Why Leave The Village?
I Thought It Takes a Village.

We're often asked, "Why Leaving The Village?" Many say they've always heard that "it takes a village." While it takes a village, Leaving The Village represents a different aspect of community: growth through embracing change and new ideas.

The concept of Leaving The Village was inspired by watching a film by M. Night Shyamalan, The Village. In the movie, an isolated community lives in a forest, seemingly during a period similar to the Dark Ages. They exist in fear of what lies beyond the Village, clinging tightly to the world they understand, even when it no longer serves them. What struck me was how the Village's elders believed they were protecting their people, yet they were holding them back out of fear of the unknown. When some villagers decide to leave their Village to find a cure for an ill villager, they discover a world remarkably different from their own. But instead of embracing what they saw, fear overcomes them, and they return to the comfort of the world they know. It reminded me of something happening in education. We create "villages" in our school systems that feel familiar and safe, but are often outdated. We follow the same practices, especially regarding discipline, because they are what we know, even if proven ineffective. 


The movie helped us realize something simple but powerful: growth doesn't happen if you never "leave your village". The "village" represents safety and familiarity but can trap us in old habits, outdated systems, and unchallenged generational mindsets. If we want today's students to thrive, we must be open to moving beyond tradition and embracing new ideas.

Leaving the Village is about helping educators change their mindset to enable them to overcome their fear of change and embrace innovation. If you're at the point where you feel that what you're doing in your school isn't working, but no one wants to change it because "we've always done it this way," it's time for you to "leave the village". Doing so allows you to grow, disrupt the status quo, and lead the changes that will benefit your school community.