Of Note: More Loss and an Even Greater Need

"What's Missing at School: A Wellness Check for Grown-Ups" by Jennifer Bryan
October 28, 2020

In this incisive and clear-eyed white paper, Jennifer Bryan, Ph.D, director of Re-Set Schools, urgently reminds schools to pause, now, to assess and plan for the wellness and resiliency of all the adults who have been working in crisis mode since last March. Dr. Bryan offers both an analysis of the current status of most independent schools and a framework for an action plan whereby school leaders can attend to the fatigue, grief, and variations in their faculty's experiences. Independent schools are accustomed to making student-centered decisions and holding themselves to standards of excellence; however, some of these traditional mindsets may, in some cases, lead to poor decision-making. Dr. Bryan reminds us that we must also consider the unprecedented circumstances we are in, the length of time that we all have been working in crisis mode with few, if any, boundaries between work and home-life, and the reality that teachers and administrators have had little time to recharge and reflect since the pandemic hit. To that end, she offers academic leaders support and a framework as they plan for the rest of this school year, and beyond, within a landscape that continues to shift and present unanticipated scenarios, more loss, and an even greater need for community building and connection.