July 1, 2021

Going Dark

In a piece on LinkedIn, consultant Jerry Larson mentions several heads who have informed their communities that they are "going dark" for a few weeks this summer, that is, gone on the Bat Phone protocol, responding only to the most dire communications from their communities so that they can insure themselves a recovery period from the extraordinary events of the last 15 months. At Gowan Group, we're working with a school that's "going dark" institution-wide for a week this summer. No receptionist, no summer camp, no maintenance projects, doors locked, empty campus. Call it what you will--maternalistic, autocratic--we think this kind of boundary setting is a brilliant strategy as there is nothing better heads could be doing for themselves and for their operations teams right now than attending to their long-term physical and mental health. It's a measure that also presages what, I believe, will be a year of boundary setting, of re-establishing community norms of civility, and the healthy distinctions between home and school. One of the great assets of traditional, in person school, after all, is that it is "not-home," and thereby an opportunity for children to explore their own identities by contributing to a community outside the family. In this edition, you'll find two pieces on reestablishing some of the lanes this fall that support strong school communities.