On the future of education

    

    Very few educators inspire me as much as Ann Pelo and Margie Carter.  Their book From Teaching to Thinking: A Pedagogy for Reimagining Our Work (2018) is an absolute gem in my library and I feel sparks of joy every time I start reading it.  Their belief in empowering teachers to trust their ability to know and learn alongside children and their constant focus on teaching humans rather than creating citizens for the job market resonates deeply with my own beliefs.  I read it very slowly and very carefully, highlighting as I go along and taking notes to make sure I remember all the "ah! ah! moments" along the way.  Their experience and stories make my heart sing... and then I put the book down, think about the educational context I'm in, and feel my heart sadden because I feel that more and more the educational leaders I work with are imagining a completely different world.  One that is more like what Ann describes on page 25: 

"A reality that has come to dominate our field, in which curriculum is created to be "teacher-proof" because teachers are seen as the weak link between learning goals and measurable achievement on assessment.  A reality in which professional development is focused on health and safety mandates, compliance issues, and accountability to state rating systems.  A reality in which children's days are overrun with activities that orient them towards learning outcomes on which they'll be evaluated in the name of "quality". "

I recently joined a series of online conversations about the future of education through an App called Clubhouse.  An audio-only platform that enables you to connect with people around the world.  It's a wonderful way to get exposed to a multitude of perspectives and contexts and, through these conversations, I soon realized that there is a multitude of voices that want to be heard on the topic of education.  Some feel the current system is totally broken and needs to be completely reinvented, others like Pelo and Carter feel that we need more humanity and less testing and statistics.  Some think online is the way to go, others feel a hybrid system is best, and some argue that we need to have more private educational options because public education moves so slowly that it won't be able to provide our children with what they need in time. It is so complex and there are so many layers that it is challenging to hold everything in one space and consider all the different perspectives and solutions that exist both at the macro and micro level.  And yet... I continue to believe that it is absolutely necessary for us to keep working on it, to keep talking, and explore solutions.

As we entered the pendamic, I decided to take a year off full-time teaching and take some time to reflect on what I wanted to do next.  I'm fortunate that life has supported me and my family in providing me this time to reflect on my practice and where I want to direct my energy in the future. I read and thought for many months on what my educational philosophy and what I hope to impart to my students during their time with me. In an attempt to summarize my thoughts, I have started a list of elements or concepts I feel are vital to any children's educational experience.  Anne's seven elements: Inquiry, Play, Nature, Technology, Diversity & Inclusion, Relationships, and most importantly Wellbeing.  I invite you to read about it in detail HERE.  

I hope you will share your thinking and insight by commenting below because your insight matters and my thinking is no good if it doesn't meet the thinking of others. I'm curious to find out what your thoughts are on the future of education or on anything I've mentioned in this post.  Maybe you'll even share your own list of things you feel we should change, reflect on, be curious about. 

Happy wondering!

Anne