I had just waddled back into a job at eight months pregnant when, about five weeks later, I saw the biggest professional challenge of my career: a natural disaster hit multiple schools.
For my colleagues working in California and now dealing with a natural disaster of their own, I remember the numbness you feel in the aftermath of a disaster. I remember the desire to do something, do anything, but being limited by circumstance. For me, it was a pregnant belly about a week away from a due date. For you, it’s the flames blocking you from getting closer to help.
So, you do what you can from a distance, supporting a community you love as best you know how. Many folks will tell you how to respond to a crisis and even more will offer to help you. Not all help is good or what is needed.
You know your community best. You share the pain of what your neighbors and school families are experiencing. Start there, and be as proactive as you can, providing quality information in a timely manner. I hope that you will champion communicating the tough decisions your district must make with clarity, transparency and heart. How you respond in this moment impacts your community’s trust when it comes time to rebuild and heal.
So many decisions will have to be made in the days, weeks and months ahead that you cannot begin to imagine. But that’s a conversation for another day. Today, know that your peers stand with you and offer support in whatever ways YOU deem best.
