This weekend I was lucky enough to have lunch with a group of supportive, like-minded educators and friends who helped recharge my passion about making school different. It's gotten a bit lost this year at work amid administrative changes, a new teaching load, and the general business of getting my job done day-to-day. Not only did the hours I spent with this tribe reinvigorate me, but it also helped me crystallize my mission:
Simply, what do I want school to be like for my daughters?
Do I want them sitting at their desks doing work other people deem important? Do I want them learning content that is readily available to them all the time? Do I want them doing work that does not exist outside of school?
No, no, and no. That's it.
A school revolution can happen if educators and policy makers think like PARENTS OF TODAY'S CHILDREN, parents who understand that the world is different now and that it will continue to change.
There's nothing more powerful than an angry parent demanding more, demanding better for his or her child. It's time to demand the right thing.
That is what I'm going to say from now on when anyone says they don't have a vision for education: What do/would you want for your kids?
ReplyDeleteSo simple. Thanks for crystalizing that for me.