Compassion and Grace

Shortly after announcing the cancellation of 2019-20 state mandated assessments due to the COVID crisis, Florida’s Commissioner of Education, Richard Corcoran made it clear that all related decisions should be made “with compassion and grace at the forefront.”

What does that mean? 

For the record, according to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of compassion is: “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.” The definition of grace is “courteous goodwill.”

In other words, understand some will have greater challenges, recognize the inequities, be kind and be willing to cut people some slack.

On April 17, 2020,  Georgia’s State School Superintendent, Richard Woods, released an open letter addressed to his school districts, parents, students & teachers. In it he describes “compassion and grace” in action. You can, and should, read the letter in its entirety here.

First he describes Georgia’s traction to distance learning, celebrating the “remarkable job” Georgia’s teachers, educational leaders, parents, and students have done “adapting to this ‘new normal’ and continuing to learn in circumstances none of us could have imagined when the school year began.”

We have seen public education rise up and make the best of a bad situation. Georgia’s teachers have gone far above and beyond the call of duty to serve their students – displaying the creativity, resilience, and commitment to students that define our profession. I know our teachers, so I am not surprised – but I could not be more proud or impressed.

At the same time, we know distance learning comes with challenges – for teachers, students, and parents. Even students who are in the ideal situation for e-learning are coping with a crisis. They may have parents or grandparents who are affected by COVID-19 or going to work in a medical setting each day. They may themselves have pre-existing conditions that place them at higher risk for complications from the virus. Their parents may be out of work, or working full-time while attempting to navigate the new learning landscape.

Other students may have no internet access, no digital devices, or may be sharing a single device among multiple children. They may have little food to eat. Some high-school students are picking up extra hours at work. Other children, heartbreakingly, are in abusive home environments and have lost the refuge of the traditional school day.

And our teachers are working to serve students while taking care of their own children or other responsibilities at home.

His message to his school districts – focus on compassion over compliance.

To be clear, we must continue to be vigilant in support of our students. But our focus during this time should not be on test scores, accountability or percentiles. Our marker for success should be that our children got through this time healthy, safe, and nurtured. It is not a time to be rigid or inflexible – it is a time to extend grace to each other.

He defended Georgia’s decision to continue distance learning rather than end the school year entirely saying “we owe it to our students to keep extending opportunities for them to learn and grow” and, since, for many students, the support and care of their teachers serve as a lifeline, “it was unthinkable to cut off access for those students completely in the midst of a global crisis.”

His goal was that school districts would have “the freedom to focus on learning, growth, and student safety:”

Our guidance to them has been that no student should be penalized, or held back in their expected progression, due to circumstances over which they have no control (i.e. the COVID-19 school closures).

One month into distance learning, I am proud of the creativity, flexibility, and commitment Georgia’s educators have displayed. I am proud of Georgia’s parents, who have advocated for their children and taken on a role they never thought they’d have. And I am proud of Georgia’s students – especially our graduating seniors – who have demonstrated great resilience and integrity.

This challenge is not over. There are more difficulties ahead. But if we keep the focus on compassion over compliance and extend grace to each other – grace from principals to teachers, from teachers to students, from parents to teachers – we will get through this time together and be stronger for it.

This my friends is the true definition of compassion and grace. Our goal should be that our children get through this time healthy, safe, and nurtured.

Be good to each other. Stay well.