trust

Leadership During a Storm

/ Dave Eberwein / 2 Comments

As I sit here writing this post it’s been 6 weeks (42 days) since the announcement came from the provincial government that all in-class instruction in our schools was being suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If I’m being completely honest … it feels like its been closer to 6 months. The information onslaught, video-conference calls and numerous educational changes have been relentless. Changes that include:

  • from how we were doing school to an UNFAMILIAR way of teaching, learning and assessing;
  • feeling UNSETTLED about not knowing what comes next;
  • increased levels of ANXIETY among many in our community.
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Sunshine in a Time of Crisis

/ Dave Eberwein / 2 Comments

Spring Break 2020 – not the relaxing holiday I was anticipating.

March 17 – Minister Rob Fleming

On March 17th the provincial government announced that all in-class instruction was being suspended indefinitely throughout BC. School districts were suddenly being tasked with turning our primarily face-to-face teaching paradigm on its head — to move everyone into a virtual teaching platform by the end of Spring Break.

To be clear — we were not being asked to move the entire district to an on-line platform. We were not creating a system of on-line teachers and learners. We were being tasked with creating remote learning during a crisis.

There’s a difference.

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The Struggle is Real

/ Dave Eberwein / Leave a comment

A typical moment in my professional life:

I’m at my desk deep in thought — maybe it’s a budget issue, perhaps a community concern, or maybe an organizational dilemma that needs a creative solution. I’m stuck.

It can feel like my brain’s gears are seized or conversely like my wheels are spinning in mud — it’s an immovable tension of struggling to find a solution.

Neuroscientists have learned that the act of struggling is actually an important part of the learning process. Struggling with a problem results in increased neural connections being formed in your brain. The act of struggling forces your brain to develop new networks — bridging the old to the new.

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