Principal on Wheels
Principal and social media sensation Jared Lamb 鈥�03 has an unusual office
Jared Lamb 鈥�03 has carved out a unique section of the internet. The principal of BASIS Baton Rouge鈥揗aterra, a K-10 charter school, Lamb found himself going unexpectedly viral, thanks, in part, to his unusual office鈥攁 rolling cart he wheels around as he goes about his day.
鈥淭he cart started, really, out of necessity,鈥� Lamb explains. 鈥淭he school didn鈥檛 have a conference room, so I said, 鈥榊ou know what, why don鈥檛 we convert the principal鈥檚 office?鈥� We had an extra AV cart, so I just made that my mobile office.鈥�
He quickly found benefits beyond saving space.
鈥淚 never really got to my office much anyway,鈥� the principal says. 鈥淭he cart gave me lots of opportunities to take the pulse of what was happening on campus at any time.鈥�
Lamb, a former math and science teacher who has worked as a principal for 15 years, says he prioritizes 鈥渆ducator customer service鈥濃�攕upporting his teachers so they can support the students. Being mobile allows him to connect daily with teachers and students, help out when behavior situations arise, make copies or fetch supplies and even stand in for a teacher in need of a bathroom break.
He noticed a difference in how students interact with him as well.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a stronger trust. I have more touch points with students now. I鈥檓 asking them about their day. I鈥檓 constantly getting high-fives. I鈥檓 giving fist bumps as they enter and leave the classroom.鈥�
While the cart may have made him popular on campus, it was TikTok that made him internet famous.
鈥淚鈥檇 read an article about another Louisiana principal who was using the TikTok platform to showcase what was happening on campus in an effort to recruit teachers,鈥� Lamb remembers. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥榃ell, that鈥檚 a great idea.鈥欌��
The Saturday after the 2022-2023 school year ended (he does all his social media work outside of school hours), Lamb headed to campus to film his first TikTok video, which he captioned: 鈥淚 spent the entire school year without an office. And here鈥檚 why it was the best decision.鈥�
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even know how to use the TikTok platform,鈥� Lamb admits. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 figure out how to watch the video until after I posted it. Then I remember texting my wife to tell her, 鈥楬oney, there are already 15 people who watched my video!鈥欌��
Call it beginner鈥檚 luck, but 15 quickly turned into 1.7 million.
鈥淔or whatever reason, it clicked with the algorithms and took off overnight. I woke up in the morning and just had all these updates. I was not expecting so many messages or commentary, never mind how big it got. It was shocking.鈥�
Lamb harnessed that initial success and quickly produced more videos about school routines, summertime prep, teacher professional development and, of course, more about his trusty cart. The viral videos even caught the attention of the Today show, which covered the story in September.
now boasts more than 104,000 TikTok followers, and his (yes, also about the cart) has more than 2.4 million views. But what Lamb is most proud of is how the social media engagement has sparked conversation among his peers and colleagues in education.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much negativity out there in the education landscape right now. I鈥檓 sharing the things we鈥檙e doing and then seeing other educators do the same, looking at their data and getting their feedback. I think that鈥檚 great鈥攇etting positive stuff out there. That鈥檚 encouraged me to keep doing it,鈥� he says.
鈥淚t is so important to highlight the amazing work that our educators are doing. I really don鈥檛 believe that education facilities are broken systems. Yes, there are things we can improve on and make stronger. But we have so many educators who show up every day and work for students. That鈥檚 worth celebrating. The cart and social media allow me to bring that positivity out.鈥�