Endless Summer

Teshon Christie, CETL, Executive Director, Organizational Effectiveness, Kent School District

Teshon Christie, CETL, Executive Director, Organizational Effectiveness, Kent School District

In early April, as national reports came in stating that employees would be choosing to leave their current organizations for a myriad of economic and non-pay-related reasons, it became clear that we needed to prioritize retention for my district and the students we serve. Especially considering most school EdTech teams have been working steadily since the beginning of the 2019 school year. Large-scale burnout in all roles that support EdTech is a potential issue leading into the 2021-22 school year.

When you account for the additional devices that were purchased to support extending 1 to 1 programs, integrating additional software that was approved, hotspots distributed that may or may not need to be collected depending on learning plans, updating educator PD; normal seems like a weak word to describe the work of this summer. In the past, I would have looked at this as another challenge that my incredible team will overcome. This summer, for the sake of long-term success and the mental health of my team, there was the need to take a different approach.

A practice that I have begun to implement in support of my team's overall mindset is the creation of 'traditions of transition'. These intentional actions demarcate past from present and future, allowing a renewed sense of anticipation and purpose for our work. An example would be a visual storytelling process that walks teams through a shared event through the lens of their individual perspective, identifying key events and lessons learned. This activity allows reflection, which can immediately move the event from the present into the past, creating a transition point. I'm sure that any team using this approach can envision a significant shared experience to use with this exercise.

A practice that I have begun to implement in support of my team's overall mindset is the creation of 'traditions of transition

Most school districts plan to continue the momentum that comes from their entire school district gaining significant capacity in the application of technology to instruction and operations. This additional capacity will spark major initiatives that involve increasing all current EdTech implementation requiring Technology Integration, Teacher Librarians, Digital Learning, and Technology Support and Operations staff to be at the top of their respective games. Without a clear transition point, the goal can quickly turn into the grind, and staff may choose a fresh start leaving gaps in your team.

The need to do significant levels of onboarding for new staff on our teams amid the other school start-up activities could significantly slow implementation timelines or the progress of ongoing programs impacting a school district's bottom line, which is student success. In my opinion, 'traditions of transition' and other culture strengthening activities will be necessary for us to maintain the level of innovation that we have sustained for quite some time and expect to continue for years to come.

This is not the normal EdTech article that explores the latest and greatest technology use to support instruction. We may have the opportunity to engage in that conversation in the future. Over the last 16 months, there have been clear reminders that I am a leader of people, not resources. The brilliance of an initiative, clarity of vision, depth of planning, and supporting research will not overcome the limitations of a mentally tired team. Sustaining the balance between culture cultivation and operational effectiveness through honoring the team’s journey through the recent past will lead to a successful year for everyone that we serve and not an endless summer for our staff.