Child Advocate.
This blog is dedicated to the students, they are the reason I fell in love with teaching.My goal for this blog is to act as a spring board for ideas, thoughts, growth. I hope that it will help me grow as a teacher as I complete my masters degree in curriculum and instruction, so that I can give my students what they deserve and society what it needs- the very best. A quote from John Medina's Brain Rules for Baby is a great description of why I have decided to continue my education. It reads,
"If you wanted to create an educational environment that was directly opposed to what the brain was good at doing, you probably would design something like a classroom. If you wanted to create a business environment that was directly opposed to what the brain was good at, you would design something like a cubicle. And if you wanted to change things, you might have to tear down both and start over."
This may sound a little harsh at first, but it is the truth. Education isn't serving its purpose anymore; it is time to revolutionize. There is nothing wrong with that. What is wrong, is continuing to do the same things for years and years, without working for improvement and taking into consideration the societal changes that our students need to be prepared for. Times have changed, and educators need to keep up. I have seen first hand some of the issues with education today, and I have some great ideas on where it needs to go, I'm just not sure where to start. So, for those of you who know me, you will not be surprised to hear, that I decided to buy another book :) This one is titled, Rigorous Curriculum Design, by Larry Ainsworth. This is where my journey will start, and I hope that you will join me. Education is nothing without teamwork, so please, share your experiences, tell me your opinions, post your questions, and invite your friends!
That's a great quote, and it is absolutely true. What is puzzling to me is that experts know it, our school leaders know it, and even teachers who don't know it certainly can sense that it is true. So why aren't things changing? It's incredibly frustrating to me, as a technology staff developer, to continue hearing excuse after excuse. Our kids deserve the best, and if their teachers aren't willing to learn what's necessary to give them the best, it's time they move on to a job that doesn't risk our children's futures.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post Andy! I appreciate your support, it is nice to see there are others who see the world of education like I do!
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I can think of that things aren’t changing is because there isn’t enough heart in education. There are teachers, there are administrators, and there are experts, but they don’t have their hearts in it. It is a sad truth, but I think that is whats going on. It could also be that they are afraid to take a leap, or they are just plain lazy. Which is why I think each district needs to have someone who will get the ball rolling, someone to inspire, support, lead, take that leap and push the others. No more tippy toeing around, its time to get serious. Although I do feel that teachers need to take responsibility, I think those in leadership positions within the district need to step up as well. They are in charge of weeding out those that don’t take hold of change. They need to set expectations, and if someone doesn’t put forth effort, they need to be gone. It needs to be taken as a more serious issue. Like you said, it is our children’s future we’re talking about.
I know it doesn’t have an immediate effect, but I have dedicated my career and future to seeing that this changes. My master’s will be focused around education reform. I plan to push forth, inspire, and eventually be part of the change we so desperately need. Thank you again for your support, please encourage your colleagues to check out my blog. It is in the very beginning stages, but I have big plans for it. The more people we get involved, the better chance of change there is!