Inspiring Women SUMMER 2020

Carol-Lyn McKelvey
In my 30 + year career in education, I have
seen teachers, administrators, students and
parents deal with short term crises: the death of
a staff member or student, a possible live
shooter, an earthquake, weather-related
closures, a school-wide case of the flu.
Academically, these were all “short term”
situations - a day or a week might be disrupted,
a field trip or exam might need to be
rescheduled. Suffice it to say, most educators
(in places where education is typically
accessible and free to all) have never had to
manage a situation of this magnitude. COVID-
19 has changed everything, and in many
cases, in the blink of an eye.
Unprecedented times need to be dealt with in unprecedented ways, and educators stepped up
to this challenge. Schools went into overdrive as teachers copied materials to deliver to students,
learned new technology, and researched and/or created virtual learning opportunities, while
administrators and staff sorted out how to continue to provide food, technology and support to
students who depended on the schools for such assistance. This, of course, was only half the story.
Simultaneously, families of all shapes and sizes were trying to adapt to this new and
semi-permanent school paradigm while also managing their own fears, financial issues, health and
employment situations.
So where are we now and what are we as a
society learning about education, both from an
academic and systemic point of view? What are/
should be the priorities in learning and teaching?
How do we manage access, equity and privilege
issues to ensure that the achievement gap isn’t
widened for our most vulnerable and underserved
populations (SDG #4!)? How do teachers maintain
personal and academic relationships with
students, while honoring families’ current realities,
stresses and limitations, as well as their own? What,
if any, will be the long-term academic effects on
our students?
While these and other questions will be pondered,
reacted to and studied in real time and for
decades, it is important to maintain perspective
and perhaps take a long view in order to maintain
students’, teachers’ and families’ sanity. One of
the “upsides” of our current situation is that we’re
all in this together: virtually EVERYONE at ALL levels
of education in almost EVERY country has been
affected in some capacity. From colleges and universities down to pre-schools, this four-ish month
hiatus of traditional education is happening simultaneously world-wide. Students (and parents)
should take comfort in knowing that any skill or knowledge gap they might have going into the
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