I’m Not Accepting This ‘New Normal’

My View

As technology increases exponentially, we in school leadership are expected to push ourselves harder and further than ever. As e-mails pile up in our inbox and we are expected to be available 24/7, who has noticed all that we’ve been sacrificing, our lack of presence and full participation in meetings and our inattention during family conversations?

Has anyone noticed the skewed values we’ve been teaching our children as they inhabit the world we’re leaving them? Anyone else experience a lack of sleep and declining health as we plow on and equate success with increased personal productivity? Who has noticed the physical distancing that we’ve been accepting as the norm?

I did not recognize these harmful signs for some time. I pushed on.

While all of this has been happening, no one has paid any attention to the personal connections that we were neglecting and ultimately losing.