In my fourth year in education, our superintendent championed the word lagniappe as our staff mantra. At district-wide meetings, in e-blasts, and in all staff communication, he would remind us to embrace lagniappe as part of our daily routines. The word was deeply personal to him and, in turn, was meant to inspire staff to go the extra mile.

Lanyards and stickers were given on professional development days, and lagniappe was plastered on social media. It was the mindset we were meant to embrace as part of our staff identity. But, like several others, I had no idea what it meant or how to pronounce it. Many of us wore lagniappe on our school badges because it was a fun phrase, but we had no clue about what we were trying to embody.  

I have since learned that lagniappe, pronounced lawn-yop, is a Cajun-French word meaning a little extra on purpose. This beautiful sentiment was completely lost on me while working in the district.

Identify Jargon  

Although an atypical phrase in most of the K12 space, lagniappe is not unlike other education jargon. Too often, we use buzzwords and professional-speak to describe school improvement work without pausing to understand what those words mean in practice. 

Moreover, school improvement can be overburdened by negativity just by the words chosen to describe the process and outcomes. Words like “compliance” and “mandate” can muddy the purpose of the work, leading to confusion rather than innovation. 

How can teams overcome this confusion?

Start by naming and defining the words that impede collaboration. 

Build a Glossary of Shared Language 

Through discussion, invite team members to share words and phrases that reinforce compliance and accountability mindsets for them. Maybe it’s something as unique as lagniappe or as common as fidelity. Whatever the case may be, use your list to gain insight into how shared language shapes shared work. 

As your team identifies terms, note why these words may not align with innovation and what words could be used instead. Use these prompts to guide your thinking:

• What mindset might this word or phrase evoke? 

• How might that work against the innovation mindset we want to create across our team?

• What’s the word or phrase that would evoke an innovation mindset that could be used in place of the original? 

Commit to Shifts 

As you assess your shared language, be intentional in your follow-through and commit to reframing your shared words. Use these three prompts to help implement your new glossary and sustain these new shifts:

• What are some upcoming opportunities to practice these shifts in language? 

• What will you and your team do to reinforce the use of words that support your innovation mindset?
• Determine a time to revisit the glossary you’ve created.

Download our tool, Reframing The Language of Improvement, for a complete facilitation guide and glossary template.