A few years ago Dwight Carter and I noticed that disruptions were coming at us in ever faster rates. Things like new technology, new types of students in Gen Z, new social media issues, new teaching and learning challenges in a globalized economy, and widening generation gaps in our teaching staffs were all washing over us like waves of change.
And we realized our careers would be one adjustment after the next one. We also realized we had to transform our own mindsets and our school cultures to get them ready for constant pivoting into new spaces and new practices. So, we developed the CAT leadership model so we could:
· Cope with the current disruption or crisis
· Adjust our actions, practices, and guidelines
· Transform our mindsets so we can continue to grow and to thrive through the next disruptions
This model fits where we are today with the COVID 19 pandemic and school closures.
· In the first few weeks, educators scrambled to get assignments and food to their students. They assisted teachers and worked out problems in the new system. Everyone was coping.
· We have now entered the adjustment phase of this crisis. The dust has settled from the coping phase, and educators are asking, “What worked? What didn’t work? What do we need to do now?”
· It’s imperative that we get to the third stage, that’s when educators step back and take a big picture look at what’s happened, their response, and what they need to do in the long term to get ready for the next crisis. They need to transform their mindsets and cultures so they can be stronger and adapt more quickly in the future.
No one can say for sure what the overall impact of this period will have on schools, but we know it’s been unprecedented - and unprecedented events often lead to other surprising, unprecedented events. In some ways, our schools will be stronger: parents and communities across America have a deeper understanding and respect for what K-12 teachers do on a daily basis. But our schools will be challenged in new ways: we can expect a growing push for more technology usage by teachers and students. We can expect parts of our teaching and learning to change.
We’ll be coping, adjusting, and transforming again. And again. And again…
