Last week we pivoted to full teacher-led remote learning throughout the board. It was a ‘all hands-on deck’ community wide effort! To all those in front of the screens and all those behind the screens – thank you, WE DID IT!
We had hoped that our elementary students would be returning to in person learning today, but as COVID numbers continue to rise that is not yet a reality. At the end of this week, we will approach the two-week mark since the holidays. It remains our hope and prayer that as the week progresses, we will begin to see improvement, that our combined efforts will have slowed the rate of COVID transmission.
The following video, “The Tree”, was an ad in 2007 for a televised reality show called “Lead India”. The video provides an example, when faced with big and almost seemingly insurmountable obstacles, what can happen when we come together inspired by the ones we serve.
Doug Clark in a blog post, “The Story of ‘The Tree”, identifies key principles at work. These principles apply whether the seemingly insurmountable obstacle be a tree, a pivot to full teacher-led remote learning or reducing the spread of COVID.
“Somebody has to go first, in this case one young boy would demonstrates the courage to start pushing on the stuck tree . . .
Cooperation is powerful. One boy can’t move a tree, but there is a critical mass that occurs when enough people begin to lift – and the roadblock is removed . . .
Joy comes when we work together. As you watch the “Lead India” video, satisfaction is evident on the faces of the citizens who decided to invest their muscles and become uncomfortable so they can move the tree out of the way. It’s clear the young boy who started the effort will never forget this day. He started something . . . “
“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” Ryunosuke Satoro