Time and time again, when I scroll through school districts’ social media pages, the most engaging content comes from inside real-life classrooms!

Why? Because families and community members love seeing what learning looks like. You’re building organic support and buy-in with every behind-the-scenes classroom photo you share. Peeling back the curtain and showing those moments of wonder – that’s what learning is all about. 

But let’s be honest… these can often be the most challenging pictures to capture. You’re only one person, after all! Let’s say you’re a one-person communications department with multiple school buildings in the district, each with dozens of classrooms. How can you possibly get photos from all of them on a regular basis?!

The answer is simple: You can’t. You need support from the teachers and aides who are in those classrooms, day in and day out. Of course, if you’re a pretty decent photographer, the photos you grab will likely be of better quality. But let’s embrace your reality and empower others to take photos of moments as they happen. 

And the best way to do that is with some simple training!

I shared this very short video with all 80+ of our full management schools at the beginning of the school year. And let me tell you, this 72-second clip has made a world of difference! The caliber of photos my account managers have received, this school year, has been better than ever. 

To experience these same results, all you have to do is send this video to your colleagues. I’ll even give you a real-life, gently worded script that I used with one of our management districts: 

Hi Ms. Fanetti,

Thank you so much for these photos—what a fun learning activity!

I know you’re busy and don’t always have time to take photos, but I wanted to share a quick tip for capturing great classroom moments. This very short video demonstrates the difference it makes when you get down on the students’ level while taking photos: Watch Now.

Hope this helps, and thanks again for sharing these great moments!

Andrea

You guys, the before-and-after results are incredible! See for yourself: 

Before:

After:

But wait: Did your school recently go cell-phone free? Here are some easy workarounds that you could try! 

Now get inspired by these additional classroom photo examples that were submitted by real-life, non-professional-photographer teachers and aides:

New Auburn School District, WI:

School District of Altoona, WI:

Marathon School District, WI:

Oregon School District, WI:

Shawano Schools, WI:

To reinforce the video’s message, you can also include this PDF version of the classroom photo tips. 

How to Get Better Photos Submitted from Classrooms

Today’s advice has been pretty straightforward. I’m giving you just ONE action item!

Simply share this video with your colleagues and watch the photo quality rise. I can’t wait to see the results you generate!