Radical Enough?

Changes in our personal lives mandate that we engage in behaviors that might be radical compared to how we usually navigate our day. Weight loss journeys are the most common example of a radical change. Beyond changing to a more disciplined mindset, we make radical changes with our diets or workout routines. We even change our social events calendar to support our goals. Happy hours and weekend brunch, which may have been the move previously, are skipped or significantly modified to maintain goal alignment. Radical.

But what happens when attempting to pursue community or policy change? Radical is out of the window. We become restricted at every point as we blame the red tape and the very bureaucratic processes we are trying to counter in the first place! The same people that push empowerment for all surrender to feeling powerless when the stakes are raised. Job security or fitting in socially become more important than the change we wish to see. Frustration and blame are shifted away from individuals and rested on ambiguous government officials or offices that seem beyond the people's reach.

But I submit that those very people calling for change are not prepared or ready to create change.

They are waiting for SOMEONE else to push the change. They want someone else to put their job on the line. They want someone else to do the hard work. They rationalize that they have paid their dues at some point in their journey, and they deserve to sit back while others realize and do what needs to be done.

Consider K-12 urban schools. Educators have these fantastic ideas about improving the student experience or how to provide students with an education that changes their community and society. They drink the Kool-Aid that encourages them to create the change will coloring inside the lines of following the schedule, curriculum, or other policies they feel are limiting. Savvy school leaders convince these teachers that they can create change while also following district policies. These inspired educators excitedly get to work, but they aren't working on their original goals. The plan is watered down, slow, and quite often ineffective. There is nothing radical about it, yet they are expecting radical change.

I listen actively to these passionate stories. And when they finish telling me these heartwarming tales of what could be done, they are steaming mad when I respond, "sounds like you didn't want it bad enough."

In my later years as an educator, I was allowed to teach an entrepreneurship class to high school juniors and seniors. Many of these students had no interest in school or college, but they did like money. And when they had the opportunity to create and launch their business while in school, they took advantage of it. Student in-seat attendance increased. Students had deep conversations about how their business and their passion would lead to the life they wanted.

The following year, the class was taken away due to scheduling conflicts. Students were enrolled in my history class and expected to sit through a semester of pushing the same curriculum. I decided to split the 80-minute block into two forty-minute sessions. The first half was entrepreneurship and the second history. The outcome was impressive enough. Since students wanted to be in class to create their businesses, the history portion of the course flowed just as well. Without the discipline and management that comes from keeping uninterested students interested, the students kept pace with every other history student in the district. Their performance assessment scores were consistently above the district average.

During my observations and evaluations, one school leader watched only the lesson on entrepreneurship. I don't know how long this leader struggled with disciplining me or giving me a low review because I wasn't following the curriculum. Still, ultimately, I earned a high score. The leader noted that students were engaged, interested, and truly inspired. Months later, I was observed by two different leaders. They explained that I really needed to focus on this history content while suggesting that I could start an entrepreneurship club for students who wanted to start a business with a caring tone. It was a good suggestion. But I also knew that the very students I was trying to reach would not be in school to hear about the club, let alone stay longer in a place they didn't want to be. I continued to split my courses. I received low evaluation scores, but I didn't care. My purpose was to disrupt systems that weren't serving my students, which is precisely what I did.

Being radical is difficult. It can be uncomfortable professionally, socially, and financially. And it may not be everyone's cross to bear. Some people have just stepped through the door and are unwilling to compromise their seat at the table they just received. I understand. I have been there. But it is odd to push or expect someone else to do something that you won't do yourself.
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Are you radical enough?

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