It seems like there should be a small gap between the thought "X should happen" and "I will do X". All too often, that thought process is hijacked after "X should happen" into "Somebody should do X". And when everyone is thinking "Somebody should do X", more often than not, "X" doesn't happen.
There's a term that applies to this, more or less: the bystander effect. If you scroll down to the examples on that Wiki page, they are nothing short of shocking. Twenty-five people walked by a man as he lay dying on the sidewalk, having been stabbed in NYC. Eighteen walked by a toddler who had been hit by a truck in China. Essentially, the more people observing a situation which requires action, the less of a chance any of them will act. Everyone thinks someone else will do it.
This rationalization is even easier when you have reason to believe it is someone else's responsibility. Why would you stop a crime if you aren't a police officer? Why would you save someone drowning if you aren't a lifeguard? We love to segment responsibility to justify inactivity. There's plenty of evidence, for example, that people donate far more to charity when the government isn't involved in a cause. Once the government takes on Hurricane Sandy relief, everyone else stops giving.
Students and schools provide another great example.
I've noticed over the last few years that our high school students complaints had a general theme to them: there is a lack of school spirit and very few non-academic extra-curricular outlets. Basically, they felt as if the school asks them to go to class, do homework and go to practice, then sleep and do it all again. Everything they do for the school is exhausting, mentally and physically. Playing sports and doing Jazz Band and attending Quiz Bowl events are enjoyable, but they also require hard work. It comes down to the "All work and no play theory", ultimately. Is "play" necessary? What is play? Where does it come from?
The normal school outlets such as football games and dances have historically been poorly attended by our students. We are a relatively young school, so many of the customary high school spirit traditions haven't been built up yet.
When this came up in the past, I always tried to sell it as a positive. If we don't have traditions yet, that means the current students have the opportunity to shape the school into what they want it to be. I always told them the change had to start with them. They had to set the example, not wait for others to lead.
Anyway, I had that conversation many times with students last year. But, I didn't really see any notable/systemic changes in behavior.
So, the problem we've identified is an absence of school spirit and extra-curricular activities/distractions of the "fun" variety. Here's where the "bystander effect" comes into play... All sides - students, parents, teachers, administration - can see and acknowledge the problem, but no one views it is part of their "job description", so to speak. Administration has more important things to worry about, Parents don't have the access required, Teachers don't have the time, and Students don't have the mindset/authority.
I am totally committed to Scottsdale Prep. At the same time, I'm close enough with my students that they feel comfortable coming to me with their complaints. So, it has been really hard for me to see my students so unsatisfied, especially in an area that seems so fixable, and feel powerless to help them. Am I powerless, though? Of the four sides, it seems like teachers have the best opportunity to make a difference.
So, to recap.
Year 1: Too overwhelmed to recognize any problems, much less attempt to solve them.
Year 2: Acknowledge legitimate student complaints, verbally guide them toward solutions.
Year 3: ???
In short, my mindset entering the year was to be the catalyst for the students. When I heard/thought "Someone should...", the someone is always going to be me. I was going to help make ALL the "X's" happen.
There are a few reasons I had this mindset. First, no one else came to mind to fill this leadership role (the Myers-Briggs personality test has me pegged as an INTJ (introverted, intuitive, thinking, judging) — one of the major characteristics is being reluctant to lead but capable when necessary. ..(Seriously, skim over that INTJ description and you will understand me so much better)... Secondly, the DO ALL THE THINGS mindset was at least partially leftover from our month-long Europe trip. When you're traveling, you live every day as if you may never come back. Mainly because it's true. That is only sustainable over short periods of time, though. When I look back at Europe, I'm still amazed at how much we fit into every single day. A day in Europe is like 4-5 days of a typical summer schedule, maybe more. Anyway. Finally, this was the first year of teaching that I wasn't going to be coaching a fall sport, so I figured I had some extra time to work with.
Here's the list of extra-curricular accomplishments from the 1st quarter:
-Created a Spartan Twitter account so that game updates could be sent out instantaneously.
-Sent out updates from the Twitter account nearly every day.
-Oversaw an unofficial weekly group of students discussing God and religion.
-Started Four Square Club, which now has 30+ members and weekly "meetings".
-Assigned an economics project to see which section could get the most people to a football game
-Designed/ordered the t-shirts for Homecoming, which had been an area of complaint last year.
-Made the playlist for home football games, and DJ-ed games.
-Put together a weekly Athletic Update sent out to all parents w/ team summaries.
-Started a weekly Ultimate Frisbee game that turned into an Ultimate Frisbee Club.
-Facilitated a game of Senior Assassin which is now running smoothly w/o me.
-Advised students on the best way to get a "Powderpuff" (girls flag) football tourney going.
-Applied to Guinness World Records for a chance to beat Longest Marathon Four Square game (29+ hours).. response pending.
All of this is in addition to attending multiple school athletic events per week, often volunteering, always tweeting updates. Twitter alone has provided a visible boost to school spirit this year so far, in my opinion.
Oh, one example from before this quarter. When I coach Sand Volleyball, we have open practices on Saturdays. Anyone can show up and play, which I like because my girls get to play against guys and beat them. This is doubly worthwhile because it puts the boys in their place and gives the girls training playing against unusually athletic competition. The tradition continued after the season, and there was a whole group who got together and played regularly over the summer.
In a few of those examples, I had significant initiative from students, but I took the step to give them the responsibility. I specifically asked a few students to help design the homecoming shirt, with great results. I helped create the rules for Senior Assassin, which are currently being enforced by an alum.
I abandoned many other aspects of my life in order to accomplish these things, but teaching was not one of those aspects. In the first quarter, I was by far the best-organized and prepared I have been as a teacher so far. I also managed to work out regularly, which I've found vital to maintaining high energy levels from day to day. Beyond that, I didn't have much of a life. Many of my relationships suffered, and my focus on building community amongst the faculty wavered. I was not paid for accomplishing any of those things on the list, which is especially painful considering I actually lost money from not coaching and many of my friends spent the quarter prepping for the GRE. So, was it worth it?
I'd like to think I've had an impact on the students' school experience this year, and I love that I can provide immediate help for the students that I've known for years and care so much about. Without those connections, I certainly wouldn't have considered this project. But, my goal is also far more wide-reaching than just this year. I want those students to get to a point where they don't rely on other people to make things happen. They need to become self-reliant. High school is such a crucial time in realizing this and making the leap to be an initiater. Once that leap happens for them, it will benefit them the rest of their lives. I suspect it comes naturally to me because my own high school provided so few possibilities, and we all had to make our own fun. If our upperclassmen can get over the mental hurdle and begin taking more initiative, the rest of the students will follow their example, and I won't even be necessary. Not only that, but if I can build the framework this year for activities that are repeatable next year, we may even start having a few traditions beyond studying for final exams every semester. Again, the reason I can justify doing all of this volunteer work is because I think the impact will continue beyond this year. Our school has a great curriculum, great teachers, and great families. I'm trying to build a sense of community while correcting the belief that an academically rigorous school cannot be fun. If we can have both strong academics and genuine school spirit, Scottsdale Prep will be unstoppable.
The best example of the full spectrum of change so far is Ultimate Frisbee club. There's a senior who had mentioned the possibility of an Ultimate Frisbee club to me for a couple years. My typical response: "Get it started, and I will gladly be the faculty advisor." Well, one day he brought it up again and I just said: "Name a time and place. Okay. Now tell all your friends." Well, he did, and I told my classes, and that was that. It was huge for him to realize it didn't even have to be a club. They didn't have to jump through tons of official red tape hoops to get together and play frisbee regularly. Since then, the senior has turned it into a real club, contacted another Great Hearts school with a club, and scheduled a game — all without my direct influence or input. The game was played while I was out of town. Scottsdale Prep won.
