4 Considerations for School and Religious Education Leadership in a Natural Disaster
By Dr. Michael Ashton
As a school leader, we are most often on the periphery of a terrible event, not in the middle of one. But really, given the students and families we serve, we must always consider ourselves in the middle, because that’s where the hearts and minds of our children are – ground zero.
Disclaimer: if this title misled you to seek advice on what school leaders do when they are directly involved in the incident, I apologize. I would direct you to the emergency response experts for that. Sadly, there is an abundance of materials available about critical incidents in schools due to some horrible events in recent times. Instead, the following considerations are for the majority of us, those leaders on the perimeter.
- Pray
Pray and keep on praying. Pray for the victims, but don’t forget to pray for your children and families who will experience significant distress and grief vicariously. That pain is real and does have impact.
- Honor Pain
Honor the expressions of concern and pain that come to your door. Children will often verbalize a concern that feigns in comparison to the larger issue, and a temptation exists to brush it aside.
Child: “What about the pets, what is going to happen to those dogs and cats?”
Adult: “Andrew, people have died. There are more serious issues then pets.”
Instead, recognize with that child that it is a sad thing for those animals, and help Andrew translate those feelings to an expression of mercy. Coach him how he can include pets in the prayers for those families who have lost loved ones, and when he collects donations for human victims, he can include some items that pet owners would specifically need.
- Strategize for Long Term
When you mobilize resources to help, strategize for the long term. Most disasters create injury or loss that will impact people and communities for many years. When you are collecting clothing, include in your communications what the next steps will be six months or a year down the road. Communicate about how we can build personal habits around a giving routine, and anticipate needs victims will have in the future that will require just as much community attention then as it does now.
- Cultivate Leadership
Cultivate leaders of service. We can see leadership tendencies emerge from our children in times of disaster response, and it’s a perfect time to help them exercise and develop those life skills. And when children identify themselves as being a key part of any agenda or movement, they begin looking outside of themselves more and recognizing other scenarios where they can lead a merciful response.
May God bless your response to the 2019 floods as we continue to pray for those who have suffered and lost.