By Garry G. Garretson-
The impact of COVID-19 will be most discussed over time in terms of lost lives, lost businesses, lost jobs, lost homes, and the impact on our economy. A future comment may be “Smile things could be worse; it could be 2020.” We must equally assess the effect on kids lost learning, lost relationship building, interactions, loss of opportunity with extracurricular activities (sports competition, arts, etc.), and in so many other ways. Who must begin to create diagnostic and predictive metrics so we can minimize the effect and create paths to even better outcomes? We must strive to get back to better.
Americans are very creative and have attempted to make some lemonade outcomes as we tolerate the lemons. As we move forward we must innovate, reinvent, introduce new methods, introduce new ideas, become even more competitive, develop existing products, alter our perspectives, renew our focus to what is right, and become better than we were before the pandemic. Let’s look at some of the dynamics of our world in 2020:
Kids
-Mask discipline will serve them well in learning how to keep safe and minimize colds and flu.
-Through social distancing habits we are learning to give people space and make others comfortable.
-Virtual learning has enhanced our technical ability, from just using computers online to using some of the software that is common in responding to homework.
-For many, there is an expansion of technology as we acquire computers, printers, and WI-FI hookups. School systems have purchased laptops and hot spots while many businesses have stepped forward to help those without the immediate resources. Additionally, many families have expanded or upgraded their technology to meet virtual learning demands.
-The presentation skills in a (zoom) group setting will serve students well as they move forward in their education and their career as they become comfortable in front of a microphone or camera.
-Will they become more independent as they do not have someone to ask every hour as they accept being alone.
-Will kids draw closer to parents by all working/studying from home?
-Will we see more small neighborhood group learning, micro-schools, or neighborhood student learning pods?
-Many kids are chin deep in adversity at home or on the playground, but many are protected and are learning how to cope during this very difficult time.
Public School Teacher’s, Staff and Board Members
-Zoom fatigue is setting in. It is no secret that some teachers had not signed onto the technology assistance potential in classroom teaching before COVID-19. Most seem to have adjusted and learned as many have become excellent at zoom and other software. Will they just “get through” this period or will they learn how to make learning more well-rounded by integrating technology into the classroom. Will we just count on lectures and not laptops?
-Will teachers utilize virtual learning for injured students while they recuperate at home?
-Can we improve our support teachers as they must face all the issues everyone else faces and the major adjustments of teaching?
-Can we cope with diversity without the connections?
-How will school curriculum planners be challenged to review what and how to teach? Will there be more reliance on eBooks? Will they get the right balance between virtual and classic learning to build better connections between students and teachers?
-Will our guidance counselors get pulled away from college and career focus and sidetracked to absenteeism, discipline, grades, and testing?
-A neighbor teacher indicated that he hates virtual classrooms but has learned a great deal that he will utilize in the future, like sending videos home to the students for classroom discussion.
-Another neighbor teacher indicated that his target is to engage with students; he is working on ways to do that virtually to assess whether students are getting it or are not quite fully engaged. He is working on a way to make virtual learning an adventure and not a distraction. That is great thinking.
-How do teachers empower students to overcome the lack of engagement and personal connections, to innovate and make their learning productive and maybe fun? How much is lost without the personal interaction?
-Another teacher indicated that with getting papers electronically, he can quickly check for copyright infringement, plagiarism, spelling and grammar.
-How will online teaching skills be implemented into our school system? Will professional carpenters, plumbers, electricians, engineers, start utilizing the many teaching platforms to make extra money or to train interns?
-Will public school teachers gather the online resources to expand their expertise? Will teachers become more a distributor of available resources and less a purveyor or what they know?
-How will parents upgrade their technical skills? Will public schools and adult education schools provide the opportunity for parents?
-What will colleges do in their admittance process? They cannot just rely on test scores and GPA’s. How much will they utilize AI (artificial intelligence) synchronous and asynchronous video interviewing? Facial expressions and speech can be practiced and improved since they can be used in the process. Eye contact, your technology check, your presentation, and being natural are four behaviors that AI will evaluate. Only the companies know how the logarithm calculates the evaluation.
-How do we challenge school boards to review and reprioritize all line items in the budget, implementing new ideas, and challenging old ways of learning? Boards cannot operate effectively in a reactive mode.
-Can we challenge public schools to compete with homeschooling, charter schools, and private schools? Declining enrollment in public schools and increases in another schooling must be analyzed and adjustments made to meet the challenge. Can we create more magnet schools and provide more access?
-Can union leaders be more challenged to contribute more outcome and quality ideas, not instead of a focus on wages, hours, and working conditions, but in addition to them.
-School Maintenance and grounds staff can play catch up on repairing used facilities during this downtime if staffing is not cut and if new robot technology is introduced in the cleaning and disinfecting of schools. School custodial staff should become more safety-focused and get technology labor efficiency upgrades to serve the students and staff.
-Patents should be more in tune with technology, classroom routines, and homework requirements, and volume of work as a result of the virtual learning and the virtual work by parents. There should be more team planning and working together.
Workers and virtual office
-Hiring is now done virtually and those students who are getting comfortable with zoom will have a big advantage going forward. Learning how to go to a virtual job fair is also a necessity as companies are saving big bucks and getting great candidates through the virtual job fairs.
-The recruitment process is more automated with candidate tracking systems, keyword search, and on-line reference checking. Employee assessment and culture analytics AI-driven, are predictive and talent-focused.
-Can time management monitoring tools be far away? Will employees be issued a free Fitbit?
-Telehealth has become necessary and should provide greater opportunity to connect and communicate with healthcare providers that save time can be effective.
-Less commute time can equate to more time to stay healthy by running, hiking, walking, or biking. At the very least commuting two hours per day is wasted time and can be converted to productive time. It just takes leaders who hire trustworthy employees and then trust them to do their job at home as outcomes are measured.
-Those working at home and students have realized the importance of Improved ergonomics at our home offices. Sitting for eight hours must include the right ergonomics to prevent injury or other problems.
-Online purchasing and home delivery will be an ongoing practice. Suppliers need to adjust and innovate to compete with Amazon and other providers.
-The new normal may be in the hands of those who can.
Elected Officials
-“Bottom-up and Stop” is no longer acceptable. Future successful political leaders will invest their time with constituents and not peers. They represent the voters and should be measured on what they do to serve and improve lives, not what they do to get noticed and re-elected. They must focus more on feedback from and to constituents, and not just words but what actions have and will be taken to improve lives and provide protection. Supervisor Desmond has done a superb job of providing regular video updates about COVID-19. Congressman Levin has likewise focused on virtual updates with special guests. This kind of communication must continue and be expanded. Once a year state of the …… must be replaced and not by a newsletter with too much trivia, but by FAQ’s that are routine and sensitive to voter needs.
This only touches on the changes we have seen and will see soon. Just imagine the possibilities. We must learn, adjust and be prepared to present ideas that enhance our lives or improve processes when the moment calls. Normalcy should never be our goal? The old script will be replaced. Get through this pandemic but find ways to make normal better. Who will be the pioneers, the stimulators, the connectors, the transformers, and the teachers of positive change? What value will you bring to the new normal? Will we have a mirror to assess our contribution? Will we look to future possibilities and not on the past? When all is said and done, will more be said than done?
We cannot go back to the way it was before the pandemic but must go down the path of a new and improved normal based on what we are learning and how we are adjusting for 2020 and the future. We have all sacrificed too much not to focus on improvement, finding the possibilities, encouraging innovation, re-purpose old ways and recommit to our missions.
Wear a mask, practice social distancing, avoid crowds when possible, and capture the best of how we have adjusted and embraced it. The future is in our hands. Let’s create clarity, serve others, and Get Back to Better.
Albert Einstein
“Life worth living is only that which serves others.”
