Recently I've read many posts with multiple complaints and a yearning for the way it used to be in schools. I wonder if these posts are hindering our efforts to move forward with strength and mission.
For many, schools of old were wonderful, but for others, schools of old were not so wonderful. The truth is that as the world moves forward there is no going back. What we can do though is retain the best of the past with conviction, and embrace the best of the new with open minds.
There's a feeling that private industry and government is stampeding public schools. I agree that private industry has discovered multiple potential markets when it comes to education, and they are moving towards those markets with strength. I also agree that many in public service do not live up to the commitment they have to our nation's children with regard to the potential schools hold for better lives, communities, nation, and world. Yes, there are frightening issues to consider, and it is imperative that educators speak up.
I wonder, however, about the best ways to speak up. How can educators stand up for change with effect? How can educators work together to promote positive change?
I offer the following ideas. First, we have to do the best possible job each and every day putting students at the center of all that we do. We should teach each day with the thought in our mind that we want the school experience to be so positive for students, that they won't be able to imagine a world without educators and a positive, educational system.
Next, we have to make the connection for all citizens between a positive education and a safe, peaceful, prosperous world. An educated populous has the potential to move life forward in positive ways. An ignorant populous has the potential to destroy the world we live in. Generations past supported our education, and it is the responsibility of generations present to support the education of today's children with strength, imagination, and care.
After that, we have to streamline all systems so that the most important information is apparent to all, and that our leaders know what's right and what matters when it comes to teaching children well. We'll save money and time by streamlining systems.
Then, we have to replace "either/or" think and speak with "continuum discussion." It's not a matter of "to test" or "not to test." Instead, it's a matter of "to test right." It's not a matter of private vs. public when it comes to tools, instead it's a matter of using public money carefully and strategically to support the best tools from organizations that care more about children than profit. It's not "public charter" vs. "traditional public," instead it's finding the best possible education systems for every child. "Either/or" think and speak serves to stymy and polarize rather than to move us forward in advantageous ways.
Finally, we have to support our most disadvantaged children. In many cases, their education is subpar and unacceptable. All schools in our country deserve adequate facilities, nature spaces, child-friendly efforts/curriculum, positive student-teacher ratios, qualified educators, technology, and adequate supplies. Our schools should hold a place of honor and support in our communities, and it is the public obligation to support those schools. It is also the responsibility of schools to meet that support with structures that serve children well.
It's time in America that our education conversation become solution focused. That's not to say that the sad, horrible stories of schools/programs-gone-wrong can't be shared. Those stories should be shared, but they should be shared with a solution in mind.
This post comes from many a dinner conversation as a youth when my dad would say, "I don't want to hear the problem unless you're ready to be part of the solution." Let's work together as educators and as a nation to move towards child-centered solutions when it comes to schools, and then take the time to share those solutions. So many positive solutions are already in place, and in my opinion, many schools are stronger today than they were when I was young.
