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I may not be able to continue grad school until school returns to normal (and I’m in no rush for that to happen until it is safe), but in the meantime, I thought I’d share a thread of my educational views and my hopes to turn the field on its head following completion of my Ed.D.
In the last 25-30 years, American education lost its way. Priorities became skewed. Ratings (and the residual perks of funding and/or new residents) took precedence over our teachers, and more importantly, our students.
In an age where more information is readily available and easily accessible than ever before, education is still largely presented as though that information must be drilled into the brains of its students.
We waste time on things that are ultimately unimportant while maintaining blind spots to things that largely matter. Technological fluency is dependent on the affluence of the school and community (furthering economic and racial gaps).
Schools have rigid behavioral expectations but operate under the impression that students not only know the definitions of these behaviors but also the applications. Such an assumption is both dangerous and inequitable.
Schools need to first educate students on the meanings of prosocial and antisocial behaviors, provide real life and real time modeling of targeted traits and behaviors, and offer practice in them. It is unfair to discipline a student for what they do not know.
Put simply, we insufficiently prepare our students to be people. There needs to be an increased emphasis on the whole student, on building traits such as empathy and compassion, on handling rejection and grief. Education is the seed of growth.
In turn, there needs to be an increased emphasis on what I call “practical” or “functional” education. Filing taxes, completing job applications, working consistently in team settings (where all members are held accountable), exposure to field-specific technology. They need this.
As I said in a tweet earlier today, we need to cut back on homework or eliminate it entirely. The job of a young person is to grow and learn, not only as a student but as a person. We need to stop instilling anxiety in them and provide clearer paths to self-discovery.
I don’t know how I’m going to make this all happen, but I can guarantee you I won’t stop trying. Our kids deserve better than what they’ve received.
