Relating at a Distance: A Principal’s 5 Lessons from Week 1 of Remote Learning - By Nancy Steinhauer

Our school was founded on the principle that Relationship is fundamental to all learning. Good relationships provide the context in which learning can happen; and relationship is an essential part of the curriculum. For 40 years, our teachers have been encouraged to make “soft skills” such as listening with empathy not only a part of their instruction, but a focus of instruction. Collaboration, problem-solving, and leadership are all components of the learning not just every year, but every day. Whether Grade 1 students are thinking about how to be helpful while bushfires burn in Australia or Grade 6s are creating propaganda to convince their audience to be environmental activists, our curriculum evolves from the experiences we have together as a community. 

And suddenly, we cannot be together. How are we to sustain our strong sense of community and connection when we are literally isolated from each other? Each family is struggling in its own way to maintain a sense of wellbeing during a time when relationships are challenged in unprecedented ways. As a school principal, there are many tensions to balance. Although I would never choose remote learning as a pedagogical model for students, circumstances require it. How can our school create something that balances structure and flexibility, play and work, connectedness and independence? One week in, here are 5 things I have learned:

1. There are many ways to show we care about our students.

Some of our teachers have been phoning parents and asking them what they need. Others have been setting up one-to-one conference online to check in with individual students. All of our teachers have made it possible for the class to see each other daily so that they know they are not alone. In the first week alone, teachers and students have come up with ingenious ways to connect with each other using a whole variety of technologies.

2. We can engage our students by involving them in planning.

On the first day of remote learning, I asked students to email me their thoughts about how we can be a community when we cannot be together. Students had all kinds of ideas — group projects, writing letters, virtual assembly. Soliciting feedback from students, teachers, and parents allows us to refine as we go. 

3. Routines are important.

We spent one day as a staff planning before we jumped into remote learning. It was not enough, but time did not allow for more. In the rush to get things ready, I had proposed a plan that was modelled after a typical day at our school. Each class would start with a morning meeting and end with a community circle. This model felt right for our Grade 1-6 teachers, but our Kindergarten teachers pushed back: they created a schedule that reflected the Kindergarten day much more closely. They were right to push back. Keeping a routine that was familiar to our youngest children was helpful to parents as they began to implement structure for their children at home. 

4. Learning takes time.

All of us jumped into this experience with different amounts of experience with technology. Some of us were fairly comfortable setting up a video conference, while others had never even been part of a video conference. Decisions had to be made quickly, which meant that teachers had to jump into the unknown without much time for preparation. Modelling “taking a responsible risk” and making mistakes that grow the brain is powerful. Students and parents have shown great empathy for teachers as we learn the tools we need to continue our craft. 

5. We are not alone.

One of the incredible truths about being in forced isolation is that we are not alone. Never in the history of the world has it been easier to connect remotely or to share information. Watching teachers help each other — via social media and in real time online — is inspiring. Many of us feel that our learning curve is just as steep as it was the first day we stepped into a classroom. We are learning how to teaching in new ways by necessity. Although we are not physically close, we can help each other by sharing our learnings. At our school, we are meeting as a staff each morning and each afternoon to answer each other’s questions, check-in with each other emotionally, and reflect on the events of the day. Teachers are eager to support each other and are learning as fast as they can.

It is inherently difficult to connect when we cannot be together. Yet, paradoxically, I can see ways that this crisis is uniting us. Relationships will see us through this challenging moment, and our relationships will be stronger as a result. Isolated or not, relationship continues to be fundamental to all learning — even at a distance. 
--
Nancy Steinhauer
Principal
The Mabin School
50 Poplar Plains Road
Toronto, ON M4V 2M8
416-964-9594