Caring in Crisis: Stories to Inspire and Guide School Leaders

Caring in Crisis: reminded me that in times of need we as educators come together to meet the needs of out students, families and the community at large. It emphasis that the role of the educator far exceeds just addressing the academic needs of students, but the social emotional as well. I was inspired by the thoughtful displays of unconditional care from school leaders.

In The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni argues that effective leaders focus on the technical and human aspects of managing their organization. Here, Mark Smylie and Joseph Murphy emphasize the latter especially during a crisis. Rich with illustrations, stories, and practices of caring, this book remind us that school success comes not just from curriculum and instruction, but from relationships.

Caring in Crisis is a book for our time. An artful collection of insightful, provocative storytelling, this work illuminates the myriad challenges school leaders face and provides a much-needed sense that educators are deeply interconnected and interdependent. Smylie and Murphy inspire us to meet the challenges ahead and reveal that while crisis takes many forms, so too does caring.

Caring in Crisis makes a strong case for the importance of extending care to all who are impacted in a crisis and of fostering a caring school community who pull together during those difficult days. The stories in this book provide a compelling glimpse into the profound impact that a caring word, an act of kindness, or a decision that prioritizes the needs of students can have.

Caring in Crisis is a masterful resource as it presents a research-based rationale, as well as strategic guidance, for caring in times of crisis and it engages the reader in authentic experiences shared by in-the-trenches educators. This unique combination of strategies, wisdom and heartrending stories provides opportunities for educational leaders to learn from the experiences of others in order to work together with staff to proactively mitigate crises with compassion and competence. 

How do principals respond to a teen suicide? What could they do when faced with racism, discrimination, and even policy brutality? During COVID-19, what are some innovative ways to create a sense of community and well-being? Mark Smylie and Joseph Murphy’s Caring in Crisis provides insights into compassionate school leaders responding to situations none of us would ever want to face. Their compilation of narratives from school leaders gives us a glimpse into the agony and decisions that school leaders have had to make and the critical importance of their empathy for families and communities. Caring in Crisis, filled with examples of courage, of communication, and of community-building, gives us hope for the future, for our humanity. A must read for aspiring school leaders, you will learn about leadership in the midst of tears and heart break, about supporting families during mental health challenges, and about being a friend to your students and your community. It will open minds and hearts, providing role models for new leaders and promoting a crucial standard for “ethics of care” during some of the most difficult times.

List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Introduction: Crises and Caring School Leadership
Crisis Comes
The Meaning of Crisis
Crisis Leadership and the Through Line of Caring
Caring School Leadership in Times of Crisis
Guide for Engaging the Stories
Overview of Practices
Questions That Promote Understanding
Questions That Prompt Application
The Stories
1. Through the Eyes of Children
2. Speak Life
3. Giving Ourselves Permission to Be Human
4. Building a Family
5. Reflections on Healing Staff With Compassion
6. Caring for Kids by Taking Care of Teachers
7. Laura
8. Guarding Against Sexual Misconduct
9. One Sows, Another Reaps
10. A Million Times More
11. Commitment to Community Health
12. Da Bears!
13. My Zoom Isn’t Working!
14. Imagine the Possibilities
15. On Day 2, 9/11
16. Responding to the Crises
17. A Deadly Threat
18. Start Simple
19. Keeping Connected With the Kids
20. Prioritizing Our Students
21. A District Office Caring for Teachers
22. We Need to Talk About Sarah
23. Coping With Loss
24. Bring Your Dog to Work Days
25. “With Every Difficulty, There Is Relief”
26. Tone Deafness
27. Centering on Community
28. Biting
29. The Magnolia
30. No One Saw It Coming
31. No Hugs, No Bugs
32. Two Storms in One Week
33. And Then There Was Mold
34. I Am Here for You
35. Winning and Losing
36. Summer Meals
37. Sharing the Peace
38. The Tsunami
39. Leading Through the Storm
40. The Work of My Life
Coda
A Culture of Caring
Who Cares for the Caring School Leader?
Bibliography

Mark A. Smylie is professor of education emeritus in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago and visiting professor in the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Peabody College, Vanderbilt University. Before his work in higher education, Smylie was a high school social studies teacher. Smylie served as secretary-treasurer of the National Society for the Study of Education and as a director of the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago. His work has appeared in theAmerican Education Research Journal, Educational Researcher, Educational Administration Quarterly, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Educational Policy, Journal of School Leadership, andReview of Research in Education. Smylie has worked with schools, school districts, and school administrator and teacher professional associations through joint projects, advising, and school leader development activities. He has served on advisory boards of numerous regional and national professional and policy organizations concerned with education generally and leadership in particular. Smylie¿s research focuses on school organization, leadership, and change.

Learn, reflect and grow from 40 true stories of caring school leadership during times of crisis

When faced with crises, most leaders handle the moment by leaning into triage and logistics. This book challenges you and your teams to adopt caring people-first strategies instead. Let these 40 stories, from a wide range of schools and crises situations, help you prepare for, perhaps prevent, respond to, and recover from your own school crises. Within these pages, you will find:

• An introduction to what crisis and caring school leadership means
•  Helpful lists to guide caring leadership practices
• A review of current crisis management literature
• Questions, reflection, and prompts to engage with story learnings