Donald Gately Ed.D.
Category Archives: relationships
My COVID-19 Diary: Are we nicer?
Several articles discuss the limits of empathy. Just because we can put ourselves in the shoes of another person doesn’t necessarily mean we will be motivated to do anything about the challenges they face. If, while driving my car, I feel for a person alongside the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel who looks down on his luck, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m going to pull over and offer to help. Although there is research about the impact of empathy on our actions, it’s difficult to argue that it is one of those essential ingredients that motivates us to take positive actions towards one another. We may not always act on our feelings of empathy, but when we do act with kindness or generosity towards others, the impulse to do so likely began with a sense of empathy. Continue reading
My COVID-19 Diary: In the Storm
As I looked at that water, I thought to myself, “Oh my goodness, poor Mark. What’s he going to do.” There was a moment when I thought to myself, “I guess they can all move in with us for a while until they get this fixed. We can get cots for the kids. Do we have eggs?” Continue reading
My COVID 19 Diary: Are you all in?
Regardless of the approach to reopening at your school, you need to commit yourself to your purpose. In my school I am privileged to work with the most amazing staff who are possessed of an unflinching clarity of purpose. They know that our role as educators is to nurture the learning and well-being of our kids, to love them so that they know they belong and that we are their champions. Continue reading
My COVID-19 Diary: Virtual friends, they’re real!
I’m reflecting on virtual relationships in the educational environment during the quarantine. What are the obstacles teachers face in developing new connections and maintaining the bonds they had built in the first 24 weeks of school? Will it be possible to create the kind of close, supportive relationships that are the bedrock of our school culture next year with a new group of students if we continue virtual school in September? Continue reading
My COVID-19 Diary: The 4th “R”
The public, since the time of John Dewey, has lamented the disappearance of the three “R’s” in education. It’s an expression archaic enough that it deserves explication for our younger readers: Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. Anytime a reform movement has emerged in the education field, there’s always a hue and cry for the “3R’s”. Continue reading
My COVID-19 Diary: It’s not the same from home
I got to tagalong once when his company rented out Citi Field for batting practice. I worked in a school where the staff all bought tickets together to sit in the picnic area at Citi Field for a Mets game but we didn’t get to step foot on the field, and they certainly didn’t throw batting practice to us. Continue reading
Posted in Personal Best, Reflections, relationships, Uncategorized
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My COVID-19 Diary: Did you read it yet?
There were newsstands on Flatbush Avenue that would get the papers around 11 o’clock so you could buy it on your way home from hanging out with your friends on a Saturday night. Back then, that was a trade secret reserved for “night owls”. Continue reading
My COVID-19 Diary: What’s left to talk about?
Because we consume the same media, Matt and I begin many conversations, “Don’t ruin it for me, I didn’t _____ “ (fill in the blank: “read the article”, “watch the game”, “see the movie”). In Matt’s defense, he is fantastic at this. Continue reading
My COVID-19 Diary: Writing. Who are your buddies?
I never realized how much the mere presence of other people in my life pushed me to accomplish more and meet the expectations the world has for me. It’s not like people passed me on the street and said, “Hey you, get back to work!” It’s just that you felt the presence of humanity and responded to it. Continue reading
Posted in Personal Best, Reflections, relationships, Writing
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My COVID-19 Diary: Friday un-Focused #4
My first job in the morning is to locate a Jericho sweatshirt or a T-shirt to wear during the morning announcements with Chad. For Danielle, it’s hair and all the other things. I try to tell her she’s just as beautiful in an East Williston T-shirt, no blow-drying unnecessary. But she punches me in the arm really hard. Continue reading
In the middle of learning - by Donald Gately Ed.D 
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