Gary Logan, an assistant principal at Woodrow Cummins Elementary School in Conway, Arkansas, knows how to shake off the Monday (and every other day for that matter) blues. Every morning Gary gets the nearly 400 students ready for school in one of the most awesome ways possible: by groovin’ and shakin’ with a song and dance.
“We want kids to be excited about coming to school,” the administrator shares.
And most of them can’t wait to get to school to watch Logan’s infectious song and dance routine.
“Our tardy rate has gone way down,” Logan says about the ritual he started last school year after being hired as assistant principal. “The kids bug their parents, ‘C’mon, c’mon, we gotta get there.’ The kids don’t want to miss the fun.”
Logan has been singing to kids since he was a third-grade teacher and bus driver.
“It all started with my love of music,” Logan confesses.
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“The first bus I drove didn’t have a radio, so I started singing a capella,” he says. “I sang everything from pop hits to some of my favorites from the Baptist hymnal.”
Logan, who says he never had a bad day, gets to school at 7:05 every morning. He says a prayer then heads to the cafeteria to start the party.
Logan keeps his routine fresh with a different tune or dance routine each morning, keeping up to date with…
…the latest hits that the kids love.
“When I discovered there was a Bluetooth-compatible PA system, I got out the mic and started singing to the kids in the cafeteria. They especially love the interactive songs. We do line dances and the ‘Whip/Nae Nae.’ We’ve found that if the kids get out their wiggles and giggles, they’re ready to settle down into school,” Logan says.
Logan adds, “We never know what the kids might have experienced the night before. We don’t know what’s going on at home. But we do know that if we give them a reason to let their guards down, they can re-set and come to class with a new start each day.
