Trials of a First-Year Principal: Preparing for the Unknown: After a devastating winter storm on top of a pandemic, one principal shares what worked in crisis leadership as he looks to rebuild his school community. https://t.co/A5MUOC1o6r via @NAESP @stixbailey pic.twitter.com/wLstaJxnHj
— National Assoc. of Elementary School Principals (@NAESP) March 2, 2021
Preparing for the Unknown
Texas was recently hit with a winter storm, the likes of
which have rarely before been seen in our part of the country. My school
district, like many others, shut down for a week as the winter blast caused
major electrical and water outages and brought roadways to a snow-packed halt
throughout most of the state. This event, layered on top of the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic, became another potential setback in supporting our learners.
While we may not know the next critical event on the horizon, we can be
prepared when crisis strikes.
Crisis Leadership
Crisis Leadership is different than crisis management.
Crisis management is acting in the moment to make important decisions on how to
triage a fast-developing event. It is important to have protocols to follow
during crisis management that will allow for sound decisions while remaining
adaptable to multiple scenarios. I had the pleasure of visiting with our city’s
chief of police after our recent winter blast. He explained that because of the
extreme temperatures that our community experienced, when changing shifts, the
officers would “hot start” their shift, meaning they would keep the engines
running to their patrol cars at the end of a shift and the next officer would
begin their shift in the same vehicle without ever turning the engine off. This
is a great example of adapting to the needs of the organization to be able to
effectively serve its purpose.
Crisis leadership is a broader concept than crisis
management. Crisis leadership is a proactive approach to developing capacity
within an organization to respond to crisis. Meaningful preparation for the
event that we hope never takes place can be the difference in whether an
organization is able to overcome crisis. We do some of this well in our schools
already. We practice for fire drills, bad weather, and building lockdowns.
Other, not so obvious, crises are important to consider, as well. Mental health
can be a more silent crisis that an individual student or staff member is
experiencing. We must take a proactive approach in preparing for these crises
just as we do the obvious ones that we drill every month. Crisis leadership
saves lives.
Building Redundant Systems of Communication
Following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, major
breakdowns in telecommunications were revealed. The repeater systems in the
towers were damaged. The cellular and radio signals were jammed while precious
minutes slipped by during this tragic crisis. These horrific events, however,
taught us the importance of having layers of communication during crisis
events. During crisis on our campuses, it is important to communicate clearly
and effectively with all stakeholders: students, staff, and community.
It is important to understand how our stakeholders receive
their information. During the winter storm, we communicated through email,
phone call messaging, Remind, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Through each of
these methods of communication, I received at least one response to my messaging.
By creating redundant systems of communication, we have the opportunity to
reach more people in the way they naturally communicate. Using these systems
regularly outside of times of crisis helps to train stakeholders in how
communication will be distributed. Also, by building multiple ways of
communicating, if one system goes down, we are less likely to create radio
silence when information becomes critical.
Model by Doing
When I was in middle school, a tornado swept through my
hometown of Lancaster, TX, leveling a three-mile swath of the town, including
my middle school. Miraculously, it was a holiday from school, and we were at
home. This was the first major crisis I can recall, and my most vivid memory is
how the community rallied together to support each other. From my perspective,
there were no bystanders. There were no rich or poor. There were only people
helping people recover from a disaster. Fast forward to 2017 when Hurricane
Harvey flooded the Houston region, including the school district I worked in at
the time. I experienced the same community pride in supporting each other
through the worst of times. The same has been true of our community through the
winter storm crisis in February. Our Abilene community worked together throughout
the storm to help neighbors without power, elderly with flooded homes, and
homeless citizens looking for refuge. It is in these times, and the small times
in between, that students learn how to care for their community, one of the
most valuable lessons they will walk away with when they leave our buildings.
Recovering After Crisis
When the school building doors opened back up, we knew there
were going to be students and staff members that were still feeling the trauma
of the winter storm. For many, the physical and emotional toll will linger for
days and weeks to come. For some students, even outside of crisis, school is
the place they feel safest and when they are unable to attend, they struggle.
Having a support staff ready to serve the varied needs of students and staff
was paramount to getting back on track with learning in the days after the
storm.
We will not always know the next crisis on the horizon, but we can be certain that there will be a next one. What we do to prepare could make a life or death difference. This winter storm has reminded me to be prepared for the unknown and has strengthened my resolve to help those in need. It has also reminded me to never take for granted when the sun rises in the morning or the warmth of our west Texas community.
