Emails from worried and grateful parents and from CDC and local health officials about new safety announcements, survey responses from members of the Saint Louis U. High community: since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the inboxes of SLUH principal Ian Gibbons and president Alan Carruthers have been filled to the brim.

These emails and survey responses, mostly from parents, are filled with various expressions of gratitude, grievance, and opinion. Navigating between many perspectives, Gibbons and Carruthers are often faced with difficult problems, many of which have answers that are not always easy to discern.

“My goal is to try to make the best decisions in a very flawed reality that we face, whether that be the political perspective, the media perspectives, or the different lenses people have on about this disease and about the communication of it and about what people experience when they have it,” said Carruthers.

Both Gibbons and Carruthers find that the emails and survey responses help them understand the community’s feelings about the pandemic and offer invaluable insights when making important decisions, such as when to return to in-person classes. Gibbons, who has received much data from the two surveys sent out to the school (one in July and the other in October), has mapped out and compared the trends of how people are feeling about the pandemic in hopes to better discern a plan.

“We found the July survey showed people really wanted to be back on campus, not virtual classes, and that the six foot rule was very important to people. The minority of voices wanted everyone back,” said Gibbons.  “We found in October that things had flipped considerably and over 66 percent wanted everyone back. The remaining one third was some combination of ‘we want to stay online’, or ‘we don't love the hybrid system but we think it's better than bringing everyone back,’ or  ‘we just really like the hybrid.’”

“We found the July survey showed people really wanted to be back on campus, not virtual classes, and that the six foot rule was very important to people. The minority of voices wanted everyone back. We found in October that things had flipped considerably and over 66 percent wanted everyone back. The remaining one third was some combination of ‘we want to stay online’, or ‘we don't love the hybrid system but we think it's better than bringing everyone back,’ or  ‘we just really like the hybrid.’”

Gibbons

On top of the usual school emails and informative briefings that he receives on a daily basis, Gibbons has also frequently been sent letters of gratitude from thankful parents who think he’s handled the situation well. 

“I have always received a number of stuff from people truly grateful for SLUH being one of the anchoring points amidst a lot of craziness and confusion, a place that they know is going to be stable,” said Gibbons. “SLUH is a pretty stable entity, and to hear people express that is deeply humbling and powerful.”

Other emails are not as supportive and can be very emotionally driven, often filled with a lot of anxiety and fear that make responding to them difficult to navigate.

“I get a lot of communication that shows just an unfiltered, raw state of mind, that I have to be able to translate into the pandemic,” said Gibbons. “You develop a very thick skin in this job.”

“This whole year 2020 has been anxiety, worry inducing. It's been a stressful installment, and people have it tougher than I do. Those emotions translate into those emails,” said Carruthers. “I'm blessed that I haven't lost any family members. I know people in our community here lost in some cases not just one but multiple family members.”

Still, while both Gibbons and Carruthers believed that it is important to have thick skin when in the role they have, they both try to read each email with compassion and understanding, usually trying to reach the hidden message behind the words of the email.

“I've dealt with stress, and I am not scared of that, I don't run away from that. It does wear on you, you do have to have a thick skin,” said Carruthers. “But, you can't shut the criticism out. Everyone's voice has value and you've got to listen to what they're saying.”

“I've dealt with stress, and I am not scared of that, I don't run away from that. It does wear on you, you do have to have a thick skin. But, you can't shut the criticism out. Everyone's voice has value and you've got to listen to what they're saying.”

Carruthers

“The challenge is to be able to have the time to sort it, to understand what's there and to actually be able to use that knowledge of the old adage, those who fail to understand and remember history are doomed to repeat it,” said Gibbons. “Part of that understanding is being able to actually organize and be able to go back to some of that data.”

Both Gibbons and Carruthers respond to upwards of 60 emails every day, only a portion of the emails they receive, which sometimes reach up to 120. Often, Carruthers will even call the parent to talk over the matter.

“I think a phone call is a much more productive piece because I think you can hear a lot in someone's voice,” said Carruthers. “You can hear sympathy or determine what the fear is. You can determine their thoughtfulness perhaps. Honestly, I think the most productive ways that I've responded in those situations have been when I've been able to have a phone call conversation with folks.”

For Gibbons and Carruthers, they are very grateful for the responses from parents that they get on a daily basis, and they encourage others to reach out.

“We love what we do, and we like it because we really enjoy working with (the students),” said Carruthers. “None of us got into Jesuit education for any other reason than that we're drawn to the formation of young people in particular young men in our charism. So, you know, this is a hard road I think for every teacher, every staff member who has that vocational call to do, but we do this out of the love of (the students).”