So many colleges are already in the middle of graduation season and high schools and middle schools aren’t too far behind. What does this mean? It’s life advice quote season. One I hear quite often:
“You’ve gotta’ dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.
(And speak from the heart to be heard.)”
-William W. Purkey
I like the quote. It’s good advice, but rarely do we ever see it play out. It seems like it is more of a distant ideal, than something we put into practice.
Unless, you get to attend a Principal’s Dance Party.
Yes, I typed that correctly. A Principal’s Dance Party.
Last week I had the chance to speak to a group of graduating seniors in Ventura, California. I had about a two hour break before I returned to work with the incoming leadership class. A friend of mine is now serving as the principal of a nearby elementary school, so I gave her a call and asked if she wanted to meet up for lunch. She invited me to her campus and to the final session of Principal’s Dance Party.
Like many schools throughout the nation, her school was in middle of state testing. While no one likes testing, it’s especially difficult in elementary schools where students are first learning the idea of taking longer multiple choice tests, filling in bubbles, and not writing in the question booklets. It really takes a lot of energy at that age to keep in some of that energy and focus for a test.
So my friend came up with the idea of Principal’s Dance Party.
At the end of the testing portion for the day (just before lunch), she had a small reward for the students who showed up on time and kept focus during the test. She also put on a Principal’s Dance Party.
I’ve mentioned the name several times simply because I loved it. The first, second, and third graders greeted us first on the blacktop. My friend blasted various tunes from KIDZ BOP 19 (kid-friendly versions of current hits) and we all danced.
I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun dancing. Seriously.
There is something about singing FIREWORK at the top of your lungs with 50+ first through third graders while jumping. Each kid danced in the style they liked. Some would just jump. Some would do funny versions of break dancing. Some would spin.
But they all danced. They laughed. They smiled.
By the time they headed to lunch, it looked as if they had all just run a half marathon–even tough they had simply enjoyed a 15 minute dance party.
Everything was innocent.
My friend, a former high school administrator, and I chatted about how sad it was that a Principal’s Dance Party probably couldn’t exist in a high school as the dancing couldn’t just remain fun and innocent.
That and the fact that people begin to start dancing like EVERYONE is watching.
A little bit after the last third grade classroom headed off to lunch, the fourth graders popped out (the fifth graders were away on a field trip). We played music again, and students danced, but it was much smaller. Students began to stand on the sidelines. Few students danced with abandon. More and more students began to complain about song selection. They still had fun, but it had shifted. There was a sad awareness of how others might view their dancing.
And so while they had fun, it wasn’t anywhere near the amount of fun the first, second, and third graders experienced.
The youngest students “danced like nobody was watching” and it allowed them to be freer.
They worked hard on their test, and then they celebrated.
Let’s do the same in the coming months. Yes, I know summer is just around the corner, but let’s pick a goal or two.
Let’s get focused. Let’s work hard. And then, let’s celebrate with joy that isn’t dependent upon the approval of others (but can definitely enjoy their company).
I say it often in my speeches, but I’m blown away by elementary school students, and I’m glad I had the chance to learn yet another lesson from them.