This summer, our faculty and staff read, “I Never Thought of It That Way” by Mónica Guzmán. The book is timely for individuals and schools as we approach the upcoming election season. I found it a valuable read, and of course, read it through the lens of admissions and enrollment. I found myself delving into it as I headed off for vacation, which is often when I come up with new ideas.
Guzmán suggests that we, on a regular basis, ask the essential question, “What am I missing?” And so I asked myself, "What am I missing and how do I break away from the silos of my own perspective about admissions?" I like to consider myself an open minded and curious person, with a growth mindset, but I paused and wondered, am I all of those things when it comes to admissions? I hope so! But the question persisted, “What am I missing?”
In those reflections, I went back to what a mentor taught me when I first started to teach kindergarten many years ago - the OREO method. When you have hard news to deliver to a parent - couch it between two positives, think of an OREO cookie. I have always remembered that advice and still use it today in my communications with prospective families - always start and end conversations and emails with a positive.
During my faculty-staff in-service presentations, I like to pass something out which goes along with my presentation theme. Last year it was mini fishing nets as we started a year of “fishing for families.” This year I was onto the OREO theme and thought of the acronym, Offer Real Expression of Opinion. If I wanted to be more curious about my role as the Director of Enrollment Management, I needed to be more curious. I wanted to have more “I Never Thought of it That Way” (INTOIT) moments. I decided that my ‘pass out' this year would be little packets of OREO cookies with an invitation to faculty and staff to Offer Real Expression of Opinion.
As I was thinking about all of this, I remembered the scene in Ted Lasso where they are playing darts for high stakes. Ted Lasso quotes What Whitman, “Be curious, not judgmental,” and continues on to describe what can happen when you aren’t curious. It’s a brilliant scene with a happy outcome:
After the presentation, the OREOS and the Ted Lasso clip, I invited faculty and staff to Offer Real Expression of Opinion. I asked them to write down any new ideas they might have to advance admissions, complaints from past admissions experiences, or any thoughts they had that would help me open my perspective. They delivered! Everyone wrote down their thoughtful ideas (including affirmations, a lovely bonus) and they helped answer my question, "What am I missing?”
Our communities are filled with thoughtful insightful people who can help satisfy our curiosity about our work, we only need to ask. As Guzmán states, “The opposite of curiosity is certainty.”
As you begin the new school year, may it be filled with lots of curiosity and INTOIT moments!
Marianne Ryan
Director of Enrollment Management
Clairbourn School