“Win-ovation” ... We didn’t aim to “innovate”, we sought to solve a problem.
“Win-ovation requires: A- a problem to solve, B- a solution, C- a unique path from problem to solution, and D- most constituents possibly gain a win from the solution.”
Gary Davison
On the 38th day of school, I received a call from a parent. She was the mother of an 11th grade football player who struggled academically and was concerned that he would not be able to continue with the football team. He was concerned that he would not be able to keep up with his classes and practices on the same day. Well, she was ecstatic that Lunch & Learn afforded him the ability to finish most, if not all, of his homework each day enabling him to be capable of practicing, eating dinner and sleeping 8 hours. He had never had the ability to sleep and also stay active with his classes. She was moved to tears with happiness over how Lunch & Learn has helped him.
Dr. Tim Elmore, respected Education Futurist and Author, recently called Lunch & Learn a “remarkable innovation” in his National Leadership Conference on June 20, 2019. Once I received verification from such an accomplished and admired colleague that our attempt at a unique solution to solve one of our problems, our confidence to call ourselves innovative was achieved. Of course, you are reading the process I have since called a “Win-ovation”. The win (staff)-win (students)-win (community & parents) of Lunch & Learn and the process used in its design have reinforced the elements of Win-ovation.
Innovation is not a new concept. Business leaders, speakers, consultants and Internet writers all have been touting the benefits of innovation. Their innovation claims that results and work culture all benefit. As if the process of seeking innovation will heal a bankrupt culture simply by attempting something different. However, much of what is heralded as innovative is just a new shiny wrapper on an old concept. This could not be further from our story of innovation. Rather than setting out to “innovate”; we sought to solve a problem. The result has been heralded by many as innovative. Here, we detail our story of solving a problem and our learning of many truths. First, one cannot call themselves innovators. That is left for the audience to determine. If someone calls themselves innovators or seeks to sell you an innovative strategy... Beware! They should tell you that the results of solving a problem or by seeking a solution led to processes that were later called innovative. Only time will tell what is innovative and what is simply repackaging the same processes. Second, innovation is not a destination, rather it is a journey. Innovators seek to solve problems and arrive at the destination through the process that became known as innovative. The problem we sought to solve was: “What can we do to help kids learn more effectively, diffuse some of the stressors they are currently feeling, and alleviate growing concerns from teachers about their own profession?” Third, the innovation we became known for was the connection between our problem (“What can we do to help kids learn more effectively, diffuse some of the stressors they are currently feeling, and alleviate growing concerns from teachers about their own profession?”) and the solution (rearranging our greatest resource of time to meet these needs). The uniqueness of the path is the connection between the problem and solution. Finally, the unique solution of rearranging our resources to give kids more time, teachers more time, parents now having more evening time with their children, and the school accomplishing increased support structures within the school day.
What follows is our story of arriving at a solution in a unique and innovative manner that led to a monumental shift in thinking for our school, academic results that cut our failure rate 160%, and led to a defining of our culture.
Story of Drew- So, Drew was a pretty typical kid at Lambert. He was a 15 year old sophomore who has always been a hard-working and caring kid. However, since last year, he has begun having difficulties. Increased homework and rigor have only been a small portion of his concerns. Drew is starting to have the regular anxieties surrounding girls and his body is starting to make him nervous. He participates in band in the Fall and is planning on trying out for the baseball team in the Spring. He was successful for several years into middle school, but baseball will be a challenge to make the team. Lambert has been known as being a tough team to make. His older sister, Ashley, keeps telling him, “You won’t make it, they are really good.” His grades are average at best when he focuses and he is starting to compare himself to his peers. Again, this is difficult as most of his peers outperform him academically. His part-time job at a nearby grocery store gives him a break from his ever-growing stress, but recently he can’t keep his work hours since school is taking up more of his time.
Along with teenage angst, his social media obsession is becoming a source of strain with his parents. They (parents) are growing concerned about what they call an “addiction” to his phone. As they are tending to his younger brother, Tom, Drew rarely spends dinner time each evening with his family. Thus, there is a growing divide emerging in the family. Recently, Drew has grown more and more concerned with his future and if he can even get into a good college. He wants to make his parents proud and have a job that makes a lot of money, but he is lost on what that means for him. His angst and concern are slowly becoming greater stress and anxiety. He sees his friends, all sharing the same concerns but not sharing with one another, coping through several methods. One way being through staying up late, getting up early, and isolating themselves to finish their homework and study. Their strategies have led them to problems with their parents, beleaguered motivation for enjoyable activities, and even sleep concerns. Their moods are suffering and Drew is certainly one of the crowd here. Drew and his profile are very typical among the kids at Lambert High School today.
After Lambert had been open for 7 years, we were pretty proud of the heights we had achieved. Our students were exhibiting success academically, athletically, and in community outreach ranging from local charities to international volunteer opportunities. Amidst all of this success, we started seeing the concerns Drew and his peers are exhibiting. These same successful students were reporting that school was becoming extremely stressful. We saw unprecedented diagnoses of anxiety and depression. Additionally, we became concerned at the number of students expressing suicidal ideations and defeat. In our achievement culture, we saw areas of social emotional imbalances beginning to skyrocket. Evidence demonstrated that the 10th grade year was where most referrals for concern were made. Also, we began to see evidence that students of all grades struggle academically due to an increased number of missing assignments, motivation, referrals for anxiety and depression, as well as absences from class periods. So, we started to wonder what could be done.
What circumstances were needing to be addressed- Several circumstances became evident as problems needing a solution. As I shared my concerns for students with increasing anxiety and depression rates, missing assignments, pressure with extra-curricular demands, competition to get accepted into a good college, and an increase in failing courses with my colleagues around the state they had a variety of responses. They all agreed that their schools are experiencing the same or similar issues. However, there was no agreement in how to solve the issues. Some claimed that we cannot help in these areas and others said, “that’s a home issue.” Well, I could not accept that as a suitable solution. Anything distracting my students from a solid experience or detrimental to their health within my school, is my responsibility. I always felt a leader must accept responsibility for the results, negative or positive, from their school. Regardless of being inconsistent with my colleagues’ opinions, I felt we needed to solve this to the best of our ability.
Increasing anxiety and depression rates- Anxiety and depression rates among students have increased by more than 37% in the previous five years. It was becoming normal for a parent meeting to result in news being shared that the student was attending a session with a psychologist or psychiatrist. These diagnoses have caused substantial issues for students as it relates to their ability to be successful in school. Focusing in classes, engaging in learning and content creation, abilities to build successful relationships, coping with any sized difficulties, and participating in any sort of endeavor that requires grit, tenacity, or fortitude are forgone with anxiety and depressive concerns on the rise. In addition, I as principal have gone to too many student funerals and memorial services. Students are showing a terrible inability to cope in a manner that will keep suicide as an option off of the table when dealing with adversity.
Missing assignments- With increased concerns, students have become incredible consumers of their time. This consumerism has led them to selecting certain places to spend their time. For example, students routinely tell me that they would devote their limited time to preparing for summative assessments and/or projects as they hold much more value in their grades. This selection would often lead them to dismissing formative homework and never getting it to completion. The missing assignments would be the first indication of either the academic consumerism or disengagement from school. Either way this is a certain indication of concern.
Extra curricular pressure- Students at Lambert High School have been very involved in extracurricular activities. Since the opening of the school, Lambert has won 30 State athletic Championships, 2 National Championships, multiple Band and Orchestra Championships, numerous All-American and Academic All-American athletes and band members, as well as significant achievements in multiple academic and career tech areas. In addition to the athletic and fine arts successes of the students, their average GPA has never fallen below 3.7 in any given year. That blend of involvement and academic success means that time is a factor that students covet. Their ability to manage time has been a big factor in their lives. However, the time crunch and demands have caused lack of sleep, prioritizing certain aspects over others, and non-essential functions to go by the wayside.
College competition on the rise- In the state of Georgia, competition to stay home for college acceptance has been increasing for years. The state lottery helps to fund scholarship opportunities for students that maintain certain GPA standards. This, while a terrific opportunity for kids, has caused many academically motivated and successful students to consider staying in the state of Georgia to attend college. Likewise, more students staying home, reduces the number of available spots for all students attending each of the schools. Competition has made each school raise their academic standards for entrance to the state colleges and universities. Of the most tenuous days each year for the Lambert administrative and counseling teams, early acceptance and regular acceptance for our in-state colleges have been right at the top. Competition to get acceptance has caused students to hyper-focus on their academic outcomes. Stress, pressure, and anxiety are the results of this focus.
Costs for college a pressure- Yes, there is a state funded scholarship for students who maintain a GPA standard, however that state scholarship, as great as it is, does not cover all costs associated with a college education. Housing costs, application fees, books, living expenses, and many other associated costs mean that college is not a cheap endeavor. These costs are increasing each year and with the college loan crisis leading the news, loans are not plentiful for students anymore.
Failing courses- Historically, Lambert High School has been an academically focused school, but our failure rate at midterm has historically been around 7%. We track the success of the 3000 students, each taking 7 courses, by comparing how many are failing (below 70%) their courses at the mid term mark. This number has hovered near 1500 each year. I always felt that number was too high. With student support and feedback being at the heart of my philosophy of education, I felt there are things we can do to bring about change in this area. Again, time is a crucial factor. Ultimately, if our failure percentages stayed consistent, graduation rates would not increase, more students would move to online opportunities and we’d lose more kids to multiple opportunities. Perhaps it is hyperbole, but I am afraid traditional schools are becoming the next Blockbuster or Kodak. If we cannot provide the personalized approach that many online and non-traditional avenues do, we’ll become relics.
After seeing students struggle for several years in these areas, I hoped to provide more time for work to get done and set up a support structure to help students learn. However, could we even consider both? Also, could social-emotional concerns and additional work time within the school day could be structured to provide support in this area? Extra time could mean a benefit for staff if extra time were able to be achieved.
“House Hunting”-I have had many concerns for students and needed options to bring to bear at Lambert High School. I feel that I exhausted my own ideas and clearly no canned programs offered the solutions we needed. To this end, I went about searching what neighboring schools and schools like our own are doing to see the needs of their students. This “house hunting” casts a wide net for ideas. I began by listing the concerns I documented previously. With this list, I contacted my colleague principals of 11 schools within a 100 mile radius to meet with and discuss what they are doing to address their similar concerns. In my travels, I found that they had very similar concerns. Albeit, we are different schools and organizations, there are certain areas of overlap that we share. They found anxiety and depression sharply on the rise. Additionally, we shared college competition and the concerns of college costs among our students.
We did have one area of divergence for our students. Our initial failure rate at midterm was somewhat consistent with most of the schools visited (averaged 8-10%). We were extremely concerned with that high of a failure rate among our students. However, most of the schools were seemingly unconcerned about their rate. My feeling is that with a higher midterm failure rate, getting remediation with fidelity down for more students to remain on track for graduation is a terribly difficult concept. Specifically, if fewer are failing at midterm, then fewer will fail the course at the end of the year. That means that more students will be on track for graduation. Our ultimate goal at Lambert High School is to have a 100% graduation rate. I feel that too many schools simply view that goal as unattainable. This principal will not accept that line of thinking. Some schools visited did have good ideas on the area of remediation and support, but I did not see any one school that held all of the strategies that we needed to achieve all of our goals.
Start with a “What If?” question- One day after searching for the answers to many questions I said to the administrative team, “Hey guys, I have an idea…”. After the team looked at me in wonder, they realized I had a focused approach and a steely determination. That seemed to scare them when I posed the next “What if” question. I followed up with, “What if we start with a clean slate and build everything toward achieving all of our goals?” With that ambiguous question, I found myself listening to a brisk discussion and collaborative session on details of possible roadblocks. I subsequently stopped everyone and redirected them. “Let’s truly think what our dream looks like in actuality. What if our dreams worked on a daily basis? What would our school look like?” The refocusing and conscious decision to plan in an unfettered manner was freeing and yet difficult. Often in the education field we are not blessed with being able to redefine many of the parameters that guide us to our work. In this exercise I asked our team to act as if the gloves were taken off and to plan in a truly goal-oriented fashion. The result? It was one of the most remarkable and professional meetings I have ever been a part of. The 10 member team looked at the goals and concerns listed on the board and thought with a collaborative nature to meet the goals and no other conditions. We filled three pages of notes with possible ideas that could be leveraged to enable us to help kids meet their needs. The guiding question for our next meeting became the mantra for our future discussions and planning. “How can we leverage all of the resources in our control to help kids?” We agreed to take time to think on this question and come back to the table in a week after reflecting.
Gathering a team together to discuss ideas- One week later, I was afraid the zeal would be lost. I have never been more wrong. The pace at which we planned was frantic. Ideas circled the room like the smoke in the air of a pool hall. We collectively determined that the most impactful resource to leverage was time. “What if we changed the way we used our time?” Of course, time does have an element of constraint in the school business. Buses run with the school system at certain times, kids must be fed each day, number of classes offered, and the length of teacher contracts are factors to consider. We realized that those considerations are immovable. Yet, we chose to consider all the other variables WITHIN the school day.
“Belief-in vs. Buy-in vs. Interest-in”- These three levels of operational ownership can determine a person’s ability to commit to the overall needs of the team or organization. As Principal, I use this information to know my staff well in regards to their perspectives toward the change process and their commitment to the organization. Of course, there are degrees to each and that combination allows me to find the right location in the organization for each staff member to maximize their abilities and their contributions.
For instance, when beginning a new student support initiative that would substantially change the school schedule, require tremendous efforts on behalf of all staff, and benefit students greatly, I knew that certain staff members were best suited to be on the development team and others on implementation. Albeit, some staff were simply along for the ride given their lack of perspective toward such a substantial change and their operational commitment toward the organization rather than themselves. In the end, the decisions regarding perspectives and commitment paid huge dividends in the effectiveness of these change initiatives.
What targets did I expect for us to meet? In a goal-setting plan, I always sought to establish a metric that I wish to attain prior to seeking specific strategies. Consider a metric as an idea parameter to keep us focused toward our own planning.
· How can changing time WITHIN the day positively affect the goals?
· What changes to time are possible?
· Do we have to have a 7 period day?
· Why have we always done lunch the way we are now?
· What does time look like from a student’s view?
· What can time look like from a student’s view?
Set expected design timeline- With the questions now asked, we needed to gather a lot of information in which to plan further. After a brisk discussion, we delegated roles within the gathering process. This led us to determine how long we would take to return and plan. We agreed to take two weeks to gather information in areas of lunch, number of classes, length of classes, will the computer system support a different schedule, and certain logistics such as bells and such. After two weeks, we would return to begin planning.
We brought ideas together and found that few if any logistics would effectively prevent us from a redesign of the use of time within the school day. With that in mind, we broke into a subcommittee to design a school day that would allow for more time within nth school day for students. One week later, we came up with a new schedule that eliminated our unique “hybrid” schedule. The “hybrid” schedule entailed a seven class schedule that allowed for three days of seven classes, each comprising 50 minute periods. Then two days allowed for block periods, one day being even periods (2, 4 &6) and the other being off periods (1, 3, 5 & 7). The even day also contained an Instructional Focus (IF) class that allowed for remediation and other options. However, in the 5 years we held IF, it never materialized into a class that could truly effectively attain the results we sought. Rather, it was difficult to manage and never had “belief in” from students or staff. The new schedule being proposed was an elimination of the block days and a straight lunch with optional time for kids and teachers. We saw this as the answer we were researching for. The schedule, called Plan A, seemingly met all of the questions we posed to keep us focused.
To focus our discussions we held the Plan A schedule up to our “movable and non-movable” forces. Does this new schedule negatively affect the bus schedules, teachers contracts, logistics, and classes? It appeared to meet all of the criteria we had set. Could we have found the answer we needed?
It was time to take our Plan A to a larger team of players. Our Leadership Team at Lambert High School is composed of a department chair for each academic department as well as critical staff within the school. The team is made up of twenty members. I felt they needed to join the team to give us full perspective and to build “belief in”. What follows is one of the biggest surprises and learning opportunities I have ever experienced. When we proudly presented every aspect of the new “Lunch & Learn” plan, we were shocked with the reception. There was at least four minutes of dead silence. I tried to assess the looks on my colleagues’ faces. They were not happy. Apparently, we missed something. Were we dead in the water? Are we not moving toward helping the kids?
The possible new plan that we were so proud of was failing flat on its face. We had three choices at this point: One, we could get defensive, frustrated and push the flawed plan into the school without any regard to our colleagues’ opinions. Two, we could discard that plan entirely and keep moving with the status quo that we have been somewhat successful. Or, three, we could elicit their feedback and go back to the drawing board. In a momentary decision, my learning and professional direction was solidified. I asked for their honest opinions and detailed feedback in an attempt to construct a final product that met everyone’s goals. We asked what elements missed their mark or what they were we not seeing. It was evident that we did not understand how much the science and fine arts departments needed the block classes within the schedule. They felt they were immovable factors to meet kids’ needs within their classes. The entire Leadership Team and Administrative Team agreed that we could not move forward with any plan that left a group behind. I was so proud of our team. This was a true sign of the “Belief In” philosophy I had been seeking for so long.
Missing the Mark- It appears that missing the mark had led us back to the drawing board with a new charge. Our charge was clear: construct a plan with all of the same criteria as before but also keep the block classes that were needed for kids in the science and fine arts classes. As further confirmation, I asked my Principal’s Student Advisory Class to give feedback on the plan. They added one more factor to consider. They asked that any plan not allow for athletic teams, clubs, or the band to be able to meet during this time. Their feeling was that the focus of student time would be lost if allowed to meet with groups in this fashion. Thus, we’d been missing one criteria we set.
In a stroke of inspiration, a colleague and I were standing in the hall one morning. As we were talking we found ourselves struggling with a new plan. I asked her, “What if…we added a class?” We looked at each other for what felt like, two full minutes… Since she and I knew each other very well, she knew where I was going with this question. She looked at me and said, “I think I know…” We ran to my office, took out some scrap paper and doodled for a silent five minutes. In that time, we exchanged ideas and doodles several times. She would write, then I would scribble to add to it. Finally, we were on the track. In an effort to save the block classes and maximize time for kids, we drew up a new concept. Our seven academic classes each day, with no block classes, became seven academic classes, three days and two days of block classes, with a scheduled class period for lunch (an eight period). The lunch periods for kids would remain the same each and every day, thus allowing for two days of block classes to remain and a daily consistency that students wanted. In our doodling haze, we scratched out the format and both cried in exuberance. It appeared as though we had it. I used the radio to call for a few more members of our team to come in and look at it for mistakes. It appeared to hit the targets to them as well. To double check, I went to the Fine Arts and Science department chairs’ classrooms to show them our creation. They both smiled and gave a hearty thumbs up.
In an effort to triple check our efforts, we asked a few of the “nay-sayers” to check our concept. A true Polaroid moment in my mind followed. They agreed and approved. Not only had it worked, but the process was a true learning moment for us all. Newer members of my administrative team saw the value of true collaboration and determination. Longtime veterans were astounded by the effects of target-guided collaboration in the development of Lunch & Learn. Now that we had a solid plan for Lunch & Learn created, I sought feedback from my principal colleagues within my own school system. I asked for their feedback to help spotlight any missing details we had not considered. It was audacious, but doable. They were not eager to try such a plan until they saw it in operation.
The new Lunch & Learn plan required a tremendous amount from administrators, secretaries, counselors, custodians, food service, and the facility. We had to create new norms and processes for adults taking lunch and break times. All staff unencumbered during Lunch & Learn were to be available at all times to assist students. No one was allowed to lunch or meet during this time. Considering that 1500 students would be in the halls, courtyards, lunchroom, and media center at the same time it would require a new norm for custodial and clean up crews. Counselors would now be available for the entire period. Administrators also had to be available for supervision to allow for teachers to support kids.
Dr. Bearden, the Forsyth County Schools Superintendent, listened to our plan and allowed for us to present it to the Board of Education. If it met with their satisfaction, then we would be allowed to pilot Lunch & Learn for the following year. On March 14, 2015, I along with two members of the administrative team presented to the FC Board of Education. In a 10 minute presentation, we detailed the purpose, goals, and possible issues that could arise from implementation of Lunch & Learn. They asked questions and were eager to see the feedback of its implementation. We had gained approval. I have always been grateful to the Board of Education and Dr. Bearden for their trust and support of our desire to meet our kids’ needs in a unique manner. That is a level of trust that most Boards of Education and Superintendents don’t allow today.
After spending so much time dreaming, seeking information, planning, collaborating, designing, redesigning, and presenting, it was now time to celebrate with the members of the team that did so much work. I am truly thankful to so many for putting up with my ideas and for believing. I admire their tenacity and dedication. The time to publicize and communicate Lunch & Learn was here. We planned for a multi-faceted approach to communication. We would let everyone know that we were doing a new plan. Also, we fully explained why we were doing Lunch & Learn and what we hoped to gain. To continue what I learned, we asked for our video broadcast classes to help produce a humorous video to accompany the roll out. It starred a few of our team members, but largely was led by parents and students. We then blanketed the internet with our video to start a buzz. Social media played a very large role to help communicate and provide for two-way communication. We were able to answer questions and concerns prior to students ever getting to the first day of school. Next, our staff needed a clear picture of what it meant to them. Meetings were held and a lot of two-way sessions were afforded to help alleviate any concerns of staff.
The summer of 2016 was dominated with building the necessary infrastructure to roll out the Lunch & Learn plan. Waves of videos, social media posts, FAQ websites, and letters to each family initiated the community to the new Lunch & Learn plan. We also needed to make changes to our school system computer system to handle a new schedule structure for student’s printed schedules. Late summer was our first chance to intimate teachers during our Preplanning 2016 with teachers. They were given all of the specifics regarding time, coverage, supervision, and an FAQ to help them handle any questions they faced. Silently, they were nervous about the new plan, but saw this as an opportunity for additional planning time. Yes, teachers still were scheduled to teach the same number of academic classes (5). In previous years teachers taught 5 out of 7 classes. Now they would teach 5 out of 8, but they were asked to give two periods a month to help with supervision. They saw it as a very fair trade. Later, some would tell me that they thought it was too good to be true.
August 6, 2016 was the first day of school. Lunch & Learn would go live. As the day progressed, I was growing increasingly nervous imagining that we were releasing 1500 kids to all areas for an open lunch concept for the first time. At 11:58, the bell rang to signal the first lunch (5th period). In a panic, I walked the halls and worried that I forgot many details we hadn’t planned. Literally, a shear panic happened until the echo of the bell finished and I saw kids handle themselves awkwardly. We walked around and talked to kids, answered questions, and helped with logistics. As the day progressed, teachers came by and gave a thumbs up to signal they were supportive and happy it went well. We questioned kids and they, too, were happy with the outcome. Perhaps, we were onto something.
The 2016-17 school year was the first year of Lunch & Learn 1.0. The entire concept was new to everyone student, staff, and community. With that background, I sought to get feedback to guide our thinking. We held a second week of school feedback session with all of the groups. Students were very interesting in their feedback. Loudly they said thank you for the time to recharge in the middle of the day. Of course, not much momentum had been expelled yet for homework, so it was difficult to say the impact at that time. However, they provided a unique and wonderful piece of advice for the future. One student asked, “Could we have teachers available to help everyday?” We currently had a small area dedicated for kids to get help, but the focus was lacking. Teachers, however, were all glad to have the additional time. Content teams, teacher teams made up of all teachers with the same courses, could eat lunch and work together on planning and assessments. It seems that food really does bring everyone together. The parent feedback would come later in the year. Anecdotally, students began sharing hat they were more able to attend their extra-curricular activities and work without the burden of homework looming. Additionally, teachers stated that missing assignments were decreasing.
As the school year ended, we were able to assess the effectiveness of Lunch & Learn. In two years, the number of failing classes at the mid term exam period reduced from 1247 in SY 2015 (6.4%) to 666 in SY 2017 (3.2%). The 100 percentage reduction of failures among all students marked a substantial indication that Lunch & Learn was an effective and vital part of our school. The decision was confirmed to continue the pilot and report back that it was a smashing success. In subsequent years, elements would be added and tweaks made.
We designed Lunch & Learn version 2.0 for the 2017-18 school year. In L&L 2.0 we added a robust student support structure that afforded a teacher from each academic department to be available everyday at lunch in the media center to support any student. Academic failures reduced again in SY 2018 282 failures (1.4%) confirming the necessary element of student support. The 2018-19 school year brought Lunch & Learn 3.0. With the next evolution, we added increased student support with identified students receiving additional teacher support, increased counselor sessions and availability, and a tracking of student participation in courses supported. SY 2019 brought a new low of midterm failures 198 (.09%) as well as increased participation. Lunch & Learn 4.0 is being designed with the element of student culture in mind. Students felt they wanted to be able to participate in stress-relieving activities to help with increasing stress. Therapy dogs, quiet rooms, yoga, guest speakers, and focused counseling sessions are currently being planned.
Lessons Learned- The long process of dreaming, researching, designing, redesigning, assessing, and continual development off Lunch Learn has taught me several lessons. The lessons learned centered around project development, leadership innovation, growing leaders, communication, and maintaining a program.
· Project development- I learned that project development is a long process that requires patience and tact. The road is filled with many potholes and unexpected turns in the road to completion. If you wish for a project to reach fruition, then be prepared for it to fail, or walk away, at any given time. Additionally, there will be elements that are invisible in your planning. I found that the effects of Lunch & Learn on our custodial staff were larger than I ever imagined. I vastly underestimated the logistics such as increasing the number of trash cans around the building and campus.
· Leadership Innovation process- To lead anything unique, there has to be an element of the leader being comfortable with ambiguousness and an unclear direction. If you seek total clarity then leading a unique effort will make you a bit crazy. The twists and turns seemed endless. You never fully know when you have arrived either, until you have been called innovative by others. Much of the journey and results are out of your control. The feedback from the Leadership Team definitely was unforeseen. Truly it was a bend in the road and one fraught with potholes. It was unknown whether it was recoverable. As you have seen, it was able to be overcome.
· Growing leaders- A project such as the advent of Lunch & Learn is a great vehicle to grow leaders and aspiring leaders around your organization. The inclusion of members of your team in the development steps, refining focus questions, designing the product and process, assessing effectiveness, as well as eliciting feedback are all growth opportunities. The vital piece in the puzzle is to debrief steps with them and allow time for them to reflect on their participation and the status of the project. This piece will connect the dots for them. My team and I certainly grew from the process of development and design. Of course, reflection and eliciting feedback from all stakeholders was a designed element. I should have planned on writing, journaling, and speaking about successes more frequently. This opportunity for young leaders to be a part of this sharing would have been a more solid basis for them to gain these experiences.
· Communications and stories of success- The spoken word and relationships built are the ammunition and currency of leadership. Also, proactively sharing the change we were instituting was important in our process. In hindsight, we should have communicated with our current students on what Lunch & Learn meant. The younger students had a difficult time having the maturity to handle decision-making and free time choices without a heads up.
Drew now uses Lunch & Learn to get his homework completed each day and study for any tests he has upcoming. This has led him to be able to work his part-time job at the grocery store. Baseball didn’t work out for him, but he is still active in the band. He is still nervous, particularly when talking to girls, but the middle of his school day allows him to be able to focus on his friends after school occasionally. They are stressed, but all of the boys spend time at lunch together and have established study sessions to help one another. Ultimately, Lunch & Learn has greatly helped Drew to be a better student and cope with the stressors of being a teenager today. Our pursuit for solving problems to meet our students’ needs led us to unique solutions.
