I spent Tuesday hosted by Jodie and Heidi visiting their respective school communities and yesterday drove up and back to Hervey Bay to visit St James at Luke’s invitation. The reason for doing so was simple. Or so I thought.
I wanted to see first-hand how remote learning and care was being delivered at a P-12, a primary and a regional school. It has been difficult and insular to sit here at Milton and attempt to support schools and their leadership with nothing more than a theoretical understanding of what this remote learning was like in practical reality. This is new for all of us… apart from the few seniors in Biloela and their teachers in SE Queensland.
But just as important, I soon realised that needed to get out and regain some perspective. It was 7 weeks Tuesday since I was last out of the office in a school. Those 7 weeks have been intense, busy, stressful and have felt like a year. I realised over the last two days that I needed to reconnect with staff and students at the ‘coal face’.
What I observed and heard in chatting with Principals, Deputies, teachers, teacher aides and students (as social isolating distances) was flexible planning, strong commitment to rich learning and personalised care, and amazing levels of goodwill. Every school quite rightly has developed a plan that meets the needs of their community’s unique context. No one tried to suggest everything had been progressing perfectly to plan or without hiccups, but everyone conveyed a calm sense that ‘we’ve got this’.
Thank you Jodie, Heidi and Luke. Thanks for helping me regain some perspective.
Stay safe and healthy
Dennis
