Relationships still rule at ROCS

At Red Oak Community School there is one, main driving force that motivates the staff: relationships. We strive to develop and deliver relationship-based community education, which means we lead with our hearts as we develop connections and understanding with students, their families, and each other.  

So when we began planning for ways to adapt our school to operate in a pandemic, we were very concerned about how using a mask would affect our ability to communicate and build relationships with our students.  Thankfully, as we got to see first hand yet again, children are remarkably resilient.  They adapted better than we adults did to having their faces partially covered as they laughed, talked, played, and learned with just as much fervor as any other year.  We exchange “air hugs”, elbow high fives, and many smiles and connections throughout the day.  

One of the losses we’ve felt most keenly is not being able to chat with parents outside before and after school. We miss the casual conversation and mini-conferences we use to develop staff-parent relationships. The parents have reported missing that, as well as the chance to get to know each other! So, for this year, we have held Zoom conferences, shared photo albums with family pictures, and opened up Google Chat to use in addition to email to keep in touch. We also held a drive-by end of school party last May! This lack of person-to-person connection makes us all the more aware-- and grateful-- of the fact that the Red Oak families have entrusted their children to us anyway.  We always say we can’t do this without the parents!

And as for the staff? Well, we’ve found ways to maintain our relationships with each other as we adapt and expect the unexpected.  Some of those ways included hiring another teacher (yay, Anne!), continuing our costumed traditions (not just on Halloween!), and finding room and grace to allow for each person to feel safe in her professional choices.  

This has been an unconventional first half of the school year, so it’s a good thing Red Oak Community School is unconventional! We will continue to “roll with it”, as we greet the evolving circumstances with the same flexibility and collective spirit that have seen us through thus far.

-Maureen Alley, ROCS Educator