The Circadian Rhythm of School

Just like our body, schools have their own circadian rhythm. We learn what Thursday’s schedule looks like. We can feel a 3-day weekend coming. We plan for the weeks between Thanksgiving and December break.

School in the time of COVID, though, is akin to months-long jet lag but without the satisfaction of unpacking and lying down or the excitement of exploring a new place or the warmth of visiting faraway friends and family. Like faraway adventures, though, there is a profound sense of the unknown but without the excited anticipation awaiting us on the other side. Also, a travel buddy is encouraged.

As I met with faculty to discuss our latest transition from schedule in theory to schedule in practice, it was clear that the emotions we were all experiencing and discussing had as much to do with the emotional fatigue of incessant iterations as it did with the actual fatigue that the schedule created. I listened to teachers discuss how the minutes disappear more quickly with new protocols as well as the various logistical issues that needed to be addressed. I also heard an exhaustion at the lack of rhythm to the school year.

Our circadian rhythm is off. There is a consistent lack of predictability to the school year that prevents faculty, staff, and administration from settling into the year. That, in and of itself, is exhausting. Therefore, it needs tending to.

Ironing out the logistical wrinkles, in many ways, can be easier and quicker than the emotional ones (which is not to say that it is easy). So, it has been important that in a year without rhythm, we have a regular sense of communication and community. In any year, tending to the spirit and energy of a school is important. This year it is paramount.

The unspoken aspect of the newest schedule is the emotional time it takes to adjust. That calibration is marked by a resignation that it likely won’t stick. As I take notes on what further adjustments need to be made to meet students’ and teachers’ needs, there needs to be a spoken aspect to that process as well. We can’t count on any one schedule sticking for more than a month.

Therefore, what we do need to rely on is time to discuss, to come together to talk about what works and what doesn’t. We need to make room to talk openly and to listen compassionately. This adventure of inconsistency requires that we tend to the one constant we have in schools–our community.