It’s October, and you’ve made it through orientation, various curriculum nights, and introductory coffees. What now?
One educational leader asked me if I had gotten to know the garden level yet. Puzzled, I asked what he meant. He explained that many educational institutions have a garden level, the floor that is underground, dotted with occasional windows which often reveal nothing more than the lowest three inches of shrubbery or the stems of flowers. The employees who work here, in the basement, often do so under fluorescent lights, with little natural sense of the time of day or the weather. In spaces where windows reveal little more than a cobwebbed well, the sills themselves are often replete with plants, sprigs of bright green stretching toward the muted glow of natural light, encouraging proof that life can exist and thrive here.
Lower levels often run the footprint of a school, and sometimes are the most efficient way to get from one place to the next. They also often house the offices of people critical to the functioning of the school. Where is your records room? Your facilities office? Transportation office? School kitchen? Where do the people work who toil daily without visibility, and, importantly, could your school function without them?
Take a moment to explore the people and the spaces. What are their stories? How long have they worked on behalf of the institution? Why? What do they know about everyone who is at the school? They know a lot about who leaves used cafeteria dishes in their office or classroom, who says thank you after a maintenance request has been completed, and who greets them with a hello (and their name!) when they pass in the hallway. These individuals know how to get the back gate to latch or how to display anything so that it is level and secure. They could teach creative problem-solving. They can serve as meaningful mentors to all in the school, including students. They’re proud of what they do.
As leaders we are so often asking people to help us plan, host, create, and establish. Those on the garden level are often mission-critical to making each of those things happen. Honor the garden level, as the institution literally grows from their roots. Get to know them, hear their stories, notice what they teach, and thank them publicly.
