Preparing Students for a World that No Longer Exists
The modern high school is no longer modern
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” ~ Henry Ford
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” ~ Unknown (often misattributed to Albert Einstein)
The Way It Is
Every so often someone asks me how I, as a teacher, would change education. After teaching for over 3 decades, it is nice that people still ask me that. I’ve been in the trenches a long time. I’ve taught a lot of classes. I have sat through more hours of staff development than I care to remember. Today’s “hot, new idea” will be ancient history the following year, replaced by another “hot, new idea” with more staff development, more books to read, and more speakers to listen to. I have former students who are now grandparents and new students that are 14 years old.
I must confess though, my job is more like it was in 1987 than it is different. “Changes” are usually short-lived and make minimal difference. At the end of the day, schools still operate from September through May, 5 days a week. Kids receive grades ranging from A to F (or some variation of that) and are still trying to earn “points” to earn “grades” to earn “credits,”…
