Chapter 1: It’S All About Relationships

A festival of posters and inspirational quotes swirled past as I followed Principal Lauren Smith through the maze of learning pods in a local middle school. Talking about my role as a site Coordinator for the university in her after-school program, she said, “It’s all about relationships. These students vote with their feet. If they don’t like it—they simply won’t come.”

As we continued down hall after hall, I explained excitedly, “I just finished an inservice with a truly innovative program combining tableaus with literacy.” She did not comment on my innovative program, but just kept repeating her admonition about relationships.