Beauty, Light, and Hope
Bill Strickland, founder of the Bidwell Training Center and the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild in Pittsburgh, teaches a powerful idea about education: the environment where children learn shapes how they think, behave, and imagine. He believes that beauty and light are not luxuries. They are necessities for learning, especially in poor communities.
Imagine walking into two different schools. In the first school, the hallways are dark. Paint is peeling from the walls. The lights are dim, and the rooms feel crowded and cold. Students may begin to feel unimportant without anyone saying a word. Over time, a place like this can quietly send the message that little is expected from them.
Now imagine another school filled with sunlight, clean walls painted in warm colors, art displayed proudly, and organized classrooms. The library is bright, peaceful, and welcoming. Students walk into a space that says, “You matter. Your future matters.” According to Strickland, environments like this help young people see themselves as capable and valuable.
Strickland often says that beautiful environments create beautiful behavior, while prison-like environments can make children feel trapped. Children are not problems to be managed; they are assets born with talent, curiosity, and potential. When we place them in dark or neglected spaces, we limit how they see themselves. When we surround them with beauty, dignity, and order, we help their competence and confidence grow.
Good learning spaces also include healthy food, respectful treatment, and hope for the future. A child who feels safe, nourished, and respected is more ready to learn and cooperate with others.
Some months back, I visited an elementary school in my community and saw conditions that reminded me of the first example rather than the second. My purpose in sharing this is not to criticize or offend, but to inform. Parents, community leaders, and education officials all share responsibility for creating environments that lift children up.
Over ten years ago, I and a group of ethnically diverse men traveled to Pittsburgh to the above cited facility to witness it for ourselves, the impressions remain to this day.
In the middle 1950’s I recall as an elementary student during cleanup week where our parents and neighbors worked to beautify our school building. They and others, along with students, painted, cleaned and beautified Ridgeview School. Parents, neighbors and friends, we can do this, our children deserve it.
If we in Melrose City truly believe children are our greatest asset, then our schools must reflect that belief, with light, beauty, dignity, and hope. This possibility reminds me of a Black man named; John Morton-Finney.
