Here’s a question that has been asked for generations, “What is wrong with the youth of today?” Another question, popular in education, but not as prevalent outside the circle is “What is wrong with our education system today?” The answers to both of these questions may be inextricably tied.
The answer isn’t a Wake County thing, nor a North Carolina thing, we are actually doing fairly well, especially in CTE. It isn’t even a national thing. We are looking for answers in the wrong direction. The answers might be found at the deepest point of origin, at the touch points; the answer lies in the instructor, in the classroom, in the school buildings themselves. Those of us at Apex Friendship High School were greeted with a breathe of fresh air our first day two and half years ago when principal Matt Wight had on the screen a Cecil Beaton quote, “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” He went on to ask all of us the question, “what do we want to be known for?” One of his challenges was to be known for the “growth mindset.” Additionally, Matt brought the community together to view Tony Wagner’s film, “Most Likely to Succeed.” I took all of this to mean, go be innovative, help our student’s stretch and to challenge them to think. There are those teachers that truly make learning fun by engaging with and motivating the students through innovative curriculum delivery. And then there are those that are fun because they spend class time on tangents and are not “on topic”. And then there are those that are, seemingly, no fun at all. Interestingly enough, many, if not most of us seem to “meet the grade” as measured by “test scores”. But really, is that why we became teachers, so we could develop proficient test-takers? Or, do we wish to help grow outstanding thinkers, doers, innovators? I want the focus to be on the latter; I want the focus to be on fun - learning in an engaging, motivating environment. My vision is for all students to look forward to going school and learning. My vision is for classrooms of all ages to focus on fostering creative confidence and developing self-directed, reflective, lifelong learners." Focus on making learning fun, not test scores. Leave a Reply. |
Author: Dan Jackson
Experienced Reflective Learner and Strategic Thinker with an ongoing track record of of innovative, adaptive leadership in education and business management. Archives
December 2019
Categories |