President’s Perspective - Debbie Atkinson

Perspective President’s

Although this is a trite quote often used, I feel that School Year 20-21 will be the year where kindness is critical to our success, more than any other year. Kindness is a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern and consideration for others. In an article in Psychology Today, by Dr. Karyn Hall, she explains that “Kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Affection, gentleness, warmth, concern, and care are words that are associated with kindness. While kindness has a connotation of meaning someone is naïve or weak, that is not the case. Being kind often requires courage and strength. Kindness is an interpersonal skill.”

As we begin our school year with so many unknowns and so much unrest, many of our stakeholders are on edge and feel an unprecedented amount of stress. Teachers are concerned with how best to keep their students and themselves safe, while providing a strong classroom educational experience that could be aborted at any time and moved, in a blink of an eye, to online learning. Teachers are concerned with including enough review from possible lost learning and staying true to their own grade level standards. Teachers are pondering the best ways to safely incorporate experiences outside of the classroom. Many teachers have been spending their summer trying to prepare for the unknown. Teachers need our flexibility and kindness.

Parents are concerned on many levels. Will their children be safe at school? Will they have to take on the role Debbie Atkinson AAEA Board President Elementary Principal Bergman School District

again of teacher for their own children while trying to work? Should they be trying to secure babysitting just in case? Are their children going to have irreparable gaps in their education? For many parents, there has been an additional burden of financial strain due to our current situation. Parents, for sure, will need an extra measure of kindness.

Kindness includes being kind to yourself, as administrators. It is critical to find ways to manage our own stress, so that we can make the best decisions possible for our schools, teachers and students. Sometimes, we have to get pretty creative when it comes to finding ways to battle the stress. Here are a few suggestions: spend fun time with family and friends, make time to laugh, listen to music, read, enjoy nature, cook a meal, work in the garden, take a "fun" class, take the weekend off, exercise, or plan special outside activities. Of course, some of these would raise stress levels for a few of us, but the key is find what works for you and plan time for yourself. As we are called upon to make quick decisions, don’t forget to hear the voices of all your stakeholders and move forward with kindness.

Whatever our school year looks like, we need to be calm leaders for our students, staff, and parents. We need to be there for each other as we communicate concerns and successes. We need to face our issues with as much kindness as possible. There will be many obstacles, but we can overcome them if we always remember to put our students’ needs first and infuse our decisions with kindness. No matter what position we hold, I believe that we are right where God has placed us to positively impact the lives of our students.