Joshua Schumacher is the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and has just recently been working within District 211. As the Assistant Superintendent, his responsibilities mainly consist of staff professional development planning, district and school improvement planning, and the “English as a Second Language” program.

Before becoming an Assistant Superintendent, he was the principal at Hoffman Estates High School from 2016-2020.

“At Hoffman, I used to teach as a Biology teacher, but then I became Principal for that same school,” Schumacher said. “There was a lot more responsibility, but I still knew everyone in the school, so I did not feel as pressured.”

Being given new responsibilities not just as an Assistant Superintendent but also as someone who must manage COVID within education, Schumacher needed to make some adjustments.

“Starting a new position is where you have to learn new procedures, that’s pretty standard. But on top of that, you’re dealing with a pandemic.” Schumacher said, “We need to recreate how education works while supporting parents and students.” 

“I went from knowing one school to several communities, and each school is very unique, so there’s a learning curve there,” Schumacher added on.

Before the pandemic, Schumacher was preparing for the typical duties that came with his new job. 

“I regularly participated in staff learning presentations, and I did some work with culturally relevant teaching practices,” Schumacher said. “But when schools closed down, people thought we’d be back in a week or two. Then the closings went into the spring and before you knew it we were doing e-learning.”

Being the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, he has been tasked with adjusting schools’ way of education to ensure that students and staff are safe during the pandemic.

“I’ve been involved with the wellness screener and ensuring we maintain 6 feet distance. Ensuring the safety of our students and staff is our primary focus,” Schumacher said as well. “As the Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, I expected more time with that specifically, but now we’re all managing our own responses to COVID.”

“The way I cope is spending time with my family. When you’re so distant from your friends, your family will always be there for you,” Schumacher said