A Sense of Urgency
Originally Published February 2020
I have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with groups of students that I have called my advisory council. From my time as a building principal to superintendent, I have made input from students a priority. These groups of students volunteered to serve on these advisory councils, and they were invaluable to me in providing the student perspective on various topics and issues that we face both locally and in public education.
Below is a blog that I wrote after one of the council meetings in a district where I served; I believe it is still relevant today.
At a recent meeting, we were talking about stress and pressure, specifically the pressure that they feel to “do it all” in the pursuit of getting into the “right college.” This topic has been one that has come up multiple times this year with this group. These are great kids. They love their school and their community. They know they are fortunate to be in a community where education is valued and supported. But they are feeling pressure that most adults did not feel in high school.
The purpose in talking about this particular topic was not to vent, but these students offered ideas of how we could make it better. And they are so smart about it. They know that there isn’t an easy fix or one variable that we need to shift. They recognize a local culture of high expectations, an American culture of high expectations, pressure on parents for their kids to succeed, stress on teachers to deliver high test scores, and the peer pressure they put on one another.
But they are also looking to the adults to help to make it better. They are looking at us to do something. And that is where the sense of urgency comes in.
At the end of the meeting, one of the students said this: “I appreciate that you are listening. But, I am a sophomore. Will I get to experience some of the changes before I graduate? Will I get to see the progress?” My answer was that if he doesn’t get to see it, knowing that change is slow, I will feel a sense of failure.
I believe that we are at a crossroad in education. We know that suicide is on the rise. We know that mental health and wellness are growing concerns across our country. And we know that pressure to perform is out of control. We also know that it is difficult for us to make changes because someone will not like it. Someone will want to hold on to what makes them comfortable even if it doesn’t put students at the center of our decision-making. But our fear cannot stop us from making changes that allow us to positively impact the development of each of our students. Our students are counting on us. And I feel a sense of urgency for that student who asked me for help with all the hope that I...that we could provide it.
So what can we do? First, encourage students to take courses that they have a passion to study. They don’t need a full day of AP courses to be successful. Let’s stop telling students to do things because “it will look good on their college applications.” Let’s encourage experiences that develop their interests and spark their curiosities. We should also teach students how to solve problems instead of solving problems for them. Maybe even let them fail. Facing challenges and learning to carry on will build the grit needed to navigate the multitude of life’s challenges that they will inevitably face because it is life.
Finally, let’s let our kids know that it’s ok to take some downtime. Everything in life is not about getting to the next rung on the ladder. Sometimes it’s ok to just be a kid.
