Last week, I walked into two classrooms at different universities where I will be teaching in the fall.
One had been given a fresh coat of paint over the summer. The other had not.
This may seem like a small detail but research shows a correlation between how well-maintained a classroom is and a whole host of student outcomes. These range from absenteeism to student achievement. Perhaps most significant is that students often see how well-maintained a classroom is as a reflection of their own worth and belonging.
If a classroom is well-cared for it can indicate to a student that they are cared for. And unfortunately, vice versa.
A coat of paint is not a panacea for solving disparities in education but is a start.
Other research indicates that simple gestures like teachers smiling at their students when they enter the classroom impact student performance. Appearances and first impressions matter. They are a small and simple signal to the student that they matter too.
Facilities management in education is a challenge.The logistics of painting a college can be daunting. The costs add up quickly on large campuses with multiple buildings and hundreds if not thousands of classrooms to maintain.
Yet the cost to paint one classroom is manageable. And smiles of course are free.
While I’m talking about a very specific example in two different classrooms, we can see these disparities in all kinds of spaces – including public parks, our streets, our storefronts, hospitals and on and on.
What is one to do when they see spaces that need to be better maintained? Of course we can report the issue to the responsible parties in hopes that they will address it. Undoubtedly they are aware and perhaps have intentions and plans to do so – if not the resources. But while we wait, there is something else we can do.
Pick up a brush.
In 2002, over 2500 volunteers – organized by Hands On DC – showed up to paint thirty public schools in Washington, DC.
In New York City, an organization called Publicolor has programs that organize both volunteers and students to paint their own schools each year.
So many of our problems seem impossible to tackle given their scale and the real or imagined red tape one needs to cut through before enacting change. But these examples and others show what is possible, when we self-organize and take the first steps to making the world a little brighter and more welcoming for others.
Recommendation of the Week: People around the world are mourning the loss of Dolly Parton. Her organization Imagination Library was started to address literacy which was very personal to her as her father could not read. The organization has donated over 300 million books to date. If you’re a fan of hers, perhaps consider making a donation in her memory here
Share this with someone who picks up a brush for others.