WE are the Problem... and the Solution

"Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end."-- Robin Sharma

When I was thinking over a way to start this blog all I could think about were all the problems in the education system and the many suggestions that have come across to fix it. With so many problems and solutions I knew I would have plenty of topics to choose from, but none of those problems seemed like a fitting way to start. Then one word popped into my head that has seems to surround education and many other professions for decades, Change.

Change is a word that students, teachers, and parents are used to hearing, but no one can seem to agree how to bring about this change. Where do we start? Everyone has complaints but no one seems to be able to come up with a widespread solution that is good enough for everyone. Parents are tired of schools implementing hundreds of new policies every year. Students cannot keep up with the changes in rules and curriculum. And teachers are tired of being told that they need to get better and find solutions on top of the already packed school days, low budgets, and hours of unpaid overtime they have to put in to try and make their class successful (or as successful as possible). But here are just a few things I hope we can all agree on…

Schools should not be a place that parents are afraid to send their kids.

Schools should not be a place that kids dread going to.

And

Teaching should not be a profession that people look down upon.

All of these are contributing to the many problems schools are facing (high dropout rates, too low of test scores, uninterested students, shortages of teachers, ect., ect., ect. times infinity)

In the face of all this, states, districts, and federal officials are putting even more pressure on teachers and students to succeed by making everything a competition. The federal government puts pressure on the state governments who put pressure on the districts who put pressure on the principals who put pressure on the teachers and then at the bottom the pressure of all of these people are put straight on the students. We want to be the best (who doesn’t?), but the competition for higher test scores is not producing graduates that can easily transform into productive members of society. We are ignoring and discouraging skills that really help people prosper, like creativity, curiosity, and problem solving skills. Students are “learning” (more like cramming and then forgetting) information that many will never use again.

So far, I have done exactly what we have all complained about. I have put out problems but offered no solution. So what exactly do we do to address these millions of problem and whose responsibility is it to fix this mess?

We are all responsible and we must all work to change.

Teachers, parent, administrators, government officials, students, and anyone else that has ever been a kid, had a kid, or thought about having a kid. The change starts with you deciding this system cannot keep existing. But how do we fix something that seems so broken?

We make school ENJOYABLE.

Now that may seem easy for some and the most difficult thing for many, but we have to remove the stigma that school is a place that traps you in for eight hours a day and sucks the life out of you. We have to remove the stigma that teachers are less intelligent or noble because they make a smaller pay check and choose to spend their life raising other people’s children. Kids need to see school as a safe place where they can explore their interest and enjoy learning. Because as much as we want to deny it, everyone wants to learn and be knowledgeable. No one wants to not know the answer.

Teachers I know you’re trying. The pressure is enormous, and everyday there seems to be a new problem. But, I promise by making school a more enjoyable place for students, you will have an easier time going to work every day and sharing that joy. You can do it, but it will require a little more work in the beginning. It may seem easier to incorporate worksheets where ever possible, but if we let students use their hands and actually show use their skills they will learn more and you will be more interested. So think about this when planning your next lesson, eliminate paper (worksheets, tests, lecture notes) wherever possible and get your class involved. It may take extra planning, but everyone will love you more in the long run, including yourself.

This being said, principals you have to give teachers room to experiment. If you walk passed a class and see something different than normal, observe, take note, monitor it if you have enough time and are skeptical, but make sure your teachers know that they can teach their students in new ways. The experiences and material that students will remember in the long run will be the out of the box activities. Creative teachers leave lasting impressions, and that should be encouraged.

I am not writing this for views, money, or fame. I am doing this to help myself, my classes, and my future classes, and if that helps a few struggling teachers and students on the way than I can say that I have fulfilled my own advice.