I have the opportunity to observe and work with students (and families) with college planning services. As a part of this work, my duties have me in the local schools to provide these services. While at the schools, I observe the ‘saggin’ phenomenon up close and personal as many of you probably are. As you well know, ‘saggin’ (where individuals where their pants/trousers below the waistline intentionally). This is a, mostly, male mannerism though not exclusive to males.
To see an individual or group of students walking through the halls and during lunch brings the documentary ‘March of the Penguins’ to mind as these students waddle to and fro. The images are somewhat comical because these students make feeble efforts to pull up “the sag” only to have the effects of gravity working against them. In a supposedly controlled environment as a school, “no saggin’ is allowed, or is it?”
Has this generational fashion (if you want to call it that) statement become so prevalent that school administrators/leaders have turned a blind eye and apathetically coalesced to complete acceptance? It is intentional that school administrators/leaders are singled out here. This is a leadership issue and not a student behavior issue. What students wear and do OUTSIDE of the school building is not within your control but what occurs within those halls and wall should be.
Lead from the front. Set your expectations (through collaborating with faculty and staff), do not waiver from these expectations and clearly communicate them to parents/guardians and the students. Regardless of the origins of saggin’ or its popularity, school is not the appropriate venue for expression. What messages are being sent by allowing this to continuously occur?
I understand there are many issues/concerns confronting schools and administrators today; and the saggin’ issue is just one of them to make a point. That point is that schools should be an environment where students not only learn course content but should also prepare (or begin the process) students for post secondary life, whether that is college or career. School leaders are responsible for establishing an environment as such driving student learning. Here’s how to accomplish this.
Lead your school as a successful CEO leads his/her company, only your bottom-line will be seeing to it that young people are ready for the next stage of their lives. You are the Chief EDUCATION Officer of your building with a heavy responsibility. Will all of your students be ready? Most likely not but that should not be a result of them walking through your hallways. As CEO and with your leadership remember…set your collective expectations, consistently enforce, monitor and revisit them periodically, then you can post your proverbial sign…
NO SAGGIN’ ALLOWED!!!
and mean it.
