Saying Yes to Students: Lessons learned from COVID-19
Even the normally packed Tidal Basin was empty when the cherry blossoms bloomed in March 2020.
It’s been four years - I have to say it again to believe it- four years since the world shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, it was March 12 when my older kid was sent home from college and March 13 when my younger kid came home to report that high school was going virtual. As we navigate the pandemic and now post-pandemic period, it’s clear that COVID-19 undoubtedly transformed every aspect of our lives (hello, universal masking, and remote workforce), and education is no exception. Schools across the country navigated remote learning, hybrid models, and constantly evolving safety protocols (that are still changing today!), and educators and students alike found themselves in uncharted territory. However, innovation, valuable lessons, and opportunities have emerged despite the chaos and uncertainty. We’ve done a lot of reshaping in how we think about teaching and learning in K-12 education over the last four years. Here are a few of my personal favorite lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, ones that I hope we can retain moving forward as we continue to reshape K-12 for the betterment of our students.
Lesson 1: Saying Yes to Students
One of the most profound lessons learned during the pandemic is the importance of saying yes to students. Traditionally, education systems have been structured around rigid schedules, standardized curriculum, and one-size-fits-all approaches. However, the shift to remote and hybrid learning forced educators to reconsider these traditional models and prioritize students’ individual needs and preferences.
During the pandemic, educators became more flexible and adaptive, which was awesome and wildly impressive. But we were asked to take it a step further and focus on each student and their unique circumstances, learning styles, and challenges. Whether it was accommodating different time zones for virtual classes, providing alternative assessment methods, or adjusting lesson plans based on student feedback, saying yes to students became a guiding principle in K-12 education in a way that it never had before.
This needs to stay. We need to keep our students at the center of our guiding principles in K-12 education.
Lesson 2: Prioritizing Relationships
The pandemic highlighted the importance of relationship-building in K-12 education. With the disruption of traditional school routines, social isolation, and heightened stress levels, it quickly became clear that relationships are key to student success both in academic and emotional growth. As we transitioned to virtual learning, and back into traditional classrooms, the student’s need for connectedness and belonging remains clear. By fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment, schools help students develop essential skills such as resilience, empathy, and self-awareness, which are crucial for navigating challenges both inside and outside the classroom. We can’t get to academics without relationships.
Lesson 3: Embracing Innovation and Technology
The pandemic accelerated the integration of technology in education, and educators delivered innovative tools and platforms to enhance the learning experience. From virtual classrooms and online collaboration tools to educational apps and digital resources, technology played a crucial role in keeping students engaged and connected during periods of remote learning. Children of Generation Z are often called digital natives because they have lived their whole lives surrounded by technology. The pandemic accelerated that, and we can continue to learn to leverage this as an asset and opportunity for learning.
Moreover, educators discovered new ways to leverage technology to personalize learning, cater to diverse student needs, and foster creativity and critical thinking. By embracing innovation and technology, schools have the opportunity to create more dynamic and interactive learning environments that empower students to explore, create, and collaborate in meaningful ways.
A quick note before we end things here - none of these are new ideas. We KNOW that relationships, intentional technology use, and student-centered decision-making work. However, the past four years have highlighted just how essential these pieces are, something that may have gotten lost over the past 50 or so years of education. We can’t return to traditional K-12 schools knowing what we know now - our world is different, our schools are different, our students are different. It’s been four years since the world turned upside down due to COVID-19, as we return to the new normal, let’s keep in mind these guiding principles for shaping the future of K-12.