"School isn't about learning, it's about learning to get by." - anonymous studentThe comment above was shared with me at a meeting yesterday while discussing the future of professional development. It is one of those comments that heightens awareness and causes one to question our focus and direction.
How often do we listen to kids? Do we allow them to play a role in decision making?
Are we too focused on compliance? Do we only teach kids to be good at school and don't worry about whether they learned something? Are we more concerned with turning in assignments and treating everything as a checklist? In the busy world of an educator how often do we truly inquire about the learning of our students?
Shouldn't it be about the learning? This may be a rogue comment or it could be very true, regardless, we need to listen to comments such as these and begin to question ourselves. Persevering and getting by have their place, but it should be about the learning. School should be a place where we foster curiosity, and not a place of hoop jumping.
I ask you to think about this students statement, and to question your classroom. Is it a rogue comment or does the student make a valid point?
Seth Godin wrote a manifesto about schooling and I think it applies very well to this discussion. #Stopstealingdreams
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