Educators have educator friends. Its a fact. Something in our genes compels this group of people to find each other to talk about education, kids, and ways to improve this system that is all consuming. If there was a nuclear armageddon, I’m pretty sure that our mutated genes would form little groups, but I digress. This post is not about teacher-friends, long text threads in group chats, sharing teacher angst- filled Instagram posts and memes reminding us just to “hang in there” because what we do on the daily matters.
That is my focus today. What matters.
It seems obvious that the answer to the question “What matters most to teachers?” is simply, the kids. They are kids, after all. I have to remind myself that my classes were playing with American Girl Dolls and Beyblades not all that long ago. They get excited over snack, stickers, and stamps praising their work. They are closer to Disney than the world of work, giving them time to grow and develop a sense of self before being thrust into the “real world” what we tell them is looming in the distance.
Where am I going with all this? I am going where groups of teachers often go – what is the student journey? The frustrations that accompany the journey are real, deeply embedded, and often miss the mark for a large percentage of children. I could step back and complain about behavior, lack of community and parental support, the industrial, factory-like nature of buildings, the public view of all that is wrong with education, so obviously no one is trying….yadda, yadda.
Nope- not going there. Instead, I am choosing to focus on pathways forward. How can you work in an industrial, regimented, and lock-step system, that seemingly devalues students abilities, to create student-centered opportunities and mindsets within your children? We are so far beyond the Satan Deluder Act of 1647, people! Yet, we maintain some of the same ideas, which keep us from progressing!
There are incredible educational programs that exist for small, fortunate groups of kids. My focus is on ways to bring those elements into larger systems. These systems are well established, regimented, and change little from year to year. A group writes curriculum, which is then pushed out into classrooms. Once established, little reflection is given as to the effectiveness, methods, and end goal for students. They are often single topic in nature, ignoring interdisciplinary connections, deeper learning, and focus on depth versus breadth of information.
So, what to do when faced with a desire for change? As Mr. Rogers would say “I hope you’re proud of yourself for the times you’ve said “yes,” when all it meant was extra work for you and was seemingly helpful only to someone else.” I have discovered that good things happen when I say “yes.” So, this one is a no brainer.
Come along! Join me as I attempt to make change for kids without disrupting the status quo.
Next up- laying the groundwork for change….
Mr. H's Not So Secret Classroom 