Kids don't need to be ready for school... schools need to be ready for kids

Dan French shared this wonderful tweet that really got me thinking:

School readiness should be about schools being ready for students not students being ready for school. #vted

— Dan French (@danfrench) July 21, 2015

This really got me thinking because we spend so much time telling kids they need to do this or they need to do that so they can be successful in school. We project this mentality that if kids aren't prepared to experience this and aren't able to handle that, they're doomed to fail.

We inadvertently transfer the pressure and accountability onto our kids and all the while, we tend to forget that they are just that... kids living in a rapidly changing world.

We also, somewhat arrogantly, assume we know exactly what is best for kids and know exactly what they need to do to be successful in life.

But, what if it were reversed and schools spent their time ensuring schools were ready for what kids were bringing to the table...?

What if kids started talking to schools about what schools needed to do to be prepared for them...?

What if schools were feeling the pressure from students rather than the other way around?

We know life and the world around us are changing more quickly than ever before. And, it's these kids who come to our schools wanting, needing and DESERVING a system that's ready for them and is able to meet their needs.

And as a new parent and educator, I have no idea what my son Emory will need in 5 years when he starts his formal schooling... but I hope at least someone will ask him and consider what it means to be ready for him.

So, the next time you get together with your colleagues, focus on ensuring your school and/or classroom are ready for kids and not the other way around.

Maybe the conversation will be the same... maybe it will be completely different. :)

Is technology the silver bullet to all of our problems in #education...?

If you know me or follow me on Twitter, you know I am a big advocate of increasing technology in schools. I have said numerous times that we not only need more technology in schools, but also we need more training for educators on how to effectively and appropriately integrate technology into the learning environment. Here is something you probably have not heard me say, technology is not the answer and technology will not solve all of our problems in education...

In my opinion, there are plenty of bright spots in education all across the globe. Is our education system completely broken and in need of replacement, some would say so, but I say no, at least not yet... I think we have a solid foundation in education, albeit with several false premises, but a solid foundation nevertheless.

Think of a house... the foundation is the first part of the construction process. The foundation ultimately ends up supporting and holding everything else together. A weak and damaged foundation will spell certain doom for any structure that relies upon a strong and supporting foundation. In education we have a cracked foundation. We have a few leaks in our foundation, and we are noticing that our foundation is getting close to no longer being able to fully support the weight of the house...

As I previously mentioned, I believe we have a lot of positive in education. At this time, will our education house crumble and completely collapse, absolutely not. I do however think the cracks and leaks we have in our education foundation will continue to grow, and in no certain time this damage may just become irreversible. Irreversible to the point that we will no longer be able to repair the damage, and when taking about a foundation that can't be repaired, we are left with only one option... tear it down and start over.

Though technology is amazing and can do wonders in the classroom (when used properly), we must first tend to our cracking and leaking foundation if we really want to see the added benefits. Throw every piece of technology in the world into every classroom in the world and we will still have a damaged and leaky foundation. It would make no sense to make lots of repairs to a house that is being supported by a cracked and leaking foundation without first making plans to address the damaged foundation itself. Unfortunately, in education I think we are focusing on the house more than the foundation...

I love technology and I love how it can be used, but let's focus more on the instructional side of things. Let's focus more on the teaching side of things. Let's focus more on the student learning side of things. If we continue to use our cracked and leaking foundation to support new initiatives and approaches, we might just be sorely disappointed. Maybe we should consider getting back to the basics and strengthen our core beliefs in regard to student learning before adding more weight to our already damaged foundation...

8 things we know better but do anyway...

1). We continue to point fingers and do the same things over and over and expect different results. If kids continue not doing what we are asking them to do, then maybe we are the ones who need to reconsider what we are asking them to do. If parents just don't understand, then maybe we need to do a better job of working with them and helping them to understand. If it didn't work the first 10 times, then now is a perfect time to try something new.

2). We treat a brand new teacher/administrator the same as we do a 25 year veteran teacher/administrator in terms of their growth and improvement. Here's the deal, if our 25 year veteran folks have the same needs as our brand new folks to the profession/position, then we have a major problem. We talk about personalizing and customizing education for our students, why aren't we doing this for our colleagues?

3). We pull kids out of their elective courses (the courses they most likely enjoy the most therefore giving them a reason to enjoy school) and we put them in even more classes they are struggling with. School quickly becomes something that kids resent and try to avoid simply because we force them to spend all their time dealing with their weaknesses and their deficits. 

http://goo.gl/34lqRC

4). We continue to develop and implement our school schedules based on what's convenient and easiest for the adults. Let's think about this for a second. Accountability and testing seem to be more and more prevalent in our schools, but yet we are making scheduling decisions that aren't in the best interest of our students. Why don't we make scheduling decisions based on what's best for our students (start and stop time and the elimination of bells) and in turn see an improvement in test scores, which then will be what's easiest and best for adults? 

5). We continue to use and structure our learning environments in isolation and in silos with very little transferability and connectedness. Our classrooms have four walls and are packed with uncomfortable desks. Schools are designed with a segmented approach and most information that is presented is not presented with context and connection to other classes, but rather presented in isolation. The gap between the 'real-world' and the 'school-world' couldn't be more apparent, but fortunately, the same advances that are widening this gap also have the ability to shrink the gap.

6). We say we want people to try new things and we say we want our kids to take risks but yet our actions tell a completely different story. Instead of punishing students and educators for taking risks and finding limits to their abilities, we should be encouraging kids and educators to explore, discover, and attempt what has never been done. On a related note, when we reward and recognize simple 'compliance' and 'robot like behavior,' we are sending the same basic message.

7). We know that incentives and 'carrots' only work for a short time and are not long-term solutions to issues in education. Despite us knowing that best case scenario it a short-term boost, we continue to use these incentives and are conditioning students to always ask, 'what's in it for me' and 'what do I get when I'm done?'

8). We know a free-thinking and independent mind is the path to prosperity, but yet we continue to approach education as if it's only for certain folks in certain areas. We need to focus on creating learning opportunities for all... even more so for those folks who wouldn't otherwise have these opportunities. Education should be and needs to be a societal gap minimizer and equalizer, not a reminder of our differences...

10 ways to avoid becoming obsolete...

1). Eliminate the phrase 'that can't be done' from your vocabulary and replace it with 'let's figure out how we can make this work...'

2). Stop thinking that just because it worked for you in the past that it will work now for today's students...

http://goo.gl/kTjolW

3). Don't think that technology integration in schools is just a 'fad' that will go away like many other education initiatives have...

4). Embrace the notion that you, the educator, haven't been and will continue not to be the smartest person in the room...

5). Figure out creative and innovative ways to take learning beyond the confines of the four walls of your classroom...

6). Take full advantage of the many tools and platforms that are available to tap into the wide-world of collaboration and teamwork...

7). Stop believing that an educator-centered classroom that focuses on the educator more than the students is the most productive and effective learning environment...

8). Find ways to make learning relevant, purposeful, and meaningful for your students by focusing on real problems that are affecting real people...

9). Don't avoid trying new things and don't run the other way when someone mentions the word 'change...'

10). Lastly, don't be afraid to stand out; don't be afraid of being the first, and don't be afraid of standing up when everyone else sits down...