Some decisions are small and have limited impact on life. For example, which brand of carrots you buy at the supermarket or if you decided to buy them from the farmers market instead, likely not a game changer. Then there are the decisions that add up. Like when you decide to buy the SUV rather than the car. The difference in the cost of gas adds up as does the ease of the size of the vehicle. According to this article by PBS, we all make around 35,000 decisions a day. So, it’s no doubt that some matter, and some just don’t. The magic comes in when you thought you were making a carrot level decision, and it turned out to be one that would continue to pay dividends. That is what happened to us when we chose our children’s school. My intent was to open enroll so when they got to high school they’d have a slightly smaller school than the district we were in. What I got was a school that not only fits our goals and values for the family but could teach a lot of adults what it means to lead and support others effectively.
The school that has taught my family so much
There are a lot of things to love about my kids’ school. The quintessential bright red school bell tower. Walking trails through the woods that connect two different playgrounds, the outdoor composting area, and the outdoor classroom. There seem to be endless maple trees that allow students to tap, collect, and learn about cooking, marketing, and selling of maple syrup. Most people around here would tell you all of that is great but the crown jewel of our school is the history and scholarship. Honestly, I say take your pick. I could go on and on about the reasons we have the best school. One of my favorites though, I haven’t even mentioned yet.
The best thing about Maple Grove Charter School draws in elements of each of those things that make it great. Then combines it with small class sizes to give you the collaboration between and among the grades of students. (All those great features and I love that Kinders and 4th graders work together.) Let me explain. Most of the grades within the school have class sizes in the teens. This is great for everything from classroom management to one-on-one support. However, it can make it more difficult when you want to do something big like tap maple trees, plant or harvest the garden, or simply clean up the school grounds. So, in those instances, the classes get combined to learn to work together. This time together, where 3rd graders are working with 5th graders and 4th graders are learning alongside 1st graders, rubs off on so much.
Why does this have such a big impact?
Even without creating a lesson around it, these kids are learning leadership, respect, patience, agency and teamwork. By working with kids of different skill levels, interest, and focus they get the opportunity to learn and grow in so many ways. It is amazing to see it in action. While I don’t always get to be a fly on the wall of the school while this happens, I do get to see the fruits of the labor. I’ll give you a couple quick examples.
The school impacts summer baseball
During the baseball season our kids play on alternating nights. This means that two nights a week at least one kid is on the sidelines. Now, they could find a friend their age, watch their brother play, or honestly whine incessantly and make the nights miserable. Instead, because they have the social skills and the leadership, respect, patience, agency, and ability to work as a team, they do things like create all ages pick-up games. They create fair teams for kids from 4 to 12 years old to play together and have fun. Or, they gather up boys and girls from different teams, classes, and schools to race up and down the hill, roll down, and race back up again.
Impacts on meeting new people
One of my fears with a school this small was that our kids wouldn’t be able to relate to other’s that aren’t like them. If they are with the same small group of people all the time, how can they? Well, the mixing of the grades, and subsequently working with more staff members, appears to have improved this skill as well. When we meet a new family or go to a group event, our kids are able to look people in the eyes and make conversation. (It’s kid conversation but it’s relatable and they aren’t hiding behind their dad and me.) Then, they can make friends with the other kids and have a great time regardless of the age gap. I’ve seen my 10-year-old hang with adults, chat with kids his age, or create a game with a couple 4-year-olds. My 8-year-old has become fast friends with a 13-year-old and brought him fishing the next day. The 5-year-old, well, he’s the baby and the most charming so, I think he’s actually beyond his years on this one.
Just to be clear, at least my oldest two kids are introverted. They love their time alone. This isn’t a situation where they just love new people. The environment the school offers has taught them this skill. They are never the kid asking for device in social situations. Rarely do they say they’re board and want to leave. I’ve never seen them exclude a kid who wanted to be involved or push them off to the sidelines of a game.
What if we brought these lessons to corporate?
These are just two examples of the lessons applying elsewhere. Two examples of kids spreading their kindness and wisdom. There are so many more from my little men, I can’t imagine how many more from each kid in the school. Could you imagine what this would look like if all of the adults you knew had been raised this way?
If all of the adults included everyone and found a way to make their contributions meaningful. Or if everyone was really expected to participate and add value based on their abilities. What if your organization created project teams with a mix of tenured and green employees encouraging wisdom and fresh ideas? Interesting to consider but, don’t let yourself off the hook with a simple what if friend. Keep in mind that leadership and agency those kids have, that we can still aspire to. I have a few thoughts on how to make this a little more common practice, even if you didn’t attend Maple Grove.
Look for ways to get dirty
Now, these kids would do it by everyone getting down out into the woods to find the best log for the fort. You don’t have to literally get dirty. You can start by getting your hands dirty in whatever topics or problems need to be solved. Don’t make them someone else’s responsibility, get in there, learn what’s going on, and get it done. You’ll build new connections, develop respect, and standout as a leader.
Get out of the virtual and into reality
There is only so much you can learn about raising your own chickens from articles and videos. At some point, you have to fill the coop and look for eggs. There is only so much research you can do on the perfect monarch garden before just go plant the thing. Likewise friend, there is only so much testing you can do before the program goes live. There is only so much you can gain with cost benefit analysis and charting the return on investment. You eventually need to take the action, get into the work, and get the feedback. Will you produce suboptimal eggs in the beginning? Maybe, but the only way to perfect a thing is to start it. Get out there and start.
Don’t forget to play
When things get overly stressful, I do remind myself that 90% of what we all do, is not life or death. There is room for creativity, levity, and fun in your work. When you make work heavy is when you start to lose your edge. Don’t get so worried about getting it wrong you forget that that’s what happens on your way to making it better. Make jokes, get silly, and add a little color to things. There are serious lessons to be learned while we’re playing; don’t let being a grownup stifle your ability to grow.