My journey through education has been filled with contrast. Urban, rural, tiny private, and now? Independent. I can only say one word about independent schools. Home. I’m grateful for the 11 years of experiences, twists, and turns that led me here, because each bit of it helped define what I believe about learning and what I believe about life.
It seems like almost every day now I read blog posts from teachers writing about quitting public education, fleeing the job they waited a whole life for, because education is just not was it could be. From a distance, I see two things happening. I see people shouting about STEAM and Maker education, and hands on, and getting inspired. I see people getting excited, energized, and READY for a revolution in learning. But I also see something else. I see the Common Core belt tightening. I see schools where teachers haven’t had the training or support to be teaching inquiry, project based learning, or any of that great stuff that Maker Ed and STEAM will require for success. I see the creativity of teachers being squelched all around the US. Squished. Smashed. Extinguished. To follow a pacing guide.
I see a bus with the wheels about to come off. And I see people fighting HARD to keep the wheels on. People working, struggling, striving. Doing things that would shock people outside the education world. Nobody really knows how hard teachers work. Nobody but people in education. Not the people who make laws for education or write standards or textbooks. They can say they love teachers, they support teachers, they GET the struggle. But, it’s impossible to understand.
The passion is being squeezed out like the water from a sponge. And the weight of the world is squeezing it.
Because there is nobody it matters more to than the people in the classrooms, fighting, hanging on.
After my own journey, the joy of finding a school home, and connecting with some awesome folks via Twitter who helped me out with Edugood for the past couple of years, we’re even more determined. There is SO much GOOD in education. It’s around us. And we’re going to share it. This weekend I’ll share more details about how YOU can get involved. All that’s required? An intention to see the good around you, and share it in some way.
We hope you’ll join us.
Because the good is there.