Term 3

COVID-19 and the great reset.

This is undoubtedly a period of immense uncertainty and change for us all. The global pandemic, that is COVID-19, has impacted so many lives across the globe and seen countless people lose loved ones. It is so difficult to quantify the impact of such a horrific crisis. It has crippled industries, redefined how we connect with each other and uprooted so much of our lives. As I type this our southern teaching colleagues in Victoria have returned to online learning as outbreaks of the virus continue to spike.

As we, at least for now, begin to emerge from the Australia wide lock down, as cafes, supermarkets, parks and schools begin to see more of us returning to  workplaces we are left with a feeling of “what now?” Will the world ever be back to how it once was or do we find ourselves in a place of having to redefine our new normal? At least for me, in the industry that I am so proud to be a part of, education, it seems that the latter is the case. We now find ourselves in a place that so different to where we were.

As educators, COVID-19 has caused us to go back to the basics of what we do. For me, as an optimistic “glass half full” kind of guy, it has caused us to reset and ask some fundamental questions.

  1. How can we connect more authentically with our students? 
  2. What are the essential roles of schools? 
  3. How can we find innovative ways to engage all of our learners? 
  4. How can we build and enhance productive connections with our parent community?
  5. How do we lead and build staff capacity? 
  6. What are some of the things that we need to keep, change or stop doing?

I wonder how the year 2020 will be remembered? I wonder if it will a period in history that we look back on with regret and change nothing, or will it be a time in education that we remember how much we connected in new ways with our school communities. I am optimistic that it will be the latter.

 

Posted by Mathew Green on July 26, 2020  /   Posted in Uncategorized
Whether you’re a casual teacher, permanently employed, working as a support teacher or on a temporary contract with your school, you are directly involved in educating, training and shaping some of the greatest minds that this world is yet to see.
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