So Long to the Manufacturing Line

Dan Pink says it best: "There's a disconnect between how we prepare kids for work and how work actually operates: In school, problems almost always are clearly defined, confined to a single discipline, and have one right answer. But in the workplace, they're practically the opposite. Problems are usually poorly defined, multi-disciplinary, and have several possible answers, none of them perfect."

I have been brewing about his interview about his new book Drive and what he calls "motivation 3.0" in a Scholastic Administrators' article recently.  What he talks about seems so simple in the light of today's world and student.  I enjoy his "human" perspective and how he relates the idea to the curious and self-directed play and exploration of a toddler.  He sets forth three main components of creating better outcomes-- self-direction, mastery, and purpose.  To me, this seems like a great road map for getting the most out of our students, and using strategies such as project-based learning and technology tools and resources would definitely aid in the journey.  What is disturbing, that we all know and Dan Pink points out, is that we have a push to implement more creativity and innovation in our classrooms, but at the same time, we are forcing regimentation as students and teachers are tied to standardized testing.

This dichotomy is creating the problem that introduced this post.  We are not properly preparing our students for the world in which they will work.  Very little work now relies on the factory model, but our education system still does.  Advances have been made, small steps along the journey-- but our students are leaving us in the dust, and entering the world unprepared for what awaits them.

Sometimes I have felt that I am I always wanting too much, too soon, too fast? Change is hard and challenging, especially in education-- reform takes time, and with so many educator's jaded by the pendulum swing, many are unwilling to try another way that they perceive as another fad that will eventually fade away.  This is too important to fade, and I wonder who will be left its aftermath-- the teachers or the students?

AP Classes and Creativity

How do educators foster creativity in students? I recently watched a very interesting video of Ken Robinson on the TED website where he challenges our education system to shift dramatically.  What is interesting is that he points out that globally, every education system focuses on the same core content subjects in the same hierarchy.  Maths and languages at the top, trickling down to humanties, and then finally to the arts.  We see this in our individual schools as band and orchestra teachers are being forced to teach study skills classes to supplement their schedule to remain full time.  Our system has shifted to a fierce academic approach, which as Robinson put it quite poignantly, is "a protacted process of university entrance."  He points out that our academic system is over inflated-- with so many people graduating with degrees, degrees do not mean anything anymore, and they are not a guarantee of a job.  The key issue here is that there are many brilliant and intelligent people out there who believe they are not-- because we focus on only a very small set of skills as being valued and desired.  He believes the key to surviving the shift is to rethink our view of intelligence.  We see this beginning in our classrooms, but I think the focus on standardized testing and the push for "academic" success precludes what really needs to be done.

I have seen this in action last night in my own home before.  When my daughter registered for her 11th grade classes, she was recommended by her teachers for four AP classes.  There would have been a time when I would have thought that was the ultimate compliment-- that it meant she was smart and successful, but over the past few years, I have been able to see how we have diluted the meaning of these classes to be something less than they once were, but with a higher status symbol.  It bothered me that her guidance counselor tried to sway her desire to take oceanography instead of AP Biology because he told she is smart. Rather than nurturing and fostering her interests, he sent the message that it was only important to take the AP classes because "she is smart."  That leads me to the question-- do we believe that oceanographers are less smart than biologists?

Here it is in action-- what Robinson points out-- that we need to rethink our view of intelligences and not squelch their creativity. He surmises that creativity is in children from the time they are born, they are not afraid to try and fail, and that we educate that out of them in our strict, black and white, right and wrong system.  As educators, we need to begin to shift our thinking in our classrooms to nurture in our children what they are meant to be-- educate their whole being, as Robinson says.

Here is the video-- definitely worth the 20 minutes!

It's Been A While

Looking back at my last post, I was startled to see that it was dated in 2010! I remember blogging throughout my ISTE Capstone Certification, but I was surprised to see just how much I had documented. What feels very strange is that I have been out of any classroom since spring of 2012 when I began staying home with my then 10 month old. Now she is seven, in second grade, and away from me all day, every day. It feels like it all went by in a very quick blink.

When I made what was a very complicated decision to leave education for full time motherhood, I believed I would never feel the push to return to the classroom. Why would I want to return to the workforce when I had to opportunity to stay home, care for my family, and fill my time with whatever my heart desired? Yet here I am, suddenly craving a real schedule, craving a school building, and most surprisingly craving the language arts middle school classroom.

A fellow colleague put it best when I expressed all of this to her: "I know that feeling... being in a school is this weird sense of team and belonging and family. You don't want to admit it until you miss it. And all of a sudden you want to do crazy hair day!"

I couldn't agree more, and I've been wondering what it is about the teacher life that I've been missing, and I think that sense of belonging and team is a big part of it. I also miss the brain work that comes with being a teacher. I miss synthesizing information, I miss reflecting, I miss being creative and putting together meaningful activities. I miss the students.

I've had this feeling a few times over the past year since my daughter started full day school, but I always talked myself out of the idea. Did I really want to add that stress to my family when we are fortunately comfortable on one income? Did I want to engage in the morning hustle of getting everyone out of the door on time? Did I want to rethink our lives? The answer was always a quick and short "no". But suddenly it doesn't feel so distasteful, so I'm taking the first steps and working towards getting my license current. What happens after that? I'm not sure, but I'm excited at the prospects.