The Red Carpet
Jim McManus, in his TED Talk titled Schools of the Future: Time to Develop Your Metaphor, made a statement that I cannot get out of my head. He shared, “If we (adults in education) do recreate schools, the kids will.” Upon reflection and many conversations my thinking has landed on the idea that kids will indeed push us to recreate schools because the schools of yesterday won’t serve them any longer. We will see increases in mental health concerns, increases in student behavior, increases in school violence, absenteeism, decreasing enrollment, and decreasing student engagement in class. This is how kids will recreate the concept of school. Will the adults embrace this pressure, link arms, and recreate alongside them? Or will we continue to talk about the “post pandemic kids” and all they can’t do, along with all the “academic gaps they need us to fill back up?”
I am personally ready to rewrite the narrative of “kids these days can’t” and ready to recreate schools that embrace all they can do. I am not interested in racing back to the comforts of a pre-pandemic school system. Too much has changed. Kids are telling us through their actions and behaviors that this system we are trying to put back in place won’t meet their needs. If we don’t like what we are getting and seeing, we must acknowledge this is a result of the current system. If we don’t like it, let’s change the system. This means we have to get a little uncomfortable, channel some courage, rally the risk takers, and begin shaking things up.
May we never forget our students are our most valued customers. It’s irresponsible to ignore what they are telling us oftentimes not always through their words but through their actions. Are we brave enough to listen and acknowledge the need to think perhaps a little differently about school? In the words of a memorable 7th grader I was privileged to serve as a principal, “Kids just want to come to a place that is made for them.” In the words of a remarkable educator, “Retaining innovative educators will take leaders who are willing to take risks for kids.” What do our actions, our halls and walls, our lesson design say we believe about kids? What do they say to the teachers ready to recreate?
Beginning the process of recreating starts by analyzing the very culture, the habits, routines, traditions, and behaviors, of the schools we inhabit. In 2015, thanks to an idea we snagged from Ron Clark’s book, No More Molasses Classes, we began the tradition of rolling out the red carpet on the first day of school while parents and staff clapped our most cherished customers, our students, into THEIR school. The next year, we invited our students and families to clap our staff, our heroes, back in the building for their first day of professional learning. The message these events sent our students and staff resonated throughout our building and became a part of our culture. The culture that believed deeply in the value of our customers, our students, and the heroism of our staff to build a school for kids.
Schools are only valuable if they remain relevant to our students of today. Our willingness to recreate schools lets our students and staff know just how valuable they are to us, that they are red carpet worthy, and are needed to shape the future of education. What messages do your school’s routines, habits, and traditions send to the students of today? Who do they serve?