The In-School Traveling Office: How an Arizona Principal Brings his Desk Right to the Students

“When you look at what kids want, they want relationships and we’re providing something they come to school for.” He never misses a moment to notice and recognize a student and is convinced that positive relationships change behavior. On those days that he’s out and about, he gets fewer disciplinary referrals.

Matt Owsley knows a thing or two about how students behave. That’s because this Scottsdale, Arizona, principal has experienced a thing or two as he pushes his rolling desk around the Black Mountain Elementary School campus.

“I kept hearing about these ideas—to be present—and what it does culturally for your campus and how it helps behavior,” Matt said. But a desk (and stool) on wheels, complete with his nameplate? Claiming temporary office space in the cafeteria, on the playground or in a dance class? “Why not?” thought Matt. Why not try something new, fun and unexpected to be visible and present with the students?

Matt brought “visibility” of the principal to a whole new dimension! You might find him working at his desk on the field during a game. Or seated under an overhang along the school’s paved path. Or on the lawn, listening to a group of smiling children gathered around his desk. Or on the playground near the swings, with a desk phone to his ear (unplugged of course) while pretending to talk.

Relating to students in a positive way, most often with smiles and high-fives, is paramount for Matt – it embodies his leadership style. With his worldview and personality, “positive” does not lose its definition in translation. It means building and maintaining relationships with students as the conduit for improving behavior and grades, even if it means acting goofy at times. (Did we mention his participation in snowball fights, dressing up as an elf or a leprechaun?)

However, simply bringing his positivity to the hallways and classrooms wasn’t enough for Matt. Students were used to seeing him around campus, so it started to demand more effort to grasp their attention. Enter the traveling desk. Matt’s iconic rolling desk addressed two big concerns. One, he wanted to capture the imaginations of the students. 

Two, he needed a solution for his dismal work-life boundaries. Before the traveling desk, Matt had been taking his “office” home, via the desk work and emails on his phone. He fell into the habit of spending nights and weekends checking emails “just in case” he was needed. It consumed his life.

By removing emails from his phone and keeping them only on a laptop computer that he uses during the day, he started to achieve the balance he was desperate for. Work was completed during the day, at his desk in the field. “I thought if I can make it really like my desk it would catch the eye of the kids’ and be functional for me,” Matt explained.

Staff from his facilities department welded the desk and wheels to ensure that it would hold up on the hilly campus terrain. On the January day that he (literally) rolled out his new office on a sidewalk, students and teachers smiled, laughed and took pictures, but soon they recognized that this was not just a one-day stunt.

Although he still conducts classroom visits and observations, his understanding of school and student needs deepens by being outside and available, in the moment. “While sitting at the desk in the cafeteria the kids came up to me and were so confused and curious, they kept asking, ‘What’s he doing right now? What’s going on? Why is your desk here?’” His usual reply to these curious students opened the door for conversations – “Why are you in my office?”

Kids with discipline issues rarely act up in class, he said. The bully, the loner, the leader and the followers reveal themselves on the playground, while coming out of the cafeteria or in the halls outside classrooms. With just over 500 students in grades K-6, Matt has a chance to know them all.

“When you look at what kids want, they want relationships and we’re providing something they come to school for.” He never misses a moment to notice and recognize a student and is convinced that positive relationships change behavior. On those days that he’s out and about, he gets fewer disciplinary referrals.

Matt maintains a second, stationary room with a door that closes for meetings, conferences and one-on-one conversations to communicate with parents, community members and students, who may require additional attention. From his experience as a teacher and now his years as principal, he’s experienced a carryover of his “positivity” approach into the classrooms.

As for the reactions from his staff, they vary. Some might have thoughts they choose not to share, while others are used to and even enjoy his antics. His advice for someone who wants to try a bolder method like this, “Just go for it!” He admits that although he bought into The Breakthrough Coach methods after attending his first workshop in 2013, and again after a second round of coaching, his addiction to habits such as controlling emails and keeping a less-than-pristine office required multiple sessions to instill real change. One message from his Breakthrough Coach training resonated loud and clear: Maximizing the limited time one has during the day.

“Unfortunately, we are too willing to take our lives and split the difference between work and home. I did it for 20 years, beginning with grading papers as a teacher late at night and on weekends, and now trying to run a school from anywhere on the planet. We don’t stop to be present in the places where we should be,” Matt admits. 

Luckily for Matt, his quirky and ingenious invention, working can remain on campus with firm work boundaries in place. “I can now refocus my time wherever I am, to focus on the people who are with me, and know I will be productive wherever I am.”

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