Summary: <br> What do you do when every decision is a new one? How do you keep perspective amidst decision-fatigue?<br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="https://williamdparker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/fatigue.jpg"></a>Photo by Laura Chouette – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@laurachouette?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit<br> <br> <br> <br> This week, Jen Schwanke, Principal of Indian Run Elementary in Dublin, Ohio, joins me for a conversation about leading through a pandemic.<br> <br> <br> <br> Welcome back Jen!<br> <br> <br> <br> Jen Schwanke is the author two books on education leadership. She provides keynote presentations and trainings for school leaders across the nation.<br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="https://williamdparker.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/jenschwanke-4.jpg"></a><br> <br> <br> <br> A frequent guest and co-host of Principal Matters: The School Leader’s Podcast, her books and resources are available at her website: <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/jenschwankeconsulting/home?authuser=0">jenschwanke.com</a>. <br> <br> <br> <br> Questions & Answers with Jen Schwanke<br> <br> <br> <br> Listen to the entire episode for great takeaways and stories. Here is a summary of this week’s conversation:<br> <br> <br> <br> WDP: When you’ve done the work of school leadership for a while, you begin to enjoy planning ahead. What do principals do when they are always planning ahead?<br> <br> <br> <br> Jen Schwanke: This is not forever. Pandemics don’t last forever. We’ve had the hope for a long time that “this is almost over.” But the bigger lesson is that we are still building relationships and staying connected to families. We are also learning about what really matters in student learning. Maybe this is a year teachers are freed from some content that needed to be removed. I think we will have new tools after this that we never dreamed of.<br> <br> <br> <br> WDP: Even in my own family, my daughter who is a high school senior has been experiencing a virtual setting as an All-State band member. Is it ideal? No. But she’s still found joy and moments to learn that she wouldn’t have otherwise.<br> <br> <br> <br> Jen Schwanke: Think about what your daughter is learning. She’s learning to be flexible. Students are not getting hung up as adults are on what is being lost. They are resilient. We have a lot to learn from them.<br> <br> <br> <br> WDP: How are you helping your teachers during their own decision fatigue?<br> <br> <br> <br> Jen Schwanke: In some ways, things are easier, especially for teachers who have less classroom management issues. What’s harder is packing in content in a new ways and shorter time periods. Or their planning has doubled with synchronous and asynchronous learning. My role has been to keep giving the grace and the benefit of the doubt. One of my veteran teachers told me she couldn’t do remote learning. Now she has become one of the best teachers I have seen on teaching remotely. The decision for her was how deep would she be able to go, and she made the leap. I’m seeing teachers stronger through this experience, not weaker.<br> <br> <br> <br> WDP: Sometimes I think the dilemma we have is not recognizing all the new skills we have learned. Most of us did not know how to teach and communicate through virtual settings. Now we all have new skills.<br> <br> <br> <br> Jen Schwanke: Yes, technology has made this do-able. The funny thing is that we didn’t hesitate to take risks as young educators. As older educators, we have to keep that same mindset. When we do, it feels like we’re young again.<br> <br> <br> <br> WDP: What are doing to keep teachers encouraged?<br> <br> <br> <br> Jen Schwanke: I don’t have it all figured out.
