What's wrong with me, a school principal, listening to students' suggestions?

The area outside the principal's office was much busier than usual today.

Five or six parents were sitting on the bench, each holding either their child's report card or their mobile phone.

Nine times out of ten, the phone screen is still showing graduation photos and videos of the school uniforms from No. 13 Middle School.

Old Ma was busy serving customers with disposable paper cups, sweat beading on his forehead.

He never imagined in his life that one day there would be a "queue for consultation" outside the principal's office of No. 13 Middle School.

The last time so many people came was the last time.

"Principal Lin is here!"

Someone shouted something, and several parents stood up at the same time.

His eyes were filled with such fervor.

"Hello Principal Lin, my child is in the third year of junior high school this year. His grades are average, not outstanding."

"We'd like to ask if No. 13 Middle School is still accepting regular students this year?"

As soon as Lin Yucai approached, someone spoke up.

"Principal Lin, we heard about this from the Experimental Middle School. Our child is very interested in your school's extracurricular classes."

"My daughter saw your graduation photo video and came home begging to come and study here."

A barrage of questions came at Lin Yucai, who found them all amusing.

Not long ago, No. 13 Middle School was still worried about enrollment.

Now look what's happened, parents are blocking the door asking if they can come.

That was so awesome!

He first invited the people into the office and gestured for everyone to sit down.

Su Qingyan also sat down next to her, picked up her notebook, and began to jot down key information.

"Everyone, please be patient and take turns."

"First, tell us, why did you decide to come to No. 13 Middle School?"

Lin Yucai didn't start by praising the school; instead, he first asked the parents what they cared about most.

When this question was raised, the parents spoke even more seriously.

"My child isn't the type who can really push himself to study. I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to handle going to a school where it's all about relentless studying."

"Yes, my son is the same way; he just can't sit still."

"But I see that your school now has extracurricular classes, an e-sports arena, and strict management. It doesn't seem like a place where you just let the sheep roam freely."

"My daughter loves photography and writing. After watching the video of No. 13 Middle School, she felt that the atmosphere here was quite suitable for her."

"What are the admission requirements?"

Another parent put it even more bluntly.

"To be honest, we also want to go to a top-tier high school, but our grades aren't good enough."

"We would never have considered No. 13 Middle School before, but now that we see it, at least the school is really taking care of the students and really values ​​the children."

Su Qingyan heard these words very clearly.

When she looked down to write, the tip of her pen paused for a moment.

This kind of evaluation is more touching than simply praising the school environment.

This shows that the image of No. 13 Middle School is truly turning around little by little.

Lin Yucai didn't make any absolute statements.

He explained the school's current situation, faculty, schedule, management rules, and the requirements for extracurricular classes and e-sports venues very clearly.

One point was particularly emphasized.

"No. 13 Middle School is no longer a place where you can just come and give up."

"We can offer more choices, but that doesn't mean we should abandon discipline."

"If you want to come, you have to accept the rules here."

After hearing this, the parents felt even more at ease.

What they fear most is that the school only has gimmicks and no bottom line.

Now, listening to them, what attracts them most about the thirteenth one is precisely "giving space, but not indulging".

The consultations continued until noon.

When the last group of parents left, Lao Ma stood at the door, still feeling a little dizzy.

"Principal Lin."

"Um?"

"I just counted, and this morning alone, eleven families have come to inquire about school admissions and transfers."

"Only eleven stores? Look how excited you are."

"This is No. 13 Middle School!"

Old Ma lowered his voice, his expression a mixture of excitement and complexity.

"In the past, it was considered good if even one family would come to visit during the National Day holiday."

"Now people are actually coming to our door, and they even bring their children's report cards."

Lin Yucai patted him on the shoulder.

"Old Ma, broaden your perspective. There will only be more scenes like this in the future."

Old Ma nodded repeatedly, but then suddenly remembered something, and his expression softened.

"However... there's something I need to remind you of."

"explain."

"This enthusiasm is a good thing, but the more it's there, the less likely they are to just watch us successfully recruit students."

Old Ma frowned and pointed upwards.

"Especially since Liu Jianguo had been keeping an eye on our school, seeing parents coming to our door will only make him more anxious."

"I know." Lin Yucai's smile faded slightly.

The kind of person Liu Jianguo fears most is a school coming back to life.

Because once the school comes back to life, all his shady plans will be ruined.

And student recruitment is precisely where he can most easily start right now.

……

At 2 PM, the Admissions Office of the Education Bureau.

Liu Jianguo sat in the conference room, with a draft of the city's high school enrollment plan after this year's middle school entrance examination laid out in front of him.

Zhao Hongliang and Zhao Yuanming, the head of the admissions department, sat on either side.

Zhao Yuanming was in his forties, with a round face. He usually looked amiable, but he was clearly tense at the moment.

Because he knew that this meeting was not conducted in a normal manner.

"The planned enrollment for No. 13 Middle School is tentatively set at 300 students, based on previous years' standards."

Zhao Yuanming flipped through the materials, carefully choosing his words.

"However, given the current level of public opinion and social attention, it may be better than in previous years."

"A little better?" Liu Jianguo looked up at him. "That's official jargon."

Zhao Yuanming smiled.

"Director, what do you mean?"

"This means that No. 13 Middle School may take advantage of the recent popularity to attract a wave of parents this year."

Liu Jianguo tapped the table with his finger.

"If left unchecked, they might not be able to recruit enough people to reach 300; they might even need more than 300."

Zhao Hongliang chimed in from the side.

"The director means that we need to consider the guidelines for student placement and application in advance."

Zhao Yuanming's heart sank.

coming.

Having worked in the admissions department for so many years, he could tell from these words that it wasn't just a simple discussion about the planned number of students.

The so-called "guiding approach" simply means influencing how parents fill out their applications through publicity, policy explanations, and suggestions on the order of application choices.

This thing is well-concealed and has great destructive power.

For example, during admissions information sessions, some schools may intentionally downplay the stability of their admissions process.

For example, temporarily adjust some of the diversion criteria to prioritize guiding some marginal students to other schools.

These things, on the surface, don't seem to have any major flaws.

But a series of combined punches would be enough to make a fledgling school suffer.

"Director, No. 13 Middle School is quite a hot topic right now," Zhao Yuanming said cautiously. "If we make it too obvious, what will happen with the parents..."

"Who told you to make it so obvious?"

Liu Jianguo looked at him, his voice suffocatingly low.

"What we're doing is risk warnings, policy interpretations, and reasonable guidance; we're not suppressing anyone, understand?"

"I understand." Zhao Yuanming's throat bobbed.

"In addition, the school uniform review process will be temporarily suspended; we will neither approve nor block it proactively."

"Let it hang there, so that if people outside ask, we'll have something to say."

"If a problem really arises, we can step in at any time."

"clear."