This quote from Robert Krulwich of NPR caught my eye yesterday:
But there are some people, who don’t wait.
I don’t know exactly what going on inside them; but they have this… hunger. It’s almost like an ache.
Something inside you says I can’t wait to be asked I just have to jump in and do it.
He was talking about beginning journalists, but I couldn’t help thinking about the many teachers who I have met over the years who haven’t waited. People like Shelley Blake-Plock and Dolores Gende and Anne Smith and Kathy Cassidy and Brian Crosby and Shannon Miller and Shelley Wright and Jabiz Raisdana and a whole slew of others who had some type of hunger overcome them, something that made them jump right in and really change the way the thought about teaching and learning and classrooms. For some, I know, what’s happened over the past decade or so has simply afforded a way for them to do more of what they always believed, to give kids the reins and let them learn about learning. But for others, and I would count myself in this second category, the last 10 years have brought to life a way of thinking about education that is decidedly different from the lens we originally carried into the classroom. For us, this has been a real transformation, not simply a shift in methods or pedagogy.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of teachers are still waiting…for something. What is it? Permission? Direction? Inspiration? Enlightenment?
I know this is a crappy time to be in education. Maybe as crappy as it’s ever been. Thousands of people are losing their jobs, their benefits. The profession is being dragged through the manure. The onslaught of tests and data collection and standardization is doing the same thing to teachers as it’s doing to kids, driving the creativity and the passion and the enjoyment of real learning right out of them. I am not unsympathetic to these realities…not at all.
But we can’t use this moment as an excuse to continue to wait. Technology aside, our educational systems are not creating the learners that we want our children to be. And it’s not about layering whiteboards or blogs onto a narrow, one-size fits all curriculum that has marched along undeterred for what seems like forever. It’s about fundamentally changing what we do in classrooms with kids.
The good news is that many have acted on their hunger. They’ve put kids ahead of the system, redefined themselves as learners first, teachers second, found the courage of their convictions and made learning, not test scores, the focus. The bad news is that far too many teachers still don’t even know that the traditional model of education is failing kids when it comes to learning. But somewhere in the middle, there are those that know there is a different path, yet they won’t make the leap.
What, I wonder, are they waiting for?
I just went to a conference with Ben Levin last week and he said something that stuck with me:
“…no one ever waits for someone to tell them to be great; they just go out and do it.â€
We have to start thinking about these kids that we are impacting right now.
I think, however, that today’s situation will make things worse. As we move toward evaluating teachers based on student test scores, more teachers will just cover test prep. We certainly won’t find teachers taking risks anymore. The times they are a-heading backwards.
I couldn’t agree more, Will, and I’m convinced there are many others like those talented individuals you mentioned in your post that work everyday to move the ball forward. Personally, I like to build things, fix problems. That’s my passion. I’m feeling hopeful at the moment, maybe because I see the lights coming on with teachers I work with. And maybe it’s because they are learning how to learn again. It’s joyful and powerful. What you and others like you are doing is plowing the road, clearing a way forward. I hope that in my small way, I can make a similar contribution.
Frustrating isn’t it? I wonder how many other professions are faced with the same problem. I’m sure that if you could call parenting a profession, you might find a similar concern.
No arguments with encouraging people not to wait to make a difference….but the drive to jump in and make a difference pre-dates the last decade. There’s a lot of excellent things trailblazing educators did before the Web….!
Absolutely, Walter, and I guess I did a poor job of articulating that in the post. That was the reference to those who are doing what they always believed teaching and learning should be…they didn’t need the Web to change their lens or their practice.
Will, I’m not waiting! Your blog has inspired me to leave my job at the end of this school year to start my own school, where young learners can follow their passions and take full advantage of the learning opportunities in the 21st century. I’ve been at the high school level for a while, but I believe middle school students are capable of far more than we give them credit for. Plus, it seems to me that high school has become more about preparing a resume for college than anything else. For those who are curious, a 16-page description of my school is at my temporary website: http://trianglearning.org
The “triangle” reference is to the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, where I live, and where I plan to open a brand new school (but “school” is a misnomer. I really want to begin a “learning community” — because “school” is a place where you go to learn, and as readers of this blog know, we learn anywhere we want to these days).
Hey Steve…thanks for chiming in. I’ve owed you an e-mail for months now…apologies. I love the idea of a learning community, and I agree that “school†in some ways is a term that has too many restrictive connotations around learning. Thanks for sharing the description of your work, and let us know how we can help make it happen. You and Michelle are inspiring!
I think Steve is someone who is right in there with the other learning leaders you noted in your post, Will. He’s hungry.
And, Steve, our 7th grade Global Studies team is about to gear up to redraw what they are doing. After you and I talked, I shared your proposal with them and they are fired up to pilot some of your ideas/work with you. We’re meeting on June 21 and 22. If you’d like to Skype in and chat, I’ll make it happen.
LD
I quit my teaching job this week. There’s my contribution. Now I’m going to go find a place that will allow students to learn… and if I can’t find it, I’ll start my own.
I wonder what would happen if every teacher had that mindset. No doubt, we’d change the world. Best success in your search, and let me know what you find.
Unfortunately, I don’t think every teacher with that mindset is in a position to do what I did. Many of my friends are so far along in their ed careers within a school district, quitting would jeopardize their retirement significantly.
I will have 3 kids in college next fall and one who just graduated and earned her degree. It’s still risky for us financially, and every day of the past week, I’ve wondered if it was the right thing to do. When my students look at me and ask if I REALLY have to leave them, I begin to doubt again.
This is TOUGH. I know I have to take action to make change, but there are SO many reasons to stay too. I guess I’ll know more in a few months. Right now, I’m in limbo. I’m not certain that there are a lot of teachers who can afford to put themselves in the same position.
A little confused about some points – probably me! I like the trust of the message – we need to express ourselves in professional communities with the allowance for mistakes. Does this change when on social media?
I think social media is pushing us to give more ownership of learning to the kids. If we continue to try to compete on the basis of content and knowledge, continue to act as if the institution somehow continues to hold a near monopoly on something that is now widely distributed, we’re sure to lose our value to society. I’m saying we as individuals who see that shift need to change our practice to enable kids to learn on their own, not be dependent upon us.
Reminds me of my favorite quote from Pressfield’s new book – Do The Work. “Don’t Prepare. Just Begin.”
We have been programmed in education that we cannot do anything without extensive planning. Even worse are those who say, “we tried that once and it failed.” We tend to forget that our greatest discoveries came from individuals who failed over and over again.
It’s funny when I think about it because if failure is a predecessor to great innovation, public education should be nearing a huge breakthrough. Of course, this is not the case because in public education we fail doing the same thing over and over and not by trying new things.
Sad.
Hey Will,
Another great post. I can’t help but wonder if more teachers would jump in if they had administrators who either A. modeled that willingness to jump in or B. supported their efforts to do so.
Or, C. forced them to. ;0) But seriously, at what point does it become not an option to simply teach to the test? To do it the way it’s been done for 20 years? To just read out of a textbook and assign worksheets? To just give lip service to student directed learning without ever becoming a learner oneself? And on…
Will, you’re right on here. Part of the problem is teaching to the test is easier than the type of learning your suggesting and, unfortunately the feedback from that type of teaching (test scores) is immediate, much more simple to understand, and easier to use to justify change (albeit misguided).
Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, Professor at U. Wisconsin-Madison, says there are 3 kinds of teachers in schools: the ‘change people,’ the ‘no change people,’ and the folks in the middle. The change people are ready for change no matter what you’re asking. The no change people are against change no matter what its form. The middle are those she calls the ‘tennis match people’ because they’re looking back and forth all the time, waiting to see who wins. Leaders, she notes, should do everything they can to make sure the change people win.
So those middle people you’re talking about? They’re waiting to see who wins. So far it’s the ‘no change’ people, isn’t it?
But, Scott, often the administrators don’t want the change either. Or the change they want is different. It’s really tiring to always be the change person without support. And today, there seems to be less support than ever before.
Oh, I completely concur with you, Lisa. At a time when we desperately need them to be leading, many administrators are ‘no change people’ too or are not doing what they should to ensure that the change people win.
I agree with your post. I also agree with many of the comments that I see on this thread. Unfortunately things have even gotten worse in the twelve years I’ve been teaching. In the high school where I work, we now have to give quarterly tests handed down to us by the district. We have no idea who made them or where they get the questions.
Education now seems to be just trying to jump through the hoops that are given to us by faceless higher-ups.
However, you must consider what kind of approach you want to study. CampusIdea is giving an opportunity for students to study abroad in China. Since last few years China has emerged from isolation and captured the attention of the world by accomplishing astonishing technical achievements and driving their economy rapidly. You will not have only experience of unique culture and brilliant civilization but you will have a wonderful addition to any resume that will impress your future employer.
But if you asked those teachers you mention, there perhaps were at some point, inspired, enlightened, given permission or direction. The difference is they acted.
Having 2 of the 8 teachers you list work in my district, i know a little about what they waited for or needed. In the case of Shelley, she was inspired by Wesch. Kathy will tell you about being enlightened. Everyone needs something different. The fact the acted and perservered is what’s compelling to me. In the case of our district, I think they felt supportive and had some level of permission to explore and change. They asked lots of questions and very quickly tried to embed good ideas into their classrooms.
Part of what I see with all these teachers is the sustainability to not only begin but implement with some degree of fidelity.
What refreshing post! I wish there were more teachers at my school willing to challenge themselves to bring more creativity into their classrooms! I’m afraid that most teachers are just a bunch of lemmings. Unless the administration gives them permission and 100 hours inservice training, they will never try something new! I for one will not watch my career go by and do my students the disservice of not bringing in the technology I need and being a life long learner myself!
I think this post is vey refreshing and empowering. I would love to see more teachers taking more risks when it comes to teaching their students. However, I can understand the pressure that must be put on them By DOE to make each sequencer. I think it is unfair that DOE tells teachers where they should be with their lesson at any given point of time. And it is very unrealistic to do so when you have classrooms that are so culturally diverse. Not every child learns the same way and teachers have to come up with different tactics to teach the children in a way that is best for them to understand. With all that customization, you can’t possibly expect a teacher to stay within the sequencer all the time. I think this may be why a lot of teachers end up playing it safe.
What I wonder too is – if school districts, communities, states as well as the country really took a look at where we are mostly going in education right now, would they be supportive of the “reforms” being thrust upon us? Would they be supportive of just doing what we have always done (more or less)? Or would they see a need for change and what changes would they be willing to support?
So Brian,
You didn’t wait, what makes you do what you do? I know you often say you aren’t always the most supported in your work, yet you do great things. How does that happen?
Hi Dean – Sorry I didn’t get back here sooner – I do what I do because I am trying to make that change from teaching children to be taught, to teaching them to be “active learners.” I’m finding it to be more engaging and thought provoking and when done with rigor (which takes time, the time that we are not being given right now) it is awesome. Students take charge of more of their learning and I find that my “at risk” students start being able to build that schema for the world they are so lacking and makes reading and almost every other subject boring. Doesn’t mean that’s all we do. Still teach reading and math in explicit ways when that is what is required. Award winning teachers like Lisa Parisi and a few others I work with are finding this works and are dying to go forward and make it better … but we are now being blocked, time taken away to the point that it is close to impossible to prove that this style, this new pedagogy could really be a breakthrough. But we have to have time to find what works and dump what doesn’t and tweak and work with more teachers that do the same and make it what it can really be (or find out it’s nonsense I guess). You know, REALLY innovate.
How do we tend to do what we do now? I hate to say this online, (but I did say it to my associate superintendent a few weeks ago) – we do some of it very upfront and transparently, but too often now we have been reduced to “guerilla education.” Sneaking around stealthily doing what we are finding to be valuable. Might sound cool in some perverse way (well we do have some fun stories to tell at times), but mostly it sucks, because we yearn to be supported in what we do.
Brian
Well, I think they are supporting the “reforms”. They just aren’t really spending time to find out if they work.
Exactly Lisa – we have to all be doing the same thing until we make it work, and the supposition too often is that if we don’t make the “research based” way work, it’s our fault. I wish I had a dollar every time I hear someone say we need to do inquiry learning, project based learning, active learning, reality based learning … and you can … after your 90 minute reading block, 30 minute reading intervention, 60 minute math block, 30 minute math intervention, 45 minute writing intervention … Now go do all those other things in the 20 minutes you have left!!!
So true, Brian. It’s considered extra. And that is the major problem. Instead of seeing PBL as transformative learning, it is seen as what to do when you have an extra 20 minutes. Funny how on twitter and facebook now, all I see are links to sites with end-of-year project ideas. Sure, all the tests are over so now let’s play. I know I don’t have time for end-of-year projects. I am still working on my regular-part-of-the-year projects. LOL
Brian- I think if most of the decision makers i.e. school districts, communities,and states actually had children going through the system as they have implemented and enforced, they would reconsider many of their proposals and plans- once all my kids were in school, and I watched the change in their desire and passion to learn become diminished, it fueled more of the fire within me to change. I wanted more for my own kids and my students; I continue to push for more because what is currently in place doesn’t increase their desire to learn, but instead creates a defeatest attitude towards “school.”
Additionally, how many of the decision makers actually take the time to talk to kids about what kids think education should look like and what works for kids. My guess- none.
Change is going to happen. Whether you choose to stay at the station, or get on board, it is still going to occur.
That’s exactly where I am now, too. I see my kids going through it and I’m getting more and more frustrated by the day. I think I’m to the point where I would really pull them out, but my fear is more what it would do to their social lives. My daughter loves playing sports at her school, as does my son at his. My fear is that I would have to weather a pretty huge storm on that side, which no doubt may be worth it at the end of the day. Just a huge step to take.
Change will happen, just not in time for my kids, which doesn’t make it any less important, just more depressing for me.
This is the challenge of being a parent and an educator- I want my children to understand that there is more to learning than tests and worksheets that occupy their 3rd grade afterschool life for an hour and a half each night- this year has sucked the love of learning out of my daughter. Mys on lost it long ago in 1st grade. I want them to show the curiosity and brillance they have for learning in new and intriguing ways. They are able to do this on the open ended projects the school assigns. But, I am a parent and an educator in the same school district and I try to not rock the boat for my childrens’ teachers. I know they are in a different place then I am. I encourage and I suggest but I don’t push. I am the good loyal parent at home relaying the same message every night about homework ” I’m sure the teacher wouldn’t have assigned it if it weren’t important” where I really want to say ” You already spent 7 hours in school, how come all this couldn’t have been accomplished in the classroom? This is CRAP!”
But once again, I think this all pushes me in the classroom to create change for my students and my kids at home. That is one area I don’t have to be complacent but instead can be more and do more. My kids at home and my kids in the classroom will know there is more out there.
Absolutely – I’ve stopped a few conversations lately by just saying to my principal or other person, “You wouldn’t allow your own kids to go to a school like this, would you? No PE, no art, 30 minutes of science OR social studies per week, only explicit lessons and practice … I haven’t gotten an answer yet. Only silence.
Brian
After writing that last comment, I’m wondering if I can be classified as a “parent who waits.” Hmmm…
Will, I think we all become parents who wait for the very reasons you mentioned. The social life was very important to my daughter so I kept her in and worked with her at home. I helped her study for tests so she’d be left alone, I wrote homework-not-done notes when I thought it was too much, and I waited. Now, at Gary Stager’s suggestion, my daughter is graduating early. Next year will be her last. Funny that, even leaving school a year early, she will be graduating with an advanced regents diploma and spending half the year in a photography program outside of school. She’s already talking about what it will be like going to college.