School Culture and Domino-Pushes

An interesting dynamic that I have noted since living in middle Indiana and working at my current school is the way that school culture can be affected by many things, even small ones. It's as if culture is a set of dominoes all lined up. One small push in a direction can have an effect on many things. It is important as school leaders to be ever-mindful of school culture and the direction that even small decisions can take us. One of our primary responsibilities as Christian school leaders is to navigate the culture within our schools carefully, ever mindful of the larger cultural pieces outside of our schools that dishonor the Lord. Romans 12:2 tells us, "Do not be conformed to this world...." We are commanded in this to renew our minds and thus experience the transformation God desires in us. If we as a corporate church and we as individual believers in Jesus Christ should not be conformed to this world, neither should our Christian schools. In order to be "other-than" the culture outside, we must be proactive. We must create cultural "domino-pushes" to move our schools in directions that please the Lord and create a place that honors Him. 

At BCS, we are known for being a "family," meaning our students and parents feel a sense of belonging there. It means new students quickly feel accepted. We don't hit the 100% A+ on this always, but "family" is a word we hear often when our constituents describe us. I've tried to place myself on the outside at times and peek in. Why is it this way? One such support for this that I see each day is a cross-pollination of upper and lower campus students. Our upperclass students commit study hall time to serve as cadets, where they work in classrooms as teacher support. This connects them with elementary students. In turn, I see elementary students participating in fund raisers to help them raise money for projects, such as their mission trips. I see the mix of all ages of students in the Red Zone, which is our end zone student cheering section for basketball and volleyball. Those little guys are living the dream, down there cheering with the big kids! Some of these examples are organic happenings. We did not force the Red Zone connection; it just happened. Other examples were intentional domino-pushes to create the culture we want. 

One intentional school-wide connection is scheduling a photo of all of the students in the entire school in our school's theme class t-shirts. We all traipse into the back of the school. Our head of school climbs to the roof with a megaphone to direct the grade levels. It's a time of wondering when the picture will be taken, moving and shifting, giggling, and getting out of class. In this small way, we want to show them that they are part of this place. We are a family. From the little gal in K3 whose t-shirt comes to her knees to the 6'4" basketball player new to our senior class this year, each student belongs. We want every single student in our yearly picture.

What are some ways that you cultivate your school culture? Have you had intentional domino-pushes? What has happened on its own without that? 

And just to prove that we truly got all 560 students, teachers, support staff, administration in it, here it is! 

Seeing Through His Glasses

This week at school, I greeted a young boy with whom I am very familiar. He has been in my office more than once. I've gone into his classroom to check on the progress of some behavior goals we set together. During the second week of school when I entered his room (for a reason unrelated to him), he scrambled behind his desk, concerned that he was the reason I was coming in. He's absolutely adorable and has no idea how to manage his behavior in a school setting yet. So, we are working with him. He has good days, and he has bad days. But maybe, just maybe, we are seeing the good days more and more. 

So, one day this week, as I walked down the hall to greet students in the morning, I spotted him. He looked up at me through dirty glasses. His little frames had fingerprint smears, dried on food, and even what looked to be a booger. I clean my own glasses every morning, sometimes more than that. I like clean glasses! So I asked the little guy, "Would you like me to clean your glasses?" He nodded. I took the spectacles into the restroom, gave them a good squirt of soap (one pump, we teach the kids), and got them transparent again. When I returned them to him, he immediately put them on, then looked into my eyes and paused. I told him that his eyes are beautiful, and I can see them even better now. Jesus prompted me to do this, of course. All of the good ideas are His. But since that encounter, I have begun to receive smiles and backward glances as he has walked by me in the hallway. He has greeted me of his own accord more. Friday morning he hopped out of his car, waved, and yelled "Hey Mrs. Campbell!" 

Each and every one of these little people put into our care for their educational minutes, hours, days, and years are made in the image of God. They don't always please Him; nor do we. But as we think about how to connect and to tie heart strings, even with the students who struggle to obey, we must interact with love. Interacting with love takes time. And as educators we have precious little time. 

It reminded me of a strategy I read about while doing some research work in the ASCD website this past summer. The plan is called the 2x10 Strategy. In summary, teachers identify students who would be considered at risk, particularly for behavior concerns. They commit to spend 2 minutes per day interacting with the child, not about behavior or academics...but just life. To read in depth more, go here. Time is a constraint, no doubt. But carving out time to show our students that they are loved and prioritized might just save us a lot more time during regular instruction. 

As Christians, our mandate goes deeper. We are to love others because we are loved by God. Have you ever tried the 2x10 Strategy or something similar? What did this look like in your setting?  What results have you found? What ideas do you have to share about your experience as a Christian educator and the challenge of connecting with students who can be difficult at times? 

For me, cleaning his glasses was an act prompted by the Lord. But the reward for me has been great. I'm planning to look into his eyes again on Monday, and if his glasses need cleaning, I'll do it again.