Jeff Bezos is frequently asked the question: “What’s going to change in the next 10 years?” and almost never gets the question: “What’s not going to change?” He says it’s impossible to imagine a future 10 years from now where a customer comes up and says, “Jeff, I love Amazon; I just wish the prices were a little higher” or, “I just wish you’d deliver a little slower.” Impossible.
Let’s consider this question in terms of schools. There is a lot of talk – always! – about the future of education and the new skills that students will need and the experiences that will support their development. Curriculum is also ever-evolving, as it should, and we are reviewing the books we read and the content we teach. At Lakefield, for example, our Summer Reading Program included new and diverse authors. Additionally, we offered a Farm to Table Course for the first time, and our students were deeply engaged in working at our garden and exploring the complex issues of food and sustainability. All schools are evolving and teachers continually impress me with their commitment to updating their classes. So I also love this question: What’s not going to change?
I believe the answer is simple. For me, it is impossible to imagine a future 10 years from now where teenagers say, “I love school; I just wish I knew my teacher in a Zoom class instead of in person,” or, “I just wish there was less time laughing with my friends.”
As we return to in-person learning this week, I hope that we reconfirm our focus on relationships. We all must prioritize our enhanced safety protocols. Full stop. But my hope is that we won’t get too anxious about covering curriculum, at least in the beginning. I share the worry of others that there may be a gap in learning from the past 18 months, but I believe that the strategy with the potential to do the most good is to help our students with social interactions. We have been separated, and there is some anxiety around coming together again, and we must take it one step at a time. But no matter what else happens, the bonds that students form with their teachers and with each other have never been more important, and our opening plans must include time and intentional strategies for connecting.
When our Leadership Team met this summer, we sat outside, at a round table, in the shade, and we opened our meeting with a question: What lessons have we learned in the pandemic? For me, I enjoyed the chance to listen to my colleagues, who always impress me with their candor and thoughtfulness, and I enjoyed the chance to share my thoughts, too. I was reminded of how good it feels to be really heard. I realized afterwards, there was an aspect of escapism – for a few minutes, this global event felt like a thing of the past. And of course, there was laughter. There were more than a few times that afternoon when I had that feeling of connection.
So, as I think about going back to school in person, I hope we can prioritize a few important questions. What is the question that will compel students to engage in meaningful conversations? Can we find a place to talk outdoors? Can we judge our success by time spent listening to stories and moments of spontaneous laughter?
E.M. Forster’s books explore human connections, and he is famous for two words found in Howard’s End epigraph: Only connect.
Schools have this unique opportunity to prioritize relationships in the coming days and weeks. And while I believe that connecting is more important than ever in schools, I also believe that this will never change.
KeeNote 