ntendent of schools at La Porte ISD in s Texas were shuttered because of the g is a retrospective essay of his experience, n the middle of the worldwide crisis.
L
ike a hurricane that leaves ruin and destruction in its wake, so has the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the economy, families, business, students, teachers, parents, principals and, yes, even school superintendents.
As I reflect on the past six months, I too have been emotionally maimed and tossed about in ways that, at times, I believed would clearly be detrimental to my health. I will attempt to share my story as candidly and honestly as possible, while leading a district of 7,200 students and 1,200 staff members. My journey in La Porte ISD, a beautiful school district in which the 5A high school and central office sit a mere 300 yards from Galveston Bay and the ever-popular Sylvan Beach, began in June. I had just been chosen to lead the district, following in the giant footsteps of a leader who had served boldly for the previous 12 years. I inherited an elite and highly respected district that boasts a great academics track record, world-class facilities, awesome teachers and leaders, and outstanding students in a historic town that has very high expectations for its leaders and school district. It’s a great job. And difficult.
From difficult to monumental
I believe without qualification, however, that the toughest job in America today is that of the public-school classroom teacher. The teacher, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been expected to juggle teaching students in the classroom as well as virtually. Managing these daunting tasks simultaneously is indeed one of the most difficult challenges of our profession. In a matter of days this past March, schools were shut down, students were sent home, our economy came to a screeching halt and all over America, school immediately became a virtual concept. Teachers and parents were thrust into a situation in which learning was not just happening on the child’s part, but the teacher was forced -- under great pressure from parents, community, and the district -- to adapt to a “new normal” way of pedagogical delivery. Almost immediately gone were the days of hugs, handshakes and hellos; in came the days of checking your connection, speaking into a microphone and uploading lesson plans and homework. In addition to the stress of learning a new way of instructional delivery, teachers had to cope with the emotional strain of understanding that a significant number of students in the district do not have internet. Just as our teachers were faced with these daunting challenges under the immediate threat of COVID-19, superintendents bore the weighted burden of articulating to our parents, staff and stakeholders specifically how we would reopen schools while keeping everyone healthy in the Greater Houston area, a region reported to have had one of the highest infection rates in the nation. But we had neither a playbook nor continued on p. 42 Fall 2020 | www.TSPRA.org
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