Creating Healthier Schools

There are two streams of thought when it comes to healthcare

One is what I call “downstream” in that it treats the disease after the fact, providing prescriptions once the diagnosis has been given

The other is what I call “upstream” in that it works to prevent the disease through lifestyle choices such as healthy eating, diet and exercise, regular check ups, and the like

Now, there are certainly times when prescriptions are vital and necessary, but most health care is focused on downstream answers to things upstream choices might have prevented

To pick out one easy example, let’s briefly look at heart disease and its care options

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.

Research shows 1 in 4 people will suffer from heart failure, with the rates going up 29% in the last ten years alone

Heart attacks and cardiovascular strokes are terrible and happen to far too many people…but most research says the vast majority of these are preventable with lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, eating clean, giving up smoking, being more physically active, limiting fats and sugars and sodium, and getting regular check ups

In other words, there is an entire ecosystem of downstream care for those suffering and dying from something that upstream measures might drastically reduce

I think about schooling in much the same way

If you have been following this newsletter, you know I am deeply concerned about the state of students in today’s traditional schools. You are aware that the research shows today’s students are highly stressed out, anxious, isolated, depressed, with self harm and suicide rates higher now than any other generation before them

This is of tremendous concern to me as an educator, as a thought leader, and as a parent, and my work overall is to do all I can to reverse these statistics in order to see students flourish and thrive

To do that, I believe education writ large must think upstream in preventative ways rather than merely react with downstream “prescriptions”

Here is what I mean

Most of the good work being done by so many in education today are centered around “fixing” schools by addressing things that are downstream of the problems and concerns

After school programs, at home tutoring, professional development programming and the like are great, but they exist primarily as downstream reactions to tend to the concerns brought about by the traditional system itself

What I wonder is…

What would it look like for schooling itself to be so healthy, so engaging, so joy-full that we did not have to rely on downstream reactive care?

What if students felt seen, heard, and valued in a community of care in every single school?

What if teachers felt empowered to create learning environments that gave everyone a sense of purpose and meaning?

What if joy, and not achievement, were the goal of learning?

What if classes gave students the opportunity to put the subjects to work solving problems and designing solutions in meaningful ways?

What if the culture of school fostered belonging for every student?

What if schools called students up to be activists working for a better world?

Maybe…just maybe…if we focused on the health of our schools in the same ways focusing on physical health reduces heart attacks, we would get far less stress, anxiety, hopelessness, despair, isolation, and self harm

And far more joy, peace, purpose, meaning, optimism, gratitude, belonging, engagement, and health in our students

Hopefully, this has been helpful and has inspired you to take the first small steps towards reimagining a healthier learning community at your site

If you would like to take the next step towards seeing that vision come to be, feel free to reach out!

My work exists to help schools tell a better story for students, educators and the world. If I can help in any way—from workshops, consulting calls, professional development, keynotes, or year long cohorts—let me know!

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