This video is learning. Pure, simple, wonder. You can see it on her little face. The light in her eyes. The excitement that isn’t just a look on her face, but that moves her. All of her. Remember the last time you had that kind of learning experience? I hope so. Because we need that kind of wonder in our schools. Not just from the kids, but from us.
Last time I felt that was the day before Spring Break, watching a kindergartener describe “energy” in the Squishy Circuit dough. I’m pretty sure my face looked just like that little girls, and I may have shrieked, too. It’s not that I refuse to grow up, it’s just that I refuse to stop wondering.
There is only one thing that can save our schools. It won’t be an expensive program. It won’t be Common Core. It certainly won’t be some expert coming in from another state to “teach us how to test.” It won’t even be selling or downloading standardized teacher-created things on websites. It won’t even be a law, a device, or wifi. Standardization will never work because kids are not standard. We need one thing.
That one thing? It’s us. Every. single. one of us. We need to start with a conversation and change things one day a time. We need to get creative and change what we can. Even in the face of what seems an insurmountable scale of testing, standards, requirements, and evaluations.
We need to get back to the raw creativity that is cardboard. Tape. Rulers. Scissors. Writing our reflections in a thinking journal. Collaborating on designs. Empowering kids to change the world, not change answers. The Maker Movement holds this promise, but the responsibility lies with us.
We need to join together, collaborate, and change what we can. We need to redefine the American classroom. Rethink what we do in our public schools. Make learning about what it is really about. Wonder. Joy. Raw creativity. Authentic Experiences.
When you watch this video, do you think what she really needed was someone to stick a piece of paper in her face and tell her what standard she was experiencing? Or ask her to bubble in what she saw?
Of course not.
We are the ones we are waiting for.