DCD’s Head of Lower School Carla Haith has recently published an article in Flux Leadership: Real-Time Inquiry for Humanizing Educational Change. The article, entitled “Systems of Emotional Support for Educators in Crisis,” draws on data collected from over 5,000 educators along with individual stories to study the personal experiences of educators during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and explore how to best support teachers in these times of crisis.
Carla was in the midst of her doctoral program when Covid disrupted the usual structures. So with everything in flux, her program came together to write a book about being in flux. While the text explores various perspectives, from school leaders to students, Carla’s contribution focuses on the emotional health of teachers during times of crisis like the pandemic.
“I see a big part of my job as supporting teachers, and trying to create bright spots for them,” Carla says. “And so this was an area I wanted to focus on in my research and my writing.”
This article is a direct result of Carla’s experience working with DCD during the pandemic, and explores the philosophies and tactics she took away from the 2019/2020 school year, continuing into the present.
“This work, like a lot of the work I do, is based around the question of what we need to do to take care of people,” Carla explains. “People need to feel taken care of. They want you to look at them and recognize that they’re struggling, and then they want you to do something about it. Just as we want to know each child at DCD and know what they need, and how we can support them, the same is true for our teachers.”
Carla’s value for connection and support for students and teachers alike is part of what makes her such an incredible part of the DCD community, and her understanding of emotional support has played a key role in helping our students and teachers navigate this time of flux!
The text in its entirety can be ordered here.
