What does a typical day in your home office look like?
I go to my school office two to three days a week, but a work–from–home day starts about 7:30 a.m., by setting up my laptop, Chromebook, headphones, and two cell phones at the dining room table.
The day is filled managing the district with many email exchanges, Google Meets, Zoom meetings, and telephone conversations.
This environment is very productive until approximately 11 a..m., when my two college–age daughters and my son, a high school junior, start their days. I often move into someone’s bedroom or into the basement to conduct meetings and conversations.
The days are exhausting in a way I never would have anticipated prior to this. I look forward to getting back to work and being surrounded by our incredible students, faculty, and staff. They and our daily interactions are terribly missed.
Do you have any assistants (dogs, children, spouses) aiding you in your tasks?
I usually have my two Goldendoodles, Kirby and Riggs, sleeping at my feet or nudging me to take them out for most of the day. My wife Patti has adjusted to her own work–from–home schedule, and my three children — Julia, Sarah, and Jason — are usually working on their own assignments.
How often are you in touch with your staff, and through what platforms?
The whole day is dedicated to staying in touch. I meet with my [district] cabinet three times per week and our leadership team weekly.
I meet with parents, town officials, teachers, principals, and various committees and teams to maintain our connection to one another.
Conducting virtual board meetings and developing a budget in this new dynamic have been challenging, but we have been figuring it out and making it work.
We are blessed to have a community and faculty, staff, and administration that really bond together to support one another and, more importantly, to support our students.
Our educational foundation, PTA, the Life Center and so many other community groups have raised money, conducted food drives, volunteered to distribute food and done so many other wonderful things to support our kids.
