Beyond the Walls of the Classroom

This is the second part of a two-part installment examining how a school community responds to student needs and promotes flourishing both inside and outside the classroom.

It’s been ten years since the Every Student Succeeds Act has replaced No Child Left Behind. I was serving as an instructional coach during the roll out of the Every Student Succeeds Act, and it felt like a much different experience than the high stakes testing required by NCLB. The major difference I noticed was the idea of Response to Intervention (RTI) or Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) approaches. If you didn’t read my first post on MTSS, here’s a quick crash course. RTI and MTSS are tiered approaches to responding to the needs of students. Tier one is evidence-based, universal instruction: think instruction on standards in the general education classroom. Tier 2 is supplemental instruction for typically 10-15% of students who would benefit from additional support. Finally, tier 3 is intensive instruction for around 5% of students who benefit from more targeted or foundational instruction.

Initially, RTI was focused on academic interventions such as reading or math. Over time MTSS emerged as educators began to realize sometimes the need of a student is not always academic. In some cases, students need support behaviorally, socially, or emotionally. Additionally, this tiered intervention approach is implemented in a system with real people in unique contexts. To me, the big idea of RTI and MTSS is simple but impactful: be responsive to the needs of students to promote flourishing academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally.

As I reflect, my mind is flooded with memories and images from my time as a student and a teacher that extend beyond the walls of the classroom. So, this idea of flourishing is really what is sitting in my mind. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life to the full” (John 10:10). While students may spend a significant amount of time in the classroom, they are equally influenced by the experiences and people they encounter outside of the classroom as well. So, I find myself asking this question: how are our schools—both in and out of the classroom—preparing our students for a rich and full life?

To begin, I’ve seen the power of people using the gifts God gave them, right where they’ve been planted. I was recently introduced to “Romero Prayer,” and I think this excerpt is a great challenge for all of us to help promote flourishing:

“We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something and to do it well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker” (Untener, 1979).

None of us can do everything, but all of us can do something—and do it well. While MTSS is a thoughtful and well-intentioned system, the reality is that many people who support student flourishing aren’t in the classroom at all.

Recalling my own experience as a student, I remember Marshall, quite possibly the world’s greatest custodian. He had a vintage orange Volkswagen bug and a mustache that would even make Ted Lasso envious. Marshall was always visible in the hallways and had positive interactions with students throughout the day, but it was recess where Marshall truly shined. One sunny afternoon, a conflict emerged on the playground over an argument on a touchdown with a group of third graders. Noticing this conflict, Marshall played mediator to resolve the dispute and then offered to join the game. Given that Marshall was much larger and more skilled than any of the third graders, both teams wanted him to play for them. But Marshall, with all his practical wisdom, had a solution to this problem: all time-quarterback. Simply put, Marshall was quarterback for both teams. He did this every recess, and the students ran out with excitement and joy to participate in the game. Through interactions with Marshall,, students learned to encourage rather than criticize each other. Marshall taught students to involve others by creating teams where substitutes could enter the game. Students laughed and became less concerned with comparing abilities or keeping score. I would argue that Marshall used his love of sports to respond to the needs of students in a practical and tangible way that helped students to flourish.

I remember reading the book The Thread that Runs So True by Jesse Stuart in Educational Psychology. It was a lovely story of a teacher in the 1920’s serving students in rural Kentucky. The book resonated with me deeply as Jesse creatively and practically met the needs of his students in a one room school setting, but the thread that ran so true for me was how Stuart made learning fun. When I think of flourishing, fun definitely comes to mind, especially in one particular yearly event.

Whoever thought of the idea of loading up on chili and then playing basketball should be questioned, but the annual Chili Chow Down coupled with a student vs. staff basketball game was pure joy. The format was simple but inclusive. All students had the opportunity to sign up to play on the basketball team and one of our wise math teachers would coach the students, thoughtfully organizing them into rotations of five. Recruiting staff to play required some encouragement with assurances such as, “you’ve run before,” or “you have at least watched a basketball game.” Miraculously, we would always manage to field a team.

Prior to the game, we powered up on chili and headed to the gym to first display our dazzling basketball skills in the layup line. The student team would emerge from the hallway with the latest hype music and come running in with unbridled enthusiasm. The staff would always win the game, but our counselor, who volunteered to “ref” the game, did his best to sabotage, I mean keep the game close.

His antics as an official were unparalleled. For example, every ball that went out of bounds automatically went to the students. A three pointer by the staff would be deemed a two. But his real gift was calling fouls and issuing technicals to the staff. It was all play of course, and the students ate it up as piles of phantom calls kept the game close. When students hit a three or made a layup, a smile from ear to ear filled their faces. One year, on top of the pregame chili feeding frenzy, the students thought it would be a good idea to throw in a pie eating contest for the staff at half time. Let’s just say I can’t recall if I won the contest, but I should have earned an endorsement for Pepto-Bismol.

I would argue that we need to have more fun in today’s school, and if you think back to your most memorable school experiences, I suspect that you have a fun memory, too. The beautiful thing about the Chili Chow Down was the shared experience between students, staff, and the families that cheered us on. It was symbiotic in its dispensation of joy connecting all of us in this shared experience. God created us to be in community. Let’s not minimize the importance of having fun together and its effect on flourishing.

So, what does this mean for the next ten years? It’s hard to predict. However, I suspect we will continue to need systems of support to help students thrive, and we will need to continue using our best evidence-based practices and data to support instructional decision making. But we also can’t forget that it’s not just what happens in the classroom that promotes flourishing. It happens through people like Marshall, through events like the Chili Chow Down, through shared laughter and play. These things may never show up in a data report—but we know they matter. And they can be described, remembered, and repeated.

As you consider the ways in which students can be supported beyond the walls of the classroom, where might God be calling you to partner or serve with your local schools?