Principal on Wheels
Principal and social media sensation Jared Lamb ’03 has an unusual office
Jared Lamb ’03 has carved out a unique section of the internet. The principal of BASIS Baton Rouge–Materra, a K-10 charter school, Lamb found himself going unexpectedly viral, thanks, in part, to his unusual office—a rolling cart he wheels around as he goes about his day.
“The cart started, really, out of necessity,” Lamb explains. “The school didn’t have a conference room, so I said, ‘You know what, why don’t we convert the principal’s office?’ We had an extra AV cart, so I just made that my mobile office.”
He quickly found benefits beyond saving space.
“I never really got to my office much anyway,” the principal says. “The cart gave me lots of opportunities to take the pulse of what was happening on campus at any time.”
Lamb, a former math and science teacher who has worked as a principal for 15 years, says he prioritizes “educator customer service”—supporting his teachers so they can support the students. Being mobile allows him to connect daily with teachers and students, help out when behavior situations arise, make copies or fetch supplies and even stand in for a teacher in need of a bathroom break.
He noticed a difference in how students interact with him as well.
“I think there’s a stronger trust. I have more touch points with students now. I’m asking them about their day. I’m constantly getting high-fives. I’m giving fist bumps as they enter and leave the classroom.”
While the cart may have made him popular on campus, it was TikTok that made him internet famous.
“I’d read an article about another Louisiana principal who was using the TikTok platform to showcase what was happening on campus in an effort to recruit teachers,” Lamb remembers. “I thought, ‘Well, that’s a great idea.’”
The Saturday after the 2022-2023 school year ended (he does all his social media work outside of school hours), Lamb headed to campus to film his first TikTok video, which he captioned: “I spent the entire school year without an office. And here’s why it was the best decision.”
“I didn’t even know how to use the TikTok platform,” Lamb admits. “I couldn’t figure out how to watch the video until after I posted it. Then I remember texting my wife to tell her, ‘Honey, there are already 15 people who watched my video!’”
Call it beginner’s luck, but 15 quickly turned into 1.7 million.
“For whatever reason, it clicked with the algorithms and took off overnight. I woke up in the morning and just had all these updates. I was not expecting so many messages or commentary, never mind how big it got. It was shocking.”
Lamb harnessed that initial success and quickly produced more videos about school routines, summertime prep, teacher professional development and, of course, more about his trusty cart. The viral videos even caught the attention of the Today show, which covered the story in September.
Principal_lamb now boasts more than 104,000 TikTok followers, and his top video (yes, also about the cart) has more than 2.4 million views. But what Lamb is most proud of is how the social media engagement has sparked conversation among his peers and colleagues in education.
“There’s so much negativity out there in the education landscape right now. I’m sharing the things we’re doing and then seeing other educators do the same, looking at their data and getting their feedback. I think that’s great—getting positive stuff out there. That’s encouraged me to keep doing it,” he says.
“It is so important to highlight the amazing work that our educators are doing. I really don’t believe that education facilities are broken systems. Yes, there are things we can improve on and make stronger. But we have so many educators who show up every day and work for students. That’s worth celebrating. The cart and social media allow me to bring that positivity out.”