Every administrator wants their school to be the best and get top scores. Getting there isn’t easy; it requires a lot of collaboration between the people in power and the students. Unfortunately, some admins go about it the wrong way and risk putting too much pressure on the kids.
This is what happened in one middle school where the new administrator came up with a wacky idea to improve test scores and reduce tardiness. Kids didn’t like the plan and rebelled in the most creative way by making up a whole fake vehicle system.
More info: Reddit
Educational administrators should work with the students instead of against them in order to achieve shared goals
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster shared that the new admin who was hired at their middle school made lanes in the hallways to streamline kids to class faster, to improve test scores
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Kids began using the hallways creatively by driving imaginary cars, getting stuck in “traffic,” and spending time “parallel parking,” which wasted more time
Image credits: stockking / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The admin thought kids would get bored with this behavior, but it got out of control, and they couldn’t keep handing out detentions, so the hallway lanes had to go
Image credits: TurkeyNinja
Eventually, they tried a new tactic of shortening the passing period between classes, which led to a different kind of rebellion from the kids
The poster shared that they had been a teacher at a low-income middle school, which always seemed to have poor test scores. Due to that, the administration staff had been removed, and a new admin had been hired to micromanage the place and improve the scores. The admin was hellbent on making things better as quickly as possible.
According to experts, focusing on test scores means motivating kids to learn to the best of their ability and reach their highest potential. Although the numbers are just one measure of students, it is an important metric to understand how they are placed and what areas they might be lacking in.
The new school admin’s bright idea to reduce lateness to class and improve test scores was to create lanes in the hallways. They felt that by streamlining student movement, they’d reach class faster and learn better. Unfortunately, this just led to them creating funnier delays in the form of an imaginary transport system.
When the school administration and the students don’t understand each other’s motives, it can lead to a breakdown in communication like this. That’s why it’s important for staff and teachers to state their expectations early on and explain to the kids why being on time for class or test scores is important.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster shared how creatively all the students followed through with the imaginary vehicle system. They began cruising in the hallway, wasting time in parallel parking, and even started a “bus” route to pick up other kids. This obviously annoyed the administrator, who didn’t know what to do to stop them.
The hallway lane idea eventually had to be scrapped because of how the children were misusing it. The school admin then decided that the passing time between classes should be shortened to just two minutes, so students didn’t even have enough time to go to the restroom, and they started using that as an excuse during class.
Although these kinds of tests and policies are useful for quantifying a student’s education and bridging the gap in their knowledge, they don’t measure a child’s creativity. Being able to think beyond narrow guidelines and do something new is a wonderful skill that should be nourished properly.
The school admin was frustrated with the kids’ vehicle system, but what they didn’t realize was that maybe it had been an opportunity to inspire new ways of thinking and doing things. Hopefully, the kids continue to think of such creative things and band together as a team to work through obstacles, just as they did.
Has anything like this ever happened in your school? We’d love to hear the story.
People found the students’ behavior amusing and were sure that the test scores didn’t change due to the admin’s odd idea
