Every store has a sign asking us to wear masks. Not everyone does. Every school has an expectation that parents/families wear masks at drop-off. Not everyone does. Every public health expert is saying, “wear a mask.” Not everyone does. And through it all we are in fact setting an example.

Almost twenty years ago Elliott Eisner wrote about the hidden curriculum, describing it as those habits, beliefs, skills, and aptitudes that are taught implicitly though rules, policies, structures, practices, etc., in our schools. …

Folks it’s election time and school board races are among the most important local votes. But let’s be clear about the promises school board candidates can make. Because your school board is not the Wizard and you don’t live in Oz.

No one group should have full authority in our government and it’s the same way for our schools. In most cases school boards exist to approve budgets and policies. They also evaluate the superintendent.

That my friends, is it.

They do not decide on what standards are taught, what curriculum is established, and more. Further, they don’t decide how schools will operate. …

I know you are so damn tired and this year has crushed you in so many ways. But I also know you love your kids and all of the other kids that wander through your life each day. You are a mom and you notice if they are sad or happy or hungry, regardless if they are your own. They may not be your kids but you are a mom, and that trust from children doesn’t stop with genetics.

If you don’t know this is an election year you may just be living under a rock (that or you are stuck under a cute little toadstool decorated by Poppy the Troll). Chances are, you are probably all too aware that this is an election year. You may know who you will vote for at a national level, but have somewhat tuned out the local races. You may recognize a few names from signs in your neighborhood, but are still unsure. Or you may not have a clue who you will cast your vote for, or how to decide. …

When we don’t think about the systems inwhich individuals live we organize without thoughtful, continuous review. We build boxes, we put them in neat rows and towers. But when one box falls, so do the rest. Covid either dented, tore, or broke all of our boxes in education. So now what?

“Reorganization to me is shuffling boxes, moving boxes around. Transformation means that you’re really fundamentally changing the way the organization thinks, the way it responds, the way it leads. It’s a lot more than just playing with boxes.” Louis Gerstner, Jr.

As things in education and elsewhere have been taking a serious hit we have been watching carefully at the interconnectedness of “all the things” impacted by Covid. …

It always takes someone to be the facilitator of gathering. Facilitating isn’t for everyone, but gathering is a must. Especially for women. Especially for women who seek change, opportunity, equity, and access. Especially for women in education. Gathering is an opportunity but today it might just be our responsibility.

When we set out to build SheLeadsEdu we did so with one thing in mind: women are better when they are connected to other women. There is no magic place or space to gather, especially during the time of Covid. However, there is a certain magic in gathering, and that magic is hard to recreate by oneself or in silos. …

In the past six months we have seen our schools shut down, open as virtual, navigate supply and materials pick up and drop off without contact, reopen, reopen again, deliver lunches without a lunchroom, reschedule, redraft, revote, renew, renegotiate, and so much more. For most teachers, they have zero idea of what tomorrow will hold for their jobs, the expectations of their role, or their ability to interact with their students (albeit face to face or virtually).

Near daily since March I have had the privilege of talking with educators. I’ve heard their frustration, seen their tears, heard their cries and angry screams, brainstormed into the wee hours, and laughed with some until we were exhausted. Though every challenge that has come their way they have individually and collectively navigated an increasingly bazaar time in our world history. …

The year 2020 will be many things. But most of all it may be the year that we all remember as, “the year we got lost.”

There are always points in history when things plummet. When we hit rock bottom and we only have one way to go: up.

In the past six months our country has lived through so much. But more than just living as we typically have, we have experienced living with time to notice.

We noticed how little time we actually have with our kids. We noticed what we really value. We noticed the simple things we took for granted. We noticed that even the smallest of choices have ripple effects for others. We noticed that friends whom we adore could be fundamentally oppositional to our own core values. We noticed that we haven’t yet achieved universal Internet access. We noticed that we don’t have feedback loops. …

When Covid hit I was just sad for our country that we hadn’t taken any action to keep this thing away. That sad turned into being pissed off. Pissed because we weren’t doing ALL we could, because we were putting economy over human life, and because we looked like complete assholes to the rest of the world. What a cluster.

I care deeply about the intent of public education and am relentless in my mission to ensure access to high quality (meaningful/purposeful) learning experiences for all children.

In the last four months I have seen the fate of our national economy placed squarely on the shoulders of teachers and childcare workers. …