discussing how things were progressing. We also “talked” via email when we found a student was not engaging in learning, to see who was having success with that student, so that person would step up and “mentor” them, getting in touch, and following up to assure the student was on track. All of these efforts to stay in touch helped all of us to create a sense of collegiality that we missed when we were physically separated.

As a grandmother, my granddaughter was at home too, ending her Kindergarten year. She missed her friends (she is an only child) and really missed the social aspect of school. She became reticent to do her work, and it became a chore for her father and me to get her to do things.

We had to find ways to motivate her, to get her engaged, and to get through the school year with a positive attitude about learning. We worked together to capitalize on our strengths (his was doing online games/activities, mine was teaching reading) and set aside time to assure that learning was routine, expected, and during a calm time. We didn’t rush, we didn’t put pressure on her or on us, and we cheered every success. In the end, she came away experiencing learning in a new way but feeling good about her success.

“As I reflect on that group of hopeful administrators, recalling their passion, their spirit, and their commitment, I cannot be anything other than optimistic about the future of our schools..”

So, with the closure of the school, the key was to maintain those relationships without the physical classroom. Zoom to the rescue! Daily Zoom meetings, where teaching was NOT on the agenda, but collaboration, social connection, and opportunities to share each other’s lives were. The students who came to Zoom often had things to say, a need to share, and plenty of opportunities to do so. Those who didn’t come, emailed or stopped in for a quick one on one Zoom as needed. Because my students were very well versed in the technology we were using, that wasn’t a barrier to learning. I organized the work the same way I had always done, so they were familiar with the format and could easily find the

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Finally, there was my personal journey. During this time my husband fell ill and had to be hospitalized. He did not have the dreaded virus, but he was very sick and in the hospital for 4 weeks before he passed away. Those four weeks were a real challenge, but that’s when my school community really came through. The families of students I’ve taught and teach rallied behind me. The community where I teach reached out to offer help, prayers, and assistance. They asked how I was, they checked in, and they were just on my side. When my husband passed away, which was not at all expected, they were by my side, lifting me up, supporting me, helping with the finances of his burial costs, and just “being there” to let me know they were thinking of me. My colleagues, who are truly my family, came together and made me know that I was NOT alone, and they stood alongside me every day as I processed my grief. They still check-in and make sure I’m okay; they are my rock, my foundation, my support.

You may wonder why I share this personal journey with you.

The common denominator in all these scenarios is the power of relationships. I have long believed in the power of building relationships at school, with teachers, with administrators, with families, and with the community. I think this is one of the most

important jobs a teacher can do. I think that these relationships demonstrate a caring beyond the classroom and create a sense of buy-in that cannot be overlooked as important and needed when trying to educate kids.

If I want parents to support my efforts in the classroom, then I need to support their efforts at home. If I want the community to support my school, I need to support my community, and if I want my colleagues to support me, I need to reach out and support them.

I never imagined I would need “my” community in this way, and certainly never provided support to them so that I would get it in return, but what has “forever changed” for me during this experience is the knowledge that when we reach out because we care, we are building a community of support, and perhaps, when times of trouble arise, and we can never go back to the way things were, that support is also there for us.

Dr. Mary Crabtree is a 7th grade English/Language Arts Teacher who complete her Ph.D. through the SAIL program in 2017. She lives with her son and granddaughter and loves to garden, read, and teach! You can contact the author via email at mcrabtree@buckeyeschools.org.

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Principaling in a Pandemic Supporting staff to adjust and adapt

BY KATIE NOWAK

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hen the 2019-2020 school year started with the excitement of greeting our students to the building, we had no idea we would finish in remote learning, last seeing our students in person on Friday March 13, and saying goodbye virtually. Over my 16 years in education, I have dealt with a variety of situations, students in crisis, changes in curriculum, staffing issues, budget cuts, a campus wide reconfiguration process, but nothing even comes close to the experience of ‘principaling’ in a pandemic. In a whirlwind, schools upended their structures, practices, and classrooms from in-person learning to remote learning virtually overnight.

Principaling in a pandemic put our leadership and problem-solving skills to a new test of responding around the clock to a myriad of issues, from technology, health concerns, food for families, adjusting to online learning and new tools, professional development for staff, adjusting curriculum and grading policies, all the while trying to meet the needs of all students, staff, and families who each had their own unique situations during the COVID-19 statewide stay at home order. Fortunately, in 2018, our school district embraced and implemented the R Factor with our staff and students. Applying our R Factor skills as a leadership team in our district, allowed us to respond to the unprecedented event of the coronavirus school closure and to support our staff in adjusting and adapting to this event, and ultimately, taking care of each other and our students.

R Factor: The Importance of Our Response The R Factor is a culture, behavior, and decision-making framework used by staff and students to develop exceptional life skills to successfully navigate their school and life experiences. One of the premises of the R Factor is E +R=O, Events + Responses=

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Outcomes. Having a discipline driven or intentional response can greatly impact the outcome of a situation. There are six disciplines of the R Factor: press pause, get your mind right, step up, adjust and adapt, make a difference, and build skill. If you’d like to learn more about the R Factor you can check out the Focus 3 website, or read Urban Meyer’s book, Above the Line: Lessons in Leadership and Life from a Championship Program. Principaling in a pandemic definitely required pressing pause to get your mind right, to step up and take action, all the while adjusting and adapting our response to the situation.

Remaining calm and focusing our efforts on what we could control was key. In order to be successful for our students, the first step was supporting our staff in this situation and helping them adjust and adapt to the ever-changing situation of the COVID-19 closure. The following supports for staff are what I found to be successful in navigating the spring’s quarantine and remote learning experience.

Taking Care of Staff to Take Care of Students You may have heard the metaphor that you can’t pour from an empty cup. This is certainly true for staff; hence, caring for and supporting them allows them to be the best for our students. One of the first actions I took to support my staff was a weekly Google check in form as part of my Sunday Staff Newsletter. The Weekly Check In asked about a lot of topics like how they were feeling, supports needed, technology celebrations, and great “borrowed” ideas. The questions were modified over the weeks to also include lighthearted items: a good book to read during quarantine, a great show to binge watch, and a favorite outdoor space to visit. We also shared some of the survey results with other staff to share ideas. Monitoring the results weekly, allowed me also to see who might need a personal call and/or a card sent in the mail, or perhaps even a meal delivered.

Community Building During Remote Learning To build a sense of community, routine, and a positive environment, our building administrative team adjusted our daily school announcements to daily video school-wide announcements on our New Albany Intermediate Schoology page. We enlisted the help of staff to be guest announcers, sharing birthdays, celebrations, different daily themes such as Wonderopolis Wednesday, and incorporated read alouds, trivia, and games. Students and staff alike were excited to view the daily announcements and would comment on the Schoology Page. This helped to build some video and technology skills of some of our staff members through this process. We also included a virtual version of our Eagles RISE Wall of Fame, which recognizes students and even expanded to include some staff celebrations as well with an email certificate and positive email to the student, teaching team, and parents. Finally, we hosted Fun Friday on Instagram live, where the administrative team along with staff would host a fun activity to do at home such as “minute to win it” games and STEM activities. Again, staff and students alike enjoyed having some fun, connection, and community building during this challenging time.

Virtual Office Hours and Professional Development

three days in one slide deck for easy access and organization. Session topics included blended learning models, building relationships and strategies for supporting SEL in virtual settings, personalized learning, differentiation, assessment in an online environment, and choice sessions on various technology tools to support direct instruction, online discussion, and feedback. Teachers had opportunities to collaborate with one another across grade levels and content areas, as well as work on building online courses using a district-wide course template.

Staff Appreciation and Fun To keep a positive mindset, show our appreciation, and maintain a positive school culture, our administrative team wrote a handwritten card and mailed them home for every staff member. We would start staff meetings with fun and giveaways such as playing “name that tune,” or hosting a scavenger hunt with digital gift cards as prizes. We had a virtual Shout Out board using Padlet for staff to celebrate one another and share positive messages.

We asked staff to submit a photo of themselves from elementary school, and played New Albany Staff Bingo, to see if they could identify each other. Being able to have humor, and connection was important to staff morale. We had staff members in turn, use some of our games and fun with their students virtually during their weekly Google Meets to foster positive relationships and connection in their classes, again adjusting and adapting to support students.

“As I adjusted and adapted, learning new tools, modeling support and grace for our staff, they in turn did the same for our students.”

During the remote learning period, teachers held virtual office hours to support students and families, so our building administrative team held virtual administrative office hours to support teachers in adjusting and adapting to this new online environment. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 1pm, we held an optional office hour via Google Meet to support staff on a variety of topics, such as tips and tricks for using our Learning Management System, Schoology, or how to use EdPuzzle and Nearpod as an instructional resource. We also invited some of our teacher leaders, tech coaches, and even an Apple Education Specialist who had been working with our district to various sessions to offer support or lead mini lessons. Some office hours had agendas and others we just logged in to answer any questions or offer any support. We also occasionally would host a fun game or scavenger hunt for people just looking to connect. Our optional virtual office hours were well attended, and we received a lot of positive feedback. Beyond this we also held virtual staff meetings twice a month and continued with weekly grade level and content virtual meetings for collaboration and support.

Our district held a three-day virtual district wide professional development in May on blended learning and online course development to continue to adjust and adapt our instruction to meet the needs of our students and families based on stakeholder surveys.

Using an electronic notebook in Google Slides, all resources, articles, documents, videos, and online meeting links were embedded for the

Own Your R

In reflecting upon this whirlwind experience of being a principal in a pandemic, I found that I really needed to own my response, using the R Factor to press pause in difficult moments, to get my mind right, take action, and continually adjust and adapt to the needs of teachers, students, and parents. By remaining calm, focusing on what we can control, and connecting with others to problem solve, this allowed us to support staff and be better together. Jimmy Casas, author of Culturize says, “What we model is what we get.” Through this experience, I witnessed that as I adjusted and adapted, learning new tools, modeling support and grace for our staff, they in turn did the same for our students.

Katie Nowak has served as an administrator at the elementary and middle school level. She is the principal at New Albany Intermediate School and serves as the OAESA Federal Relations Coordinator. She has presented at conferences at the state and national level, and is an Ohio NAESP National Distinguished Principal. Nowak can be contacted via email at nowak.3@napls.us and via Twitter at @KatherineRNowak.

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Virtual Announcements:

Vital to a vibrant online e-Learning experience

BY DAN SEBRING

A

typical school day as an elementary school principal at Normandy School in Bay Village finds me eagerly greeting my Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade students at the entrance each morning and then again through morning announcements over our PA system. It is both a privilege and a joy to begin the day personally welcoming students and setting the tone for a productive educational experience. When the stay at home orders were announced in March, my daily opportunity to see students and motivate them through announcements had vanished in an instant.

Despite the changes, I was determined to find a way to remain daily connected to my students. Kids who typically thrive on and feel security in the structure of their daily routines, were suddenly surrounded by change in pretty much every aspect of their world. This was unsettling, confusing, and upsetting to some of our students. I needed to find a way to smooth this sudden transition and to help my students still feel connected to Normandy.

“What day is today?” Did you ever find yourself asking this question?

For so many of us, the days all blurred together throughout each week because each day resembled the previous. Thematic names, wacky GIFs and funny memes became important ingredients in adding enthusiasm to our virtual morning announcements. Was it Taco Tuesday? Words Wednesday? Happy Friday?!?! I was able to capitalize on several themes that were a part of traditional morning announcements, and then add in a few along the way! This gave the students something to look forward to each day and helped them track along throughout each week.

Math Monday

“I needed to find a way to smooth this sudden transition and to help my students still feel connected to Normandy.”

Having collaborated with a fellow Bay elementary principal, we both decided to create daily prerecorded video announcements in order to maintain this daily routine that the kids had been enjoying at school. We recognized an opportunity to help bridge this unexpected transition to e-learning and also to help the parents build some structure into their day at home. Once we had decided to embark on this adventure, we then had to figure out how to make this work.

We created Google Slides templates to be used every day, and then used Screencastify to capture the video, and finally uploaded our announcements to our district Vimeo account. The announcements were posted to each school’s Vimeo channel and students easily accessed the announcements through their Clever student login page each day.

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Every Monday, we would celebrate the accomplishments of our school-wide progress on JiJi Math (ST Math) and acknowledge our most recent 100% JiJi Masters!

Taco Tuesday

Most of my Normandy students know that I am a big fan of TACOS!!! Every Tuesday, I would play the silly song, “Raining Tacos” (if you don’t know it, look for it on YouTube), to kick off announcements. This eventually led to many families sending along pictures of Taco Night at their house, and then these pictures were shared on announcements. Such a fun way to build a sense of community!

Wacky Words Wednesday Every Wednesday was already known as “Words Wednesday” where I would give an update to the whole school on how we were progressing on our reading challenge for the year. We would

“Kids who typically thrive on and feel security in the structure of their daily routines, were suddenly surrounded by change in pretty much every aspect of their world. This was unsettling, confusing, and upsetting to some of our students.”

celebrate our new schoolwide word count total and then cheer on all the students who had achieved 50,000 words and 500,000 words through our Accelerated Reader program. To bring more excitement to the week, we began ‘Wacky Wednesdays’ (think Crazy Hair Day, etc .).

Happy Friday We all love to celebrate Fridays! Every Friday on announcements, I would play the song, “Happy”, by Pharell Williams, and encourage the students to dance at home!

PBIS Messages At the end of every announcement, I always gave a brief message to motivate our students to live out our core values, also known as “Normandy’s Big 3”, at home during e-learning.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!

While e-learning at home, we discovered that our students loved to see themselves on morning announcements! Not only were they proud to show off their work at home, but seeing pictures of other students allowed them to feel connected to their schoolmates.

Student and Staff Birthdays We enjoyed the daily celebration with those students/staff who had a birthday that day.

When I began creating virtual announcements each day for the students to view as they began their school day at home, I had no idea the impact that it would have on the students and families! We routinely had notes of appreciation from our families, indicating that morning announcements were often a family event that truly helped the students to have a routine to their day and to still feel connected to the school at large.

At Normandy, we have 530 students. We maintained a steady rate of daily views, ranging from 238 - 517, and repeatedly heard that many Normandy students enjoyed kicking off each day of e-learning at home with our virtual morning announcements! Virtual morning announcements proved to be a vital component for creating a vibrant e-learning experience! (Enjoy a few of my morning announcements at https://bit.ly/MornAnnounc) Dan Sebring is the Principal and Lead Learner at Normandy Elementary School in Bay Village City Schools, 15 miles west of Cleveland, Ohio. He received his Master’s Degree and Principal’s License from Ursuline College and eventually earned his spot as a Principal in Painesville City Local Schools. After his seven-year career as a Principal there and achieving the Excellent rating for the final two years, Mr. Sebring then accepted the job in Bay Village, where he was offered a tremendous opportunity to transform this Kindergarten through 2nd grade learning community (now in 7th year in Bay). Dan firmly believes that effective communication, listening, support, shared decision making, and the balanced integration of technology (for both students & staff) are essential elements necessary for the transformation of school cultures. He can be contacted at dan.sebring@bayschoolsohio.org or followed on Twitter @BayNormandy.

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Socially Distanced Professional Developemnt Navigating instructional leadership during COVID-19

BY TIM TARVIN AND PAUL M. WALKER

W

hen Ohio Governor, Mike DeWine, mandated all schools close their physical doors and go to emergency remote learning by the day’s end on March 16, education as we knew it truly was “Forever Changed.” At Shelby City Schools, the district took the opportunity to ensure that any long-lasting changes were for the better. In addition to a quick transition to emergency virtual teaching, the staff of Shelby City Schools embraced virtual professional development.

The Leader in Me (LIM) is an evidence-based Social Emotional Learning (SEL) process that helps to equip students and staff with tools needed to maximize growth and achievement. Shelby adopted the inside/out method of adaptation, first focusing inside on staff with plans to move out to students this coming fall. This process will help to align the district’s vision in addition to supporting the staff, students, and community through common language and culture.

Prior to the global pandemic, Shelby prepared to partner with LIM to provide professional development to ease the transition from multiple schools to one campus for PreK-8 students in the district.

The original start of the collaboration was canceled in March due to the national health crisis. It quickly became apparent that the LIM platform has crucial components to assist staff in helping students address both the challenges of moving to one campus for PreK-8 students as well as the obstacles that have emerged in response to emergency virtual learning.

Throughout the month of May, Shelby staff completed a series of six Zoom sessions centered around The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The initial training focused on elevating the social-emotional competencies of the adults in the district. By making the investment to increase healthy habits in Shelby staff, both personally and professionally, the adults in the district now have tools to support our students in a way not previously possible.

While the staff was looking forward to in-person professional development, they found that using the Zoom platform added value to the experience. Shelby teacher Mandi Green shared, “I think using Zoom during our LIM training was actually very effective. LIM is such a personal journey. Being ‘alone’ in your own space during this training allowed me to focus on myself as the leader rather than what I thought those around me would want me to do/say.”

Intervention Specialist Callie Callender added, “Not only did it give us a chance to sit in the seats of our very own students by learning

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online, but it also gave us the opportunity to share our thoughts, questions, and opinions, through the chatbox, as the lesson was taking place, without interrupting our instructor.”

LIM is an intentional and proactive approach to develop collaboration and cohesiveness among the staff during the next several years as Shelby works to open the new PreK-8 campus. LIM also provided staff with the ability to address the stress and anxiety surrounding COVID-19, which will in turn mean they are better equipped to assist their students in navigating their thoughts and feelings surrounding the national health crisis and its effects on both personal and academic life. This approach will be effective in easing the transition from emergency virtual learning and being away from the physical classroom for six months to reintegrating students into our new “forever changed” model of traditional learning.

The LIM training also focused on enhancing Shelby’s current positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) and multi-tier system of supports (MTSS) through differentiated supports. In addition to strengthening the staff and supports of the schools, Shelby plans to introduce LIM to students in the fall. Welcoming ideas and input from students will work to strengthen connections between students and staff with the launch of this platform.

Finally, this series was an opportunity to maintain and strengthen the connection with staff throughout the stay-at-home directive from the governor. Developing collaboration and cohesiveness among staff during the next several years as the district works to open the new PreK-8 campus is essential. This professional development opportunity allowed for this work to continue at a time where it was not possible for staff to physically work together. Assistant Superintendent Paul Walker explains, “During this pandemic, the LIM gave me a chance to focus and learn about the 7 Habits, while at the same time during social distancing/stay at home orders connect with my colleagues. The LIM program has given me a new way to operate and think about my personal life and career. I am confident that my results will continue to improve if I continue to live by these 7 Habits.”

Tim Tarvin has been an administrator for 25 in Shelby City Schools and for the last 9 years has been the Superintendent at Shelby City Schools. Paul M. Walker has been an administrator for the Shelby City Schools since 2008 and is currently the Assistant Superintendent. You can contact Walker via email at walker.paul@shelbyk12.org and via Twitter @paulmwalker.

“By making the investment to increase healthy habits in Shelby staff, both personally and professionally, the adults in the district now have tools to support our students in a way not previously possible.�

Endorsed at the highest level for developing necessary Social Emotional skills to thrive 100% digital SEL Curriculum Learn more at leaderinme.org For a free book, email Adriana Berger: adriana.berger@franklincovey.com 614-580-7449

FREE Book! fall 2020

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A Rookie Principal Year to Remember

BY REBECCA HUBER

A

s a first-year principal, I learned many hard lessons, but none so poignant as what it truly means to put your staff first.

When the pandemic hit, and we were all forced to work from home, I wracked my brain about how I could be the best leader possible.

Throughout the year, my staff expressed over and over again the need for professional development in implementing social-emotional learning (SEL) standards and meeting the needs of all students.

I knew this would be the time to inspire, enlighten, and lead the team to new levels of understanding.

After much research, I found a series of online courses on the subject that the entire staff could take together. I envisioned us meeting online for rich discourse about the learning we all had absorbed and how it was going to revolutionize our approach to students. I sent out an email about the courses, inviting others to join me on the journey and…..crickets. I had one brave teacher who enrolled and let me know a few days later that the material was “extremely dry” and that reading 50 page articles online was, at best, difficult.

tired, and frustrated with the unknown. In pushing my agenda, I had been neglecting their needs and adding stress onto their already overburdened shoulders. It was time to take a step back and put my team first.

Instead of adding one more demand on the teachers, I trashed my desire to galvanize the troops and flipped my whole approach. My taglines became, “How are you feeling?” and “What do you need from me right now?” We created a daily on-line hang-out every day at 9:15am, which was not a requirement, but a place for the staff to log-on to troubleshoot all the new technology we were using, to problem solve, to discuss how classes were going, and, most importantly, to see a friendly face. Not everybody logged in, and certainly not every day, but there were a number of staff who did so just to remind themselves that they were not alone in their struggles. We talked, we laughed, we problem-solved, and we remembered how strong our bonds really are.

“Changing my

approach from: ‘This is what

you need,’ to

‘What do you need?’ allowed staff to be

Knowing when it was time to move on, I then went onto the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) website, downloaded some modules, and spent dozens of hours revamping and personalizing them for my staff.

I sent yet another email, directing the staff to meet each week for mandatory training, knowing that I would be bringing the magical world of SEL to my staff in a manner that had never been presented before. I would be the most inspiring principal ever.

vulnerable

and honest.”

And then there was reality. In our first Zoom staff meeting, I didn’t see excited faces, ready to absorb every bit of SEL I could possibly cram down their throats. I saw a haggard staff that was scared,

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Changing my approach from: “This is what you need,” to “What do you need?” allowed staff to be vulnerable and honest. It forged a connection more than any of the other actions I took all year. I hope that if in the future, I lean towards the directive and try to force inspiration upon my staff, they will gently remind me of this article and the lessons I learned about putting their needs above my own agenda.

Rebecca Huber just finished her first year as principal of Mound Elementary School in Miamisburg, Ohio. Huber spent the previous 16 years as a Behavior Specialist and Special Education Teacher. Valuing the power of positive relationships above all else, Huber spent this year learning, laughing, and growing along with her students and staff. The author may be contacted via email at rhuber@miamisburg.k12.oh.us and via Twitter at @MoundPrincipal.

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Heartfelt Lessons From a first-year principal during a pandemic

“

I

BY TIFFANY SELM

don’t really know what I’m doing, but I’m trying and I care deeply.” This statement and feeling was inspired by a friend, former colleague, and Hamilton County Coordinator of Instructional Services, Meghan Lawson. I immediately connected with the statement, as a first-year principal. In fact, early into the pandemic, I expressed this exact statement to my staff. I wanted my people to know that I care with my whole heart and will always be real with them. As I have reflected upon this past school year, I am in awe of how my journey and learnings have led me to where I am today. I have had the privilege to know many inspiring educators who have honored who I am, yet encourage my growth while seeing my heart. From March until now, I have collected many heartfelt lessons.

Be Intentional Author Sangram Vajre and recent speaker at the Leadercast Positive Disruption said, “Being intentional is more important than being brilliant.” I recognize that often, I am not the smartest person in the room. I love to learn and grow, and I notice that I have a keen ability to be intentional with my time, words, and actions. Some would say that I’m a quiet leader and yet some notice that when I speak, I strive to speak with an encouraging, and, hopefully, profound message. In order to be intentional, you must actively listen. I listen to details and work to notice moments. When the moment came for schools to close and provide remote learning opportunities to students, I made the decision to continue to be intentional. I promised that I would connect at the beginning of each day with morning announcements via my YouTube channel and dedicated the rest of my day to supporting the educators in my building by checking in, providing communication updates and encouragement, and contacting every family in my school (around 500 students) to say, “I miss you. I care about you. How are you? How can I help?” I am hopeful that my intentions of expressing care and support made a positive difference.

Connection Before Content Before remote learning occurred and during, I remembered a valuable lesson that Forest Hills Assistant Superintendent, Greg Sears, taught me: connection before content. When our teams would meet in our various committees, I would always provide a connection activity before we began discussing the content. For instance, we would connect by sharing answers to these questions: If we were to go on a picnic, what would you bring and why? If your personality was a car, what car would you be and why? If you were a holiday movie character, who would you be and why? Relationships matter and before any results can occur, a relationship is the foundation that will carry your team through the good and challenging times.

Work with Passion and Purpose “Don’t seek happiness. Decide to work with passion and purpose and happiness will find you,” is a quote from The Seed by Jon Gordon.

A friend, former colleague, and Forest Hills Associate Director, Bob Buck encouraged me to read this book, and I’m beyond thankful that he did. At times, I have felt lost in my career and not sure what my passion or purpose is. I caught myself playing the comparison game with others, when I needed to focus on the work and to fill my work with passion and purpose. Comparison is the thief of joy, indeed.

After I refocused my energy, happiness filled my heart. I was able to clearly see and remember why I began working in education years ago: to support growth for the whole child. When feeling doubtful and not happy, do all you can to fill every moment with passion and purpose; happiness will follow shortly after.

Embracing Diverse Collaboration If I was asked the question, “Are you collaborative?” years ago, I would have honestly expressed no. I thought that collaboration was inefficient. My answer today is, “I can’t live without collaboration.” My experiences have taught me that this African proverb is true, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I want to go far. I want to make a positive difference in the lives of children by embracing all voices, ideas, opinions, and perspectives. Author Tim Kight tweeted, “Wise people aren’t afraid of different opinions and perspectives. They welcome diversity of thought. They embrace disagreement and respond with respectful discussion, discourse, and debate. They understand the benefit of creative abrasion. They know that iron sharpens the iron.” When people interact with me, I hope they feel safe to express their thoughts and know that I honor what they are saying, in a welcoming and encouraging manner.

As we navigate this upcoming fall into a world of education that may look very different from our past, what heartfelt lessons have we learned to improve the student experience? Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” I know now with great certainty that being intentional, connecting with others, working with passion, and embracing diverse collaboration is how I show that I care. As a result, students will have better experiences and memories because of this care.

Tiffany Selm is the principal at Pattison Elementary in Milford, Ohio. Prior to that, she served as an assistant principal for seven years, district coordinator for one year, and 5th grade teacher for three years. As the leader at Pattison, she is committed to meeting the social, emotional, and academic needs of all students.

You can contact the author via Twitter at @mrsselm. fall 2020

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The Principals’ Bear Huddle

E

BY KIRK PAVELICH

xcitement among the elementary staff and students in the North Royalton City School District was at a fever pitch for the first six and a half months this school year, as colleagues worked toward a future date on the calendar - the opening of a brand new state-of-the-art elementary building in August of 2021.

The year started with a formal groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site, featuring speeches from district officials and students who will one day set the example for leadership at the new building. Momentum picked up speed throughout the year, as staff members from the Lil’ Bears Preschool along with Albion, Royal View and Valley Vista Elementaries collaborated on the process of merging four distinct building cultures into a cohesive new vision for the next generation of North Royalton primary students. Excitement continued to build with students as they watched a special assembly

by Hammond Construction, followed by the opportunity to sign a beam that would be permanently displayed at the new North Royalton Elementary School.

Then it all came to a screeching halt. When Governor Mike DeWine made the announcement on March 12 that schools would be closed due to the global pandemic, our district elementary staff faced the legitimate possibility of losing out on continued connections with students and colleagues at our primary locations, right at a time when we had made such incredible progress toward creating a new culture for our youngest learners. Like our fellow educators across the state, we were deflated as we tried our best to adjust to our new normal with next to no time to prepare for what would come next.

In the middle of the crisis, a new tool was created to continue reaching our elementary school community. Prior to the closings in March, none of my elementary administrative colleagues could tell you about Zoom, let alone having ever collaborated with the video conference platform. Valley Vista Principal Jeff Hill pitched the idea to our team that Zoom would not only offer us the best chance at reaching our students through a weekly video announcements program, but it just might serve as the morale builder needed by our students and families struggling with the sudden closure. Our program, titled “The Principals’ Bear Huddle” debuted on March 30th and became an immediate hit with our entire school community.

Judging from the overwhelming positive feedback we received and the high number of views over the course of eight episodes, with over 10,000 views combined on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, I wholeheartedly believe this will become one of those ideas that sticks even after we return to the traditional model of educating our elementary students.

What started out as a way to share announcements with our families and celebrate birthdays of our students from preschool through grade four, eventually transformed into episodes featuring special guests such as our school counselors and a retiring teacher. One week we

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would ask for pictures of our families participating in various spirit week activities and the next we would be flooded with submissions to be featured in the following week’s program.

Under the creative direction of Albion Principal Vince Ketterer, we took the program to the next level in honor of National Superheroes Week, when we all revealed our “secret identities” as Captain America (Mr. Hill), the Incredible Hulk (Mr. Ketterer), Thor (Lil’ Bears Preschool Coordinator Mike McGinnis) and yours truly as Batman (see photo on page 33). That particular episode ended up getting featured on Cleveland’s Fox 8 News, as part of the program’s Cleveland’s Own Helping Cleveland’s Own segment. The following week, we couldn’t let the opportunity pass by to connect with our students and families on May the 4th, so the four of us dressed as characters from the Star Wars universe to share a message of hope with our families and were flattered when WKYC Channel 3 featured a clip on the morning news program.

For Staff Appreciation Week, we thought it was the ideal time to pay homage to the classic film “Field of Dreams,” when we dressed in baseball uniforms and promised “If you build it, they will come.”

Our students watching from home were elated when they saw staff members from all elementary schools in the district appearing in our Zoom meeting episode, waving to the kids they missed so much during our time away from the buildings and signifying they will indeed be coming together when the construction project is complete.

The positivity carried over to the final days of the school year, as we truly felt that the Principals’ Bear Huddle played at least a small role in the enhanced camaraderie among our elementary staff members.

Colleagues from all of our primary buildings utilized Zoom and Google Meet to plan activities with one another, store resources and video lessons in a shared drive. As a result, we grew closer during a time when we very easily could have lost touch and derailed the positive momentum from earlier in the year.

As we plan for an uncertain future, the elementary staff in North Royalton has grown in their ability to collaborate with one another, even in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. We have no doubt that the years to come will be promising for our youngest learners, thanks in large part to the new initiatives that were born in the midst of a crisis.

Kirk Pavelich has been the principal at Royal View Elementary, a 2015 OAESA Hall of Fame School, for the past eight years. In 2021, he will become the lead principal at North Royalton Elementary as the district combines four buildings into one. Pavelich, who is the Cuyahoga County representative for OAESA, is married to Julie and has three children, Rachel, Becca and Jonathan. You can contact him via email at kirk.pavelich@northroyaltonsd.org or via Twitter at @Kirk_Pavelich.

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fall 2020

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Forging an Electronic Community in an Instant

BY RYAN STOWELL

I

will never forget the afternoon of March 12. We had a possible case of COVID-19 in our county and I was watching Governor DeWine’s press conference with the administrative team. We had to stop watching and go outside for student dismissal, when we came back in we learned that he was in fact going to close schools for three weeks. Later that afternoon the suspected case was confirmed, and schools in our county were closed immediately. We had no idea when we walked out for dismissal that afternoon that we would not see our students again this school year.

Connecting Every Student

We met with our staff the next day and made plans to deliver instruction electronically while our building was closed. The collaboration of our teachers, technology staff, and administrators was remarkable as many of our teachers created Google Classrooms for the first time. There were definitely challenges early on, but we adapted and learned a lot along the way.

Supporting Our Teachers

Communication with Families One of my responsibilities was to share with our parents how to utilize our online resources during distance learning. Videos and screencasts became my primary tool for this purpose, which I shared on our school social media platform and YouTube. At first the videos were just the screen and my narration; they were awfully boring. As time went on, I began adding title screens, transitions, and text on the screen to make them more engaging. We also began a weekly birthday video to celebrate student birthdays.

YouTube provides tremendous viewership data. Early on we had a high level of engagement and most viewers watched the entire video, but as time went on fewer people viewed them and many stopped watching after two minutes. This was important because it showed that our message was not always getting to our audience, and I began to strive to keep every video under two minutes in duration.

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We recognized that internet connectivity and device availability for every student was a critical component of our plan. Chromebooks were delivered to students that did not have a device and we were fortunate that internet service companies provided free access this spring. While we could have provided packets, students with access to technology would receive a more robust educational experience than those without it and we sought to close that gap.

Our initial Zoom staff meetings were not highly productive. We had much greater success meeting with staff in grade level and department teams. Our meetings focused on two topics: improving instruction in a digital environment and engaging students who were not participating. Guidance counselors or administrators were assigned to contact families that were not engaged. In many cases, these families needed connectivity, a device, or guidance and support accessing the online content.

The transition was difficult for our teachers. Our technology department and several tech savvy teachers put together virtual workshops to assist with technology, but it was still overwhelming for many. Meetings were sometimes cancelled when we sensed very high stress levels, and we planned virtual staff lunches where schoolrelated topics were prohibited. During teacher appreciation week, we set up a drive-thru for teachers to pick-up dinner for their families and gift cards from our PTO. This was well received and appreciated.

Procedures, Consistency, and Routines One of our first challenges was the lack of consistency and procedures in our online environment. Overall our families were appreciative and understanding of the situation, but we did receive

feedback from them that having assignments posted constantly with varying due dates made it difficult for them to plan. We also had significant variations from one classroom to the next within grade levels.

We held a virtual staff meeting and our technology teacher shared a presentation showing teachers how to organize their content by week. We made it a school policy that all work for the week would be posted by 9:00 AM every Monday and would be due the following Monday. The teachers began holding weekly virtual common planning meetings which improved the consistency among the classrooms.

Finding the Right Balance We were also conscious of the fact that many parents were still working during distance learning and could not be expected to duplicate a school day at home. Teachers were asked to keep expectations to 90 minutes per day in grades K-2 and 120 minutes per day in grades 3-4. These expectations were shared with families. We asked our teachers to focus on English/Language Arts and Math, and within those subjects to determine the most essential standards that provide critical prerequisite knowledge and skills for the next grade level.

Corporate America was extraordinarily generous at the onset of the pandemic.

Teachers suddenly had access to more online resources than we could ever dream of providing within the confines of our school budgets. Focusing on a limited number of online resources was necessary so that parents weren’t asked to familiarize themselves with an unreasonable number of programs and websites.

Finding a way to emulate the social aspects of school in our online community became our next priority. Our specialist teachers put together a series of fun virtual activities and the principals began hosting virtual grade level lunches where students could socialize. Teachers began hosting evening virtual storytimes, pajama parties, and other activities with their classes. These were valuable experiences to keep students connected to one another while our building was closed.

Working from Home Working from home means that you are simultaneously always at home and always at work. I have struggled with work-life balance my entire career, but the elimination of the physical distance between school and work made this more pronounced than ever. Many of our teachers also shared that they were working constantly.

My wife is also an educator, so balancing our responsibilities, educating our second grader at home, and getting our preschool

daughter to her Zoom meetings was an incredible challenge. Initially, we were working all hours of the day seven days a week. We knew this was unsustainable and that we needed a better plan. Our goal was to complete everything during the work week and keep the weekends free to focus on family activities, even if that meant long days during the week. Most weeks we were able to plan out the week on Monday morning after our daughter’s assignments were posted and have everything finished by Friday evening.

An Enduring Imprint As we look toward this fall and plan for a previously unimaginable school year, there are lessons from this experience that I will carry into the future. Zoom led me to literally see the wide disparity in home environments between our wealthiest and poorest families.

Technology and internet connectivity, once seen as luxuries, are now indispensable elements to providing a high quality education to every student. The pandemic showed us that we can implement flipped classrooms and integrate technology in our instruction if we commit ourselves to connecting every student.

I have never had more collaboration with principals than I did during statewide virtual meetings that were born during the pandemic. The pandemic keeping us apart resulted in closer relationships with far away colleagues than I would have previously considered to be possible.

I hope that those opportunities endure moving forward.

Personally, the opportunity to spend more time as a family has made me ponder whether we should reduce the number of activities our children are involved in when they restart.

Prior to the pandemic our children were involved in sports, dance, music lessons, and church activities. While we want them to pursue their interests, we may reduce the number of weekly commitments and prioritize spending more time together as a family.

The pandemic has brought the value of time into focus for me. It is limited, it is valuable, and we should be very conscientious about how we choose to allocate it in our student schedules, and with our families at home. The pandemic will pass eventually, but I hope that my heightened awareness that time is precious and irreplaceable persists well into the future.

Ryan Stowell is the assistant principal at the Lakeview K-8 School in the Lakeview Local School District, located in Cortland, OH. He previously served as principal of Bristol Elementary School and as an assistant principal for Campbell City Schools. He resides in Cortland, OH with his wife and two daughters. You can contact him via email at ryan.stowell@lakeviewlocal.orgor via Twitter at @LLSBulldogsAP. fall 2020

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AN UPDATE ON OAESA'S 2020 & 2021

RECOGNITION AWARDS PROGRAM School closures due to COVID-19 have caused many disruptions and demands for adaptation, including the abrupt halt to the OAESA Recognition Awards Process. In March, we were in the middle of the visitation stage of our process with some of the nominees already visited, and others not. When it became apparent that no school visits would be allowed, the OAESA Board of Directors, upon advice from me and the OAESA Recognition Service Team, made this generous and supportive decision:

There were 17 schools who were in the visitation stage for the Hall of Fame Award.

The eight schools who were visited before March 13, 2020 will be the 2020 Hall of Fame award winners and the other nine schools will be the 2021 Hall of Fame winners.

The two finalists for the National Distinguished Principal award will each be selected; one named the 2020 winner and the other, our 2021 winner.

Additionally, our already selected secretary of the year will be the 2020 winner.

We hope that all can be honored in person at the Professional Conference and Trade Show here in Columbus June 16-18, 2021. Health and safety factors permitting, we will commence a new awards process beginning in the fall of 2021. We look forward to honoring the 2020 and 2021 winners this year, as well as all of the great work our members are doing during this uncertain time. Congratulations to all honorees!

Dr. Julie Davis, OAESA Executive Director

2020 OHIO NAESP NATIONAL DISTINGUISHED PRINCIPAL KATI MANN OF MEMORIAL ELEMENTARY, BRUNSWICK CITY SCHOOLS

2021 OHIO NAESP NATIONAL DISTINGUISHED PRINCIPAL BONNIE KUBEC OF WALTER KIDDER ELEMENTARY, BRUNSWICK CITY SCHOOLS

2020 SECRETARY OF THE YEAR CINDY HADSELL OF DORR ELEMENTARY, SPRINGFIELD LOCAL SCHOOLS

2020 D. RICHARD MURRAY AWARD DONNA BALL

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OAESA'S HALL OF FAME SCHOOLS! 2020 WINNERS

2021 WINNERS

SUTTER PARK PRESCHOOL WORTHINGTON CITY SCHOOLS TRICIA HOSKING, PRINCIPAL

SHARONVILLE ELEMENTARY PRINCETON CITY SCHOOLS KASI JORDAN, PRINCIPAL

AVON EARLY LEARNING CENTER AVON LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT COLLEEN MUDORE, PRINCIPAL

EVENDALE ELEMENTARY PRINCETON CITY SCHOOLS JOYCELYN SENTER, PRINCIPAL

WILSON HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WORTHINGTON CITY SCHOOLS DAN GIRARD, PRINCIPAL

SEVEN MILE ELEMENTARY EDGEWOOD CITY SCHOOLS LORI HARRISON, PRINCIPAL

CRESTVIEW ELEMENTARY BRUNSWICK CITY SCHOOLS JAMIE SCHULKE, PRINCIPAL

FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY WADSWORTH CITY SCHOOLS ROGER HAVENS, PRINCIPAL

EAST LINDEN ELEMENTARY COLUMBUS CITY SCHOOLS CHERYL JONES, PRINCIPAL

FAIRFAX ELEMENTARY MENTOR EXEMPTED VILLAGE SCHOOLS MELANIE PEARN, PRINCIPAL

INDIAN TRAIL ELEMENTARY CANAL WINCHESTER LOCAL SCHOOLS ERIC RIDDLE, PRINCIPAL

KEAN ELEMENTARY WOOSTER CITY SCHOOLS BRANDON COBB, PAST PRINCIPAL MOLLY RICHARD, PRINCIPAL

SYCAMORE CREEK ELEMENTARY PICKERINGTON LOCAL SCHOOLS NIKKI ARNOLD, PAST PRINCIPAL PAMELA BERTKE, PRINCIPAL WINDSOR ELEMENTARY (NOW NORTHWOOD ELEMENTARY) ELYRIA CITY SCHOOLS MIRANDA ROSCOE, PRINCIPAL

EAST WOODS ELEMENTARY (NOW EAST WOODS INTERMEDIATE) HUDSON CITY SCHOOLS MICHAEL SEDLAK, PRINCIPAL FAIRBORN INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL FAIRBORN CITY SCHOOLS BETSY WYATT, PRINCIPAL FAIRFIELD ELEMENTARY MAUMEE CITY SCHOOLS MICHELLE LOBOCHEFSKI, PRINCIPAL

fall 2020

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H E A LT H

matters

COVID-19 Prevention Resources for Schools

BY ANN CONNELLY

C

OVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019 or SARS-CoV-2) was first identified in China in late 2019. As a novel illness, we are learning more about it every day. At the time of this writing (July 2020), these are the facts we know: • It has the potential to cause severe respiratory illness • There is no vaccine • At the time of this writing, symptoms are thought to start two to 14 days after exposure and include: fever (above 100 degrees) or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

While at this point there is no cure for COVID-19, there are activities we can all do to prevent getting infected with COVID-19.

These include: • Wearing a face mask or cloth face covering that covers your nose, mouth and chin when in public places • Frequent handwashing with soap and water for 20 seconds, or using hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol content • Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, or eyes • Covering coughs/sneezes with your arm or a tissue and disposing of used tissues in a covered container • Avoiding exposure to others who are sick, and staying home if you are ill, avoiding close contact with others • Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces with a product that is labeled for use against SARSCoV-2 (COVID-19) • Getting adequate sleep and eating well-balanced meals to ensure a healthy immune system • Social/physical distancing of 6 feet from others As you have all been preparing for the 2020-21 school year, no doubt

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you and your staff, volunteers, students, and families have had many questions on when, if, and how student learning will take place. To help you in your planning, the Ohio Department of Health and Ohio Department of Education have developed resources. These resources include: • Ohio Public Health Advisory System.

• Ohio Department of Health “COVID-19 Health and Prevention Guidance for Ohio K-12 Schools.”

• Ohio Department of Education “Reset and Restart Education: Planning Guide for Ohio Schools and Districts.”

The Public Health Advisory System is a color-coded system designed to supplement existing statewide orders through a datadriven framework to assess the degree of the virus’ spread and to engage and empower individuals, businesses, communities, local governments, and others—including schools—in their response and actions. The system consists of four levels that provide Ohioans with guidance as to the severity of the problem in the counties in which they live and work. The levels are determined by data indicators that identify the risk level for each county and a corresponding color code to represent that risk level. These data indicators include things such as number of new cases per capita; sustained increases in new cases, emergency room visits, outpatient visits, and hospital admissions; and others.

To find the current status of your county, please visit coronavirus. ohio.gov. The colors of the county on the map indicate how widespread COVID-19 is in your area. Guidance is provided on what kinds of actions people should take depending on what level their county is. This information will help inform your actions in your school.

Building upon the Public Health Advisory System is the Ohio Department of Health document, “COVID-19 Health and Prevention Guidance for Ohio K-12 Schools.” Although our understanding of COVID-19 continues to evolve, one thing that has remained constant is that using multiple layers of protection to protect against catching the virus is key. In line with this thinking, this document outlines five key points: • Assessing symptoms • Increased sanitation • Social distancing • Face coverings • Risk assessment and mitigation Before boarding school transportation or coming to the school facility, school staff, volunteers, and students should review the list of symptoms on a daily basis. If anyone has these symptoms, they should stay home and contact their medical provider. If someone develops any of these symptoms while at school, they must immediately be separated from others, wear a face covering, and be placed in a separate room while waiting to be picked up. This room should be separate from the nurse’s office and areas visited by students, and monitored by a staff member wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and maintaining physical distance.

face coverings. Your school should have a face covering policy that at minimum reflects the guidance in the Public Health Advisory System. As of August 2020, a health order has been issued requiring that K-12 children wear face coverings while at school. Similar to school staff, there are exceptions listed in the guidance document for students.

Using current information from the Public Health Advisory System and in close consultation with your local health department and school health professionals such as school nurses, your school can assess the current risk and implement plans to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the Whole Child at the center of the Ohio Department of Education’s “Each Child, Our Future” strategic plan.

As previously mentioned, the third document to assist you in navigating the 2020-21 school year is the Ohio Department of Education’s “Reset and Restart Education: Planning Guide for Ohio Schools and Districts.”

This comprehensive document is designed to help schools and their partners understand guidelines and considerations for reopening school buildings during the continued presence of COVID-19 in a way that protects the health and safety of school communities. Its intention is to spur local-level, partnership-based discussions and decision-making that will result in locally developed Reset and Restart Education Plans. It includes three sections, (1) health and safety guidelines for schools to reopen; (2) return-to-school considerations for local planning; and (3) role considerations for associations, educational organizations (including educational service centers) and other state and community partners.

“While at this point there is no cure for COVID-19, there are activities we can all do to prevent getting infected with COVID-19.”

Hand washing and sanitizing are important tools in preventing the spread of COVID-19 by killing the virus. Students, staff, and volunteers should practice frequent handwashing for at least 20 seconds when hands are dirty, before and after eating, and after using the restroom. Cleaning, sanitizing, and avoiding shared materials reduces the chance that people will come into contact with viruses on surfaces. The sharing of supplies and materials should be minimized and if items must be shared, sanitize between each user.

Keeping a distance of six feet or more between people adds another layer of prevention against the spread of COVID-19 by minimizing the chance of coming into contact with the virus through respiratory droplets. School staff should try when possible to maintain 6-foot social distance among people in all school environments, including classrooms, hallways, restrooms, cafeteria, playground, drop-off and pick-up locations, and school buses.

Face coverings, whether masks or cloth face coverings, are critical to preventing the spread of the virus from person-to-person. Masks/ coverings provide a barrier that prevents respiratory droplets and smaller aerosolized particles carrying the virus from spreading from one person to another. Not only do they protect the person who is wearing the mask by preventing the spread of that person’s respiratory droplets, if both people involved in a conversation are wearing masks, it limits the particles passing between them. With limited exceptions described in the guidance, school staff must wear

The “Reset and Restart Education” document includes operating assumptions, effective practices, educational considerations for the four learning domains in the “Each Child, Our Future” strategic plan, an emphasis on equity, and social-emotional health considerations.

There are more than 20 checklists of essential questions for your school to answer as you go through the academic year. Schools are encouraged to be nimble in their planning and implementation of learning methods for students.

As we move through the 2020-21 school year, we are likely to learn more about COVID-19 and ways to prevent and treat it. The Ohio Department of Health has a website (coronavirus.ohio.gov) that is continuously updated with the most current information and guidance—please visit it often.

Ann M. Connelly, MSN, RN, LSN, NCSN, is a Public Health Nurse Supervisor of School Nursing and Early Childhood Health Programs at the Ohio Department of Health. You can contact the author via email at Ann. connelly@odh.ohio.gov. fall 2020

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LEGAL

report

ARE PRINCIPALS LEGALLY LIABLE FOR THE INJURY TO OR DEATH OF A STUDENT WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE CONTRACTED COVID-19 AT SCHOOL?

A

BY DENNIS PERGRAM

natural question by principals and assistant principals (“principals”) is whether they can be held liable for the injury to or death of a student who has contracted the coronavirus while at school. This article will be limited solely to addressing potential liability of principals with respect to students and the coronavirus.

At the outset, it must be remembered that it is your school board that makes the decision whether students are required to or given the option to attend school in person. While various legislation is being discussed and proposed as a result of liability concerns and the coronavirus, current Ohio law would certainly appear to address such concerns and it is doubtful that any subsequent legislation will impose greater liability for principals.

Principals are in the class of individuals who have certain defenses and immunities under R.C. 2744.03, which provides in relevant part as follows: (A) In a civil action brought against a political subdivision or an employee of a political subdivision to recover damages for injury, death, or loss to person or property allegedly caused by any act or omission in connection with a governmental or proprietary function, the following defenses or immunities may be asserted to establish nonliability: ...

(6) In addition to any immunity or defense referred to in division (A)(7) of this section and in circumstances not covered by that division or sections 3314.07 and 3746.24 of the Revised Code, the employee is immune from liability unless one of the following applies: (a) The employee’s acts or omissions were manifestly outside the scope of the employee’s employment or official responsibilities; (b) The employee’s acts or omissions were with malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton or reckless manner;

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(c) Civil liability is expressly imposed upon the employee by a section of the Revised Code. Civil liability shall not be construed to exist under another section of the Revised Code merely because that section imposes a responsibility or mandatory duty upon an employee, because that section provides for a criminal penalty, because of a general authorization in that section that an employee may sue and be sued, or because the section uses the term “shall” in a provision pertaining to an employee. ...

As provided for above, simple negligence alone which typically is not done with a malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton or reckless manner will not cause the principal to lose the immunity provided for by the statute. It is not practical to try to list all principal acts or omissions which could be classified as being with a malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton or reckless manner; however, one easy example would be if a principal has been diagnosed with the coronavirus and, nonetheless, shows up at school and has an in-person meeting with a student. In my opinion, the principal’s conduct would constitute recklessness, which is one of the exceptions to immunity. Consequently, if a student then is diagnosed with coronavirus, the student may be very likely to sue the principal subject, of course, to being able to prove the student contracted the coronavirus from the principal. While there may be an issue of proof, you certainly do not want to be a party to that litigation.

I often get the question, in connection with other facts or circumstances: “Can I be sued?” Unfortunately, in civil litigation, there is no requirement that there be an initial evidentiary showing of liability (except in medical malpractice cases). Therefore, even if a principal has done nothing wrong, the principal can be sued.

Of course, even if a principal has a frivolous or non-meritorious lawsuit filed against them, the costs of defending such a lawsuit can be substantial. Fortunately, R.C. 2744.07(A) requires the principal’s school board to provide the principal with a defense (providing the principal with, and paying for, an attorney), subject to certain exceptions. R.C. 2744.07(A)(1) provides as follows:

(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, a political subdivision shall provide for the defense of an employee, in any state or federal court, in any civil action or proceeding which contains an allegation for damages for injury, death, or loss to person or property caused by an act or omission of the employee in connection with a governmental or proprietary function. Amounts expended by a political subdivision in the defense of its employees shall be from funds appropriated for this purpose or from proceeds of insurance.

The exceptions where a school board does not have to provide for the principal’s defense are: (1) the principal was not acting in good faith; (2) the principal was acting manifestly outside of his/ her employment or official responsibilities; (3) the principal is an employee of a regional council of governments and is also not an employee of the board that is a member of the council; or (4) the alleged act or omission, if proven, would constitute a violation of Chapter 102 (Ethics) or Chapter 2921 (Crimes) of the Revised Code.

Another fair question is what if, notwithstanding the immunity provided for under R.C. 2744.07(A), the legal system malfunctions and the principal is found liable and has a judgment issued against him/her? Fortunately, R.C. 2744.07 requires the school board to indemnify the principal, subject to certain exceptions. R.C. 2744.07(B)(1) provides as follows: (1) Except as otherwise provided in division (B) (2) of this section, a political subdivision shall indemnify and hold harmless an employee in the amount of any judgment, other than a judgment for punitive or exemplary damages, that is obtained against the employee in a state or federal court or as a result of a law of a foreign jurisdiction and that is for damages for injury, death, or loss to person or property caused by an act or omission in connection with a governmental or proprietary function.

The exceptions to when a school board must indemnify are the same exceptions to the duty to defend set forth above.

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WBNS 10TV in Columbus has recently reported that it reached out to certain central Ohio school districts and discovered that the districts have not required, or do not intend to require, parents to sign a waiver for their children to attend in-person classes but have or will require waivers for extra-curricular activities. In my opinion, the liability waiver does not provide the principal with any immunity not already enjoyed under R.C. 2744.03 and will not protect against actions or omissions that are done with a malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton and reckless manner.

In summary, the coronavirus has come about unexpectedly and while specific legislation may be passed regarding liabilities, the current law in effect provides principals with certain defenses and immunities and school board obligations to provide the principals with a defense and indemnification subject to the exceptions mentioned above. Most likely, any new legislation will not lessen the protections already in place for principals.

Dennis Pergram, legal counsel to OAESA, is a partner in the law firm of Manos, Martin & Pergram Co., LPA. He is a former chairperson of the Ohio State Bar Association School Law Committee and has practiced school law for over 30 years.

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LEGISLATIVE

update

Advocacy in a COVID-19 World

BY BARBARA SHANER

F

or many of us, the inclination to be an advocate does not come naturally. While we may have strong beliefs about something (public education for example), we are not compelled to take up the cause and actively promote change. For one thing, our dayto-day lives can seem a world away from that place where laws are made, and regulations are established. Further, in the case of public education, educators, administrators and school leaders are often overwhelmed with the challenge of carrying out the laws and rules already in place. Extra time for advocacy just doesn’t seem possible.

This was the case pre-COVID. How much more difficult is it to be an advocate when living under a world-wide pandemic? Let’s consider that question – and let’s also look at the situation from an elected official’s view.

Social media, online meetings and electronic communications were all being utilized before the coronavirus pandemic materialized.

However, the use of these tools (and their effectiveness) has been accelerated dramatically just since March of this year. Experts say we’ve catapulted decades ahead in the effectiveness of these tools, and the creative ways we’ve found to communicate and conduct business electronically. OAESA members know first-hand what it means to utilize remote communications and online learning effectively, and we know you have found ways to improve on that process.

When you think about it, Ohio’s legislators are in the same boat we all are as they attempt to connect with constituents. Large public gatherings are not possible, shaking hands with voters is a no-no, and even knocking on doors would be frowned upon. Perhaps this is an opportunity for the average citizen (a.k.a. public school supporters) to meet them where they are – in cyberspace.

Another interesting phenomenon that has cropped up with the

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Coronavirus pandemic is the amplification of the shortcomings with the current public education system, including the over-reliance on high stakes testing. Also, the inequities among students’ access to high quality educational opportunities have been brought to light more clearly. The spotlight on public education has never been brighter.

As we consider these factors—the new way in which communication is occurring coupled with the increased focus on the needs of students and those who serve them—it seems like the perfect opportunity to rethink advocacy.

We used to encourage members to make appointments to meet with legislators in their offices in Columbus. That is not really an option these days as in-person meetings are no longer the norm. We used to encourage members to invite legislators to their buildings. With many schools starting out the school year with remote learning, that won’t be possible either.

Building principals have first-hand knowledge of the challenges that come with educating students in a COVID-19 world. You also know about the great things happening in your ‘buildings’ when it comes to engaging students and the learning that can still take place. With that comes your understanding of what’s important and what can be set aside (such as unreasonable/unnecessary laws and regulations) in favor of common sense and what really works. Why not look for ways to share this knowledge with the people in charge of making the laws and rules that could affect success in the future?

There are two reasons why we hope members will find ways to communicate with lawmakers this year (yes, become advocates).

First, if we don’t share information about the needs of students and the best policies that will impact success, they won’t have good information on which to take action. Second, because of the

influence of social media and the current political climate, there is plenty of negative fodder about public education out there for lawmakers to latch onto. Instead of making informed decisions, they may make harmful ones.

One example of negative publicity around public education is the perception that with remote learning, schools don’t need as much money. In some school districts, taxpayers are demanding a refund.

Yet education is still taking place, and in some cases, the challenges are even greater as we make sure all students are engaged. Not to mention the state funding reductions that have already been implemented. That is why it is important to get the word out about the positive things that are happening in public education in this COVID-19 world.

Let’s go with the assumption that legislators need our help. We can also assume they just like us, figuring out how to communicate with constituents (voters). You can help by proactively reaching out to them either with a phone call or electronically, to set up a virtual meeting or to invite them to observe an example of online learning.

Advocacy doesn’t require you to make a strong speech or argument about the needs of public education. It can simply be the building of a relationship between you, your building, your students, and a local legislator. Then when there is something specific and important to discuss, they will know who you are, and they will know why your views should be considered.

In the year 2020, we have changed from Columbus-centered advocacy to a much more flexible and local mode of communication and engagement. As a professional advocate, I now have fewer opportunities to speak to legislators in the hallways of the Statehouse.

I, too, have been forced to think of advocacy in a different light.

Knowing that credibility and influence rely significantly on positive relationships that are built over time, the challenge for lobbyists like me is in finding ways to connect virtually before an issue arises.

The same is true for OAESA members. Also, your role in providing credibility for the organization has been amplified under the current circumstances. When we speak with legislators, if they already know our members, our chances of success are greatly improved.

So, don’t wait until there is a bill you want passed (or one you oppose) to contact a legislator. Get to know them and let them get to know you. They’ll be more likely to take your call about a specific issue, if that relationship is already in place. This concept hasn’t changed; it’s just that the way you get to know your legislators is different.

Advocacy is still advocacy in this COVID-19 world, but just as business, personal communications, and of course schooling have all changed, we have an opportunity to re-think the way we advocate as well as re-visit its importance.

Barbara Shaner is OAESA’s Advocacy Specialist. If you need more information, contact the author at barbaracshaner@gmail.com.

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halkboard

didyouknow?

news from the association

CALL FOR ARTICLES Submit your article for our winter issue, which will focus on the topic, Inequity Revealed.

Submissions are due November 1. Email navigator@oaesa.org for more information on this opportunity!

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LEGAL CONSULT Your OAESA professional membership entitles you to one free hour of workrelated legal consultation with OAESA legal counsel, Dennis Pergram, every calendar year.

DON’T WANNA MISS A THING? In order to receive all communications from OAESA, please log in to your oaesa.org account and ensure that your info is correct. And just FYI, your personal data is never shared.

elcome

ZONE 1 Mark Broermann Megan Phillips

ZONE 2 Crystal Alston Jennifer Hayes Jessica Hensley Kaitlyn Ireland Michelle Konerman Jacob Martin Alexis Ott Jon Payne Abigail Weitzel Christopher Willis Sr. ZONE 3 Chad Barker Amber Buschur Amy Esser Emily Hemmelgarn Mark Hilbun Korie Jacobs Katherine Ketcham

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OAESA’s New Members Whitney Langston Angie Stephenson Stacey Stettler Eric Tattersall Lauryn Timmerman ZONE 4 Jestine Curry Sonya Gordon Christine Hammer Jennifer Lahey Jennifer Mayo Shani Mixon Andrew Screptock ZONE 5 Aubrey Baur Matthew Deichler Morgan Gompf Nikki Murphy ZONE 6 Delarisa Bruce Michael Edom

Kimberly Esplin Brian Falhamer Jessica Gamble Krystle George Joyeanna Jones Anthony Martin Amanda Tandy Jayme Tucker ZONE 7 Gregory Kibler Laura Kollat Lauren Lammlein Courtney Lausin Angelique Morse Michelle Nizen Raj Sam Amanda Stark Corey Stephens ZONE 8 Michael Risaliti Christin Sedmock Benjamin Shenk

ZONE 9 Sadie Mahon Leslie Shumate Jr Trevor Tom ZONE 10 Diane Allen Scott Bennett Elizabeth Braun April Bray Chris Cracraft Andrew Cunningham Shannon Gladieux Ricky Kitchen Katherine Lyons Nicole Miller Stephanie Phillips Ally Schleichert David Schottner Jacob Shafer Anitra Simmons Andrew Thompson Morgan Van Dellen

CAN I GET A

CONNECTION ?

In these trying times, OAESA is working to provide opportunities for administrators to stay connected to each other.

Fall Regional Meetings Meet other administrators in your area for networking and discussions about the issues you face on the job. It’s a great way to recharge and learn about the successes and initiatives at other schools, and best of all, it’s completely free! You are welcome at any zone meeting, regardless of where you live or work, and nonmembers are welcome, so invite a friend.

To protect the health and well-being of our members across the state, all fall regional meetings will be held virtually via Zoom. A link to join will be emailed to the address used for registration.

Twitter Chats Log in to Twitter and follow our hashtag, #ohprinchat during our fall Twitter chats. It’s a great way to get new ideas and inspiration on the fly from the comfort of your own couch.

October

M O RA L E BOOSTER Trying to think of ways to boost morale during this unique year? Mark your calendar and be sure to celebrate wherever and whenever possible!

October

1 - National & Ohio Principals Month 2 - National Custodial Workers Day 31 - Halloween

November 1 - Daylight Saving Time 3 - Election Day

Date: Tuesday, October 6 Time: 8PM-9PM Topic: Long-Term Impact: Strategies and Lessons Learned from COVID-19

11 - Veterans Day

November

December

Date: Tuesday, November 10 Time: 8PM-9PM Topic: Digital Learning Successes

Intentionally Connect Zoom Series Don’t miss this chance to intentionally connect with your colleagues from across the state and participate in the conversation around the impact of the pandemic, crowdsource solutions, and share best practices as we work to navigate this unprecedented time in our school communities.

Watch for OAESA emails regarding dates, times, and meeting topics!

26 - Thanksgiving

10-18 - Hanukkah 25 - Christmas 26-1 Kwanzaa

31 - New Year’s Eve

fall 2020

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e’re booked

THE DREAMKEEPERS: Successful Teachers of AfricanAmerican Children, 2nd Edition

BY Gloria Ladson-Billings REVIEW BY Gretchen Liggens, Ph.D., Principal, Walton K-8 School, Cleveland Metropolitan Schools OAESA Past President

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hen thinking about the development of background and the contextual capacity of faculty and staff, the original edition from Gloria Ladson-Billings came to mind. The opening pages of the book provide a solid research base and a context for the problem of the achievement gap, or more appropriately, the opportunity gap between African-American and white students. The second edition of the book provides a knowledge base for educators who wish to understand more about culture and one’s implicit bias.

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The original book was published in 1994, and this subsequent 2nd edition was published in 2013. Ladson-Billings sought out educators who were perceived as successful by parents and principals with educating students of color. In this second edition of The Dreamkeepers, Ladson-Billings revisits the eight teachers who were studied in the first edition and profiles new teachers who currently represent examples of highquality, culturally relevant teaching. She shows that culturally relevant teaching is not a matter of race, gender, or teaching style.

What matters most is a teacher’s efforts to work with the unique strengths a child brings to the classroom. Both editions highlight the need for cultural awareness in “intellectually rigorous and challenging classrooms.”

I have found that Ladson-Billings’ skillful blend of personal story, literature review, and ethnography make this book easily accessible. The second edition includes reflective questions. I have used this book for a book study along with The Skin We Speak: Thoughts on Language and Culture edited

by Lisa Delpit and Joanne Kilgour Dowdy as starting points for faculty reflections upon their understanding of the culture of the students before them. Culturally relevant classrooms improve the achievement of all students.

My recommendations for engaging faculty in the work of culturally relevant pedagogy/ cultural competency would include The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of AfricanAmerican Students, 2nd edition (2013) as well as Cultural Competence Now: 56 Exercises to Help Educators Understand and Challenge Bias, Racism, and Privilege by Vernita Mayfield (2020) for their masterful blend of personal narrative, research, and application that make for beneficial work with faculty and staff.

BETTER THAN CARROTS OR STICKS: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Mangagement

BY Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey REVIEW BY Cheri Copeland-Shull, Principal, Dorr Elementary Springfield Local Schools

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s we enter into a new school year that could have all the makings of an amusement park roller coaster ride, we are already acutely aware that we will not only be working extensively on the academic side of the educational arena but the socialemotional one as well. Our students will need us more than ever and will be looking to us

BOOK REVIEWS FOR THE PRINCIPAL LIBRARY

to support them with their social-emotional needs and to ensure that they are “successready” in a hopeful and safe environment.

It was due to this, that several members of our elementary and fellow staff from a neighboring elementary decided to participate in a book study with Better Than Carrots or Sticks, a book seeping with practical knowledge and tips for creating a cooperative and respectful school culture. The premise of the book moves away from the traditional classroom management protocol of encouraging good behavior with rewards and discouraging unacceptable behavior with punishments. Instead, the book creates a blueprint in developing a culture in which the educators empower the students to address and correct this unacceptable behavior among themselves. As research has shown, this leads to longer lasting, positive, and wider-reaching results.

There is a quote at the beginning of the book, widely attributed to Frederick Douglass, that squarely sums up the need for this book to serve as a staff book study and/or as an addition to your professional development library: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

As we continue to move in the direction of restorative justice practices, this is an excellent book to engage your staff with understanding the “why” of this initiative to develop a team mindset. It is an easy read and a study guide can be accessed to direct the book study through the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). This book truly is for everyone who comes in contact with children at a school— bus drivers, teachers, recess monitors, secretaries (mine read the book, too!), and principals—because our students will need to be those “strong children” in this new era of change and uncertainty.

CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING AND THE BRAIN:

Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

BY Zaretta Hammond REVIEW BY Felecia Evans, Principal, Lander Elementary Mayfield Heights City Schools, OAESA Board of Directors, Minority Rep

Q

uite simply put, if you are in the field of education than this book is a staple that belongs on your bookshelf. Not only does this text help educators understand the need to promote deep thinking, build student agency and promote independent learning among culturally and linguistically diverse students, it is about promoting rigorous classrooms for all students.

This book is structured into three sections and it is less of a “how-to” guide and more about developing culturally responsive teaching practices as a mindset through which you challenge all students to learn at the highest levels possible, while seeking to understand the culture and backgrounds of your students, develop relationships and create personalized learning experiences.

In the first section, Hammond sets the stage for culturally responsive teaching. She calls this section “Building Awareness and Knowledge” because it helps readers reflect on their own culture and understand some of the latest research in brain science and the cognitive processes that are occurring during the teaching and learning process. Important takeaways for educators in this first section occur in the areas of implicit bias, helping educators understand the biases that they

may bring to the classroom and how these shape the way in which they teach students.

It also helps educators understand the social political context of our schools and how policies and practices have led to disparities in outcomes for children of color in many sectors of American life, including schools.

The second section is all about building what Hammond refers to as “learning partnerships.” In this section, she helps educators understand that they must go beyond just simple building of relationships, but actually work to affirm and validate the experiences and culture of the children in our care. Hammond urges readers to listen to children, build hope in children, and become “warm demanders,” who hold high expectations for their students, while still offering students social emotional support.

The third section is titled, “Building Intellective Capacity,” and in these chapters Hammond digs deeper into the cognitive science of culturally responsive teaching. She gives readers neuroscience backed strategies to help students shift from becoming dependent to independent learners. She also focuses on the importance of the collective classroom culture and helps educators understand the role that “microagressions” can play in discouraging diverse students.

This book is a great resource for educators and teams of educators that are looking for strategies to reach and teach their diverse students. I especially like how each chapter ends with a summary, with some questions to make you think about your own practices and some resources to help you go deeper. I also highly recommend joining Hammond’s Facebook group, Ready for Rigor, where she has online book clubs and other resources to support the implementation of culturally responsive teaching practices and help educators understand the importance of anti-racist classroom environments.

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e’re booked

FOR WHITE FOLKS WHO TEACH IN THE HOOD...AND THE REST OF Y’ALL TOO:

Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education

BY Christopher Emdin REVIEW BY Aretha Taylor Paydock M. Ed. Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction, Lorain City Schools, Former OAESA Federal Relations Rep and Executive Board Member

W

hile some may think Christopher Emdin’s book For White Folk Who Teach in the Hood…and the Rest of Y’all Too -may have a shocking title that could potentially scare 82% of teachers in the United States away from indulging their curiosities about its content, it is poised to captivate even the self-professed informed educator with a new viewpoint about teaching in the “Hood,” but the reality is, all educators should read this book—especially

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if you teach in the “Hood!” And “White Folks” should dive into the book as if their educational careers in the “Hood” depended on it.

Emdin argues that teaching students in the Hood (the geographic location of students) is much like teaching students on an Indian Reservation, or the indigenous peoples geographically located in certain parts of the United States. As quoted by Edmin, the UN definition of indigenous people posits “that the indigenous have their own unique ways of constructing knowledge, utilize distinct modes of communication in their interactions with one another, and hold cultural understandings that vary from the established norm. Above all, the UN definition of the indigenous speaks to the collective oppression that a population experiences at the hands of a more powerful and dominant group.” Hence, Emdin refers to urban youth as neoindigenous: “Like the indigenous, the neoindigenous are a group that will not fade into oblivion despite attempts to rename or relocate them. The term neoindigenous carries the rich histories of indigenous groups, acknowledges powerful connections among populations that have dealt with being silenced and signals the need to examine the ways that institutions replicate colonial processes.”

Emdin states that “As long as middle class teachers are recruited to schools occupied

by Urban Youth of color, without any consideration of how they affirm and re-establish power dynamics that silent students, issues that plague Urban education (like achievement gaps, suspension rates, and high teacher turnover) will persist. The Neoindigenous often look, act, and engage in the classroom in ways that are inconsistent with traditional school norms. Therefore, should we as a collective society continue to attempt to relate and teach urban youth in ways that are consistent with traditional

school norms?” In order to fully understand youth realities and make some sense of the powerful connection between youth realities, place, and space Emdin argues that educators need a new lens, vocabulary, and the ability to make connections between urban youth.

The absence of a relationship that is rooted in shared culture impedes many students from reaching higher levels of academic rigor, therefore Emdin introduces the term Reality Pedagogy to support this work.

It recognizes that academically rigorous teaching and learning are deeply personal; it begins with the understanding that a school’s approach to teaching is unlikely to meet student needs unless students’ cultures, backgrounds, and experiences are reflected in the curriculum. When students see themselves in the curriculum, they develop stronger relationships with both their teachers and peers—and with the content as well. So how can we build strong relationships with students who have diverse learning skills, styles, and backgrounds?

There are seven strategies, which Emdin calls the seven Cs; Cogenerative Dialogues, Coteaching, Cosmopolitanism, Context, Content, Competition, and Curation. Emdin does a meticulous job developing these ideas, as he explains them from the perspective of a new teacher who truly wants to connect to his students. The examples he shares can be visualized with much ease to aid the reader in making practical changes immediately.

What we know is that educating urban youth using traditional approaches researched out of the same place and space as the middle class white community, is not working for a lot of students in the hood. The approach Emdin is suggesting connects content with the positive emotions that come from strong relationships based on acceptance and belonging. This is the true path to academically rigorous classrooms.

BOOK REVIEWS FOR THE PRINCIPAL LIBRARY

UPSTREAM: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen

This is Dan Heath’s first “solo” publication.

With his brother Chip, readers will recall The Power of Moments (2017), Decisive (2013), Switch (2010), and Made to Stick (2007).

REVIEW BY Paul G. Young, Ph.D., OAESA and NAESP Past President, retired Lancaster City Schools principal

Upstream thinking can be a very complex and ambiguous endeavor. But, collectively as principals, we can work to effectively develop upstream improvements based on what we expect kids and adults to know and how we want them to act. We can make things better.

That’s how, personally and collectively, we can best advocate for our kids.

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Get this book. Read it. You’ll not be disappointed.

BY Dan Heath

hen COVID-19 began to infect Ohioans, Gov. DeWine gathered a team of experts, listened to the best advice, and made the bold decision to close Ohio’s schools (and much more) to prevent a major disaster. That decision, and his subsequent action, will become a classic example of “upstream thinking.” It is one that can be followed by principals as they develop their own response to the many fires they must contain and put out.

Got too many behavioral referrals to your office? Angry parents? Toxic school culture?

Feel like you sometimes work in a zoo? Feel burnt out?

Upstream, by Dan Heath, released nationally on March 3 (approximately one week before schools began to close) delivers practical strategies for preventing problems rather than reacting to them. How many problems do principals tolerate because we’ve forgotten that we can fix them? So much comes at principals each day that it is easy to get stuck in a cycle of response. So, we put out fires, cope with emergencies – all downstream reactions - but we’d be wiser to incorporate upstream thinking, where changes in behaviors, actions, and systems can prevent many problems from developing in the first place.

THE GIVER OF STARS

BY Jojo Moyes

REVIEW BY Melanie Pearn, Principal, Fairfax Elementary, Mentor Exempted Village Schools OAESA Past President Having thoroughly enjoyed a few other of Jojo Moyes’ books, I was excited to embark on her latest title The Giver of Stars. Based on the true story of The Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky, the story follows Alice Van Cleve as she begins her new life across the pond. Though she was excited to leave her seemingly boring life in England behind, she quickly discovers that America, especially rural Kentucky, is not what she thought it would be and neither is her marriage.

Looking for something to fill her time, Alice was quick to sign on to help distribute books to those living in remote areas through Eleanor Roosevelt’s Traveling Library initiative.

The character development is unparalleled as are the friendships that are created throughout the story. Alice works alongside Margery O’Hare, a strong willed, no nonsense woman who throws convention to the wind. She drums up assistance from Beth, Izzy, and Sonia, who have a wealth of experience working in the library system.

Coming from various backgrounds, the women find refuge in the library and quickly find similarities among themselves and solace in being together. They find a sense of purpose with their work and persevere through some difficult situations where many would crumble.

Despite others working against them, the women support one another and those they serve braving the elements on a daily basis to ensure books and the love of reading is spread across the Appalachian mountains.

They develop friendships with those they deliver books to and find joy in their brief encounters each week. Rather than letting Alice’s father-in-law shut them down by his antics, they only fight harder to keep the program running. Through the process, they all grow and become stronger as individuals and as a group.

Though the book started off slow, it builds through character development and various situations before ending with gusto. It is gratifying to see the strength of these women along with the impact they made through this piece of historical fiction. The story line moves from friendship to love to poverty and many things in between so the reader gets a true sense of the struggles faced in rural Appalachia during that time.

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