FEATURE
THE BEST OF TIMES
AND THE
WORST OF TIMES
If things go as planned, we’ll begin to emerge from this pandemic sometime in the summer. We’re not out of the woods yet, but we are starting to imagine family visits, having friends at the cottage, perhaps even attending the theatre. So, while it’s too early for an entirely retrospective look at pandemic life, it’s a good time to consider how the past year has changed the way we do things. What positives will we hang onto? What can’t we wait to scrap? What lasting impacts will we feel as a community? To learn more, RSGC asked a handful of community members to share their perspectives. Each is involved in different areas of the college and offers a unique glimpse into their world.
Our thoughtful contributors:
Catherine Kirkland, Head of the Junior School
Paul O’Leary, Head of the Senior School
Maria Jordan, Executive Director, Advancement
Eddie Beqaj ’08, President, RSGCAA
First up: What makes our panel members say, “Enough!”
Being Apart
CK: Who among us hasn’t missed seeing all the boys in one place? Or bumping into colleagues in the hallways and having a chat? Or enjoying lunch together on the fly? This is the first time in my career I don’t know every parent’s face. And the younger boys are really missing mixed-grade activities. We do as much as we can, but the boys are eager for more. MJ: It sounds clichéd to say that this is a close community, but it’s true. We’re partly close emotionally because we’re close physically. We’ve adapted in some amazing ways to our current reality, but speaking for the admin staff, we really miss the students. The separations within the school are necessary for safety, but there’s no substitute for the wonderful energy of being around the boys.
PO: There’s no argument that supporting our boys, teaching our boys, connecting with our boys, having fun and building camaraderie are all better in person. Yes, they have mainly been on campus, but there’s still a sense of loss we’re all feeling. As one example, I’m really looking forward to getting back into Ketchum Hall. It’s the warm and welcoming heart of the school. EB: The Alumni Association has been fantastically productive and creative, but there are some things that cannot be replicated or replaced. One of those is the Old Boys’ Dinner. It’s our signature event—even our flagship. We can’t have anything like it in a virtual format, so we won’t even try. Some things just require being in the same space—and are worth waiting for.
Barriers and Masks
EB: Talking through life’s more difficult moments or just reaching out to help someone who is feeling low is even more difficult when we have to rely on technology. Screens don’t naturally lend themselves to intimacy. I’ve felt how much harder it is to have those very personal conversations. MJ: I really miss all the hugs. Or even just walking arm in arm. These are ways we express how much we care. Physical touch is comforting, and I know a lot of us are feeling the absence. PO: Smiles and laughter and even tone of voice are harder to share through masks. We’ve learned to engage more with people’s eyes, but it’s getting by in a pinch. I can’t wait until we can see each other’s faces again.
Screen Fatigue
PO: I’ll state the obvious: I’m looking forward to fewer Zoom meetings. There’s no doubt that we need them— and that we’ll be incorporating them in new ways into the future of the school. They have a tremendous upside. But I’m ready to have fewer in my life. MJ: Being so dependent on technology has physical costs. People move less, but report more fatigue. There’s more back pain and eye strain. I’ve realized how much we all move through space during normal days. CK: I worry about how much playtime the boys get— time away from screens, time outside, time for games that are physically exhilarating and just plain fun. They want to play together more than anything, but have to be physically distant. Plus, they’re on their computers more than ever. It’s tough to balance.
Students have grown accustomed to not wearing the traditional school uniform. How will they react when they have to tuck in their shirts and wear a tie again?
Confusing Boundaries
MJ: Relying more on technology has the potential to expand the work day. Boundaries are blurred when we don’t have the expectation that people are physically on campus for certain kinds of work at certain times of day. The computer is always there. In some ways, it’s like we’re never fully on and never fully off. CK: Early in the pandemic, some parents expressed concerns about the kids “getting behind” if we didn’t push them hard in their academics. But there is so much learning happening every day for our boys, including self-direction, finding the tools they need, managing their time. When we draw hard lines around what learning is, we can miss how much growth our students are experiencing. We can lose a holistic understanding of learning. PO: It will be interesting to see how bringing back the traditional uniform goes with the boys! We’ve had to cross over into a different mindset about it. How hard will it be to cross back?
And yet, amidst these low moments and ongoing difficulties, there are also gains worth holding onto...
Access and Inclusion
EB: The pandemic has challenged the Alumni Association to maintain its connections virtually. For the first time, alumni living at a distance can participate in everything, from social events to committee work. The online option has shifted from second-best to first (only!) choice, which creates a very egalitarian structure. Everyone has access. Everyone can participate. PO: Making all class content available from home will be a great help next year when students are away, sick or injured. They’ll be able to watch their classes and catch up on anything missed. Students absent for any reason will have greater access to materials than in the past, which will reduce stress. We’ve learned a lot about online curriculum delivery. MJ: I’m impressed by the way our parents and alumni have ramped up their online presence. People are participating in events—even headlining events—from anywhere around the world. Community members are highlighting and sharing their expertise in new ways. Participation in our Parents’ Guild has grown, especially among dads. Removing the travel time and the need for a babysitter has opened doors for more people.
Expanding Academic Models
CK: We have gotten even further away from grading the younger students and have focused more on good feedback— both how to give it and how to receive it. Reducing stress around grades has been good for the boys’ mental health and for their motivation to learn. Going forward, for Grades 7 and 8, we’ll continue to focus on learning skills and on feedback for growth and improvement. In some ways, the pandemic has been a positive push. PO: We have learned how to be flexible and fluid in how we teach, learn and even schedule our days. We’ve had to shift away from high-stakes evaluations like exams toward different summative projects. We won’t give up exams in the future, but in some courses—especially in Grades 9 and 10—we have questioned their value and looked carefully at how we assess in general. We have also experimented with different timetables and need to prepare options for next year. We’ve gained valuable experience from every approach we’ve tried and tweaked.
Online Guild and RSGCAA events have been very well attended.
Students are getting better at working independently, becoming more self-reliant and resourceful.
Independence and Resilience
CK: Even our very young students have become more self-reliant and resourceful. They are also more aware of how they learn, how they can help each other and how much others depend on them. It doesn’t all revolve around the teacher. The boys are stepping up to ask for what they need and to support each other. We have always focused on these skills, but the pandemic has highlighted even more how important they are for learning and life. PO: I have noticed how much better the boys have become at working independently. They are better at planning ahead, setting priorities, finding resources and pacing themselves. They also feel more accountable to themselves. Being prepared for class, for example, is less about a teacher’s expectations and more about supporting their own learning. Our boys still need lots of help, and their teachers and the Learning Centre team are providing it. They’re kids after all. But they’re also rising to the occasion.
Creativity and Productivity
EB: I’m as tired of the terms “adapt” and “pivot” as everyone else, but boy, have we ever. The Alumni Association committee meetings have shifted away from brainstorming sessions and toward reporting on progress—what’s been achieved—and what support is needed to move further forward. We use the time between meetings to get things done. There’s definitely more of a doing mindset. We’re also going to continue meeting through the summer. Why not? We can Zoom in from anywhere. MJ: The Parents’ Guild has focused on very broad programs and events in the past. Switching to virtual activities has led to more niche offerings, like arts talks, yoga, book club and wine tasting. You can target more individual interests and feel less pressure to reach everyone at once. The Small Business Directory is another example of creativity arising out of constraint. Why didn’t we do this before? It’s a great way to support each other or just learn about each other.
Technology has allowed us to have full school meetings—even when some people are on campus and some are at home.
Positives of Technology
CK: Professional development is easier to access. Travel is out, so teachers are learning from experts and from each other online and across the globe. In the future, I think we will see more hybrid models for PD that connect more people. I also think the Canadian Association of Independent Schools has become a stronger community. There has been a lot of sharing and depending on each other. MJ: This has been a great time for us to develop our technology skills. For example, we’ve learned a lot about how everyone can be heard in an online environment. We’ve learned how to host high-quality online events. We’ve even learned how to troubleshoot our tech issues and be less reliant on IT! As an admin team, we are in some ways both more inclusive and more independent. EB: My sense is that in every part of the school, we’re all considering the benefits of a more blended future: live events and gatherings mixed with virtual. Some of those will be social and some more work focused, with the virtual options being more popular than in the past. I think we will have great participation and productivity in a blended model.
Being Apart (redux)
MJ: So many of our parents and donors have stepped up in response to the stress of being apart. I have been asked so many times, “What do the students need? What does the school need? How can I help?” In some interesting ways, we’ve grown closer. There is so much care and generosity in this community. EB: As an Association, our mandate is to build a stronger sense of belonging and engage our alumni further. Events like our On-Screen Cuisine or our Speaker Series have done that. We have alumni connecting back to us for the first time since graduation. Strangely, being apart has created new opportunities for being together. CK: I have never seen more support for our teachers than over the past year. When I reflect on why parents have been so encouraging and understanding, I know that it’s the level of trust they have in us. They trust our expertise. They trust our decisions. They trust us to take care of their children. That’s a gift that means so much to our teachers.