East Side Elementary School principal Greg Wilkey watches students in four classrooms at once while teachers take a lunch break. Contributed photo by East Side Elementary School teacher Andrea Bass.On a Thursday in mid-December, East Side Elementary School Principal Greg Wilkey, 49, was scrolling through photos on his smartphone.
He paused at a shot sent to him by a teacher at the South Lyerly Street school, where more than half the students are Hispanic. It showed Wilkey sitting on a stool in the middle of a hallway. Meanwhile, classroom doors were open on both sides.
In retrospect, it was a classic pandemic scene.
"Most of the kids eat in their classrooms [during the pandemic]," Wilkey explained in an interview. "In order to give teachers a lunch break, we have to have people watch their classes.
"I was short teachers, so I would sit on the stool and watch four different rooms at one time. A teacher behind me snapped the picture, almost like a 'haha.'
"That picture sort of summarizes how it feels right now, very lonely," Wilkey continued. "Nothing is normal, nothing is familiar this year."
Looking at the photo prompted Wilkey to compose a Facebook post that has been shared at least 6,000 times and has resonated with educators and parents around the world.
"It was just a random reflective moment, and that picture kind of sparked it," Wilkey said.
The post tumbled out of his writer's mind as a two-part list. (Wilkey is a published author.) The first half of the post included things that had pulled him down in 2020, and the second half were things that had lifted him up.
Within minutes of the posting, his phone began to blow up.
"I figured I'd get a couple of Facebook likes and that would be the end of it," he said. "Then, I started to get messages from people I didn't know. Then it got shared to another page, and another. It reminded me we are not alone. It went to other cities, other states and other countries."
Soon, Wilkey was getting invitations to write blog posts and to parachute into Zoom calls around the United States and abroad. His list of pandemic laments and silver linings had obviously struck a chord, putting words to emotions that others were feeling, too.
Here is some of what Wilkey wrote in the Facebook post:
"... The job [of principal] has always been challenging, but nothing prepared me for the stresses this year would bring.
"The desire to maintain normalcy in an abnormal year.
"The early mornings trying to prepare for the onslaught of questions.
"The late nights replaying so many mistakes and missteps.
"The suffocating doubts plaguing my mind.
"The fight against negative public perception.
"The struggle to lower other people's anxieties while hiding my own.
"The feeling of being powerless and ineffective every single day.
"The absolute sense of isolation.
"The burden of providing stability.
"The constant fear of failure.
"But not all is gloom. There have been moments of unanticipated joy and success. Moments of happiness and triumph in the midst of the struggles.
"Teachers growing professionally and creatively.
"Schools and community members coming together to meet challenges.
"Parents supporting the school in new and inventive ways.
"Students engaged in innovative learning.
"Incredible acts of love, generosity, and true compassion.
"Words of encouragement backed by powerful actions.
"True gratitude.
"Everyone working together to provide students with a sense of calm in a sea of chaos not of their making.
"Endless attempts to create positive school memories for so many children.
"I've learned so much this semester, so much about others... I've seen teachers, students, and parents rising to meet challenges never imagined.
"I've watched.
"I've listened.
"I've cried.
"I've prayed.
"Schools are so much more than academics. Schools are places where people come to be loved, to feel safe, and to be nurtured. Educators provide more than teaching and learning. We are sources of stability and calm during the storms. Even when we feel like we're failing, we're not."
____
Wilkey said hearing from educators around the world has been affirming.
"It reminded me that this is a global pandemic," he said. "We're all fighting the same battle. We're all learning new stuff."
Interestingly, Wilkey said the pandemic has actually strengthened his school's ties with parents and the broader community.
"I've had teachers who are taking foods to homes. Staff members who are delivering work to parents who can't get here. We've had local businesses donate school supplies. We had a church give us a huge amount of money to buy Chromebooks... Parents are actually calling me on my cell phone. Our Facebook page [following] has quadrupled."
Every day brings new challenges, Wilkey said, but schools are learning to improvise solutions on the fly. And that's a skill that will continue to pay dividends long after the pandemic has passed.
"We are writing the playbook while we are playing the game," Wilkey said.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com.