What Matters Most

This morning, I spoke with Steve Barrett and asked him what he is learning from the coronavirus crisis.  Steve is superintendent of the Gahanna-Jefferson City School District – just outside of Columbus, Ohio.  His response was direct and to the point:  “Some of things we obsess about (like testing) don’t really matter.  What matters most is our humanity.  As educators, we underestimate the importance of the human connection that our public schools provide.”  I then asked him what he is doing right now in his district to react to the impact of the current crisis:  “We are asking our teachers to socially and emotionally connect with our students.  We also are reaching out to our community by, for example, partnering with our local food bank.”