My Story
Seven years ago Rita Pierson gave a TED talk focused on how relationships are a big part of learning, just as they are a significant part of our lives. She states that we have all been affected by a teacher or an adult in some way, and she is so right. During this same talk she quoted someone, who was a colleague at the time, who had told her, “They don’t pay me to like the kids, they pay me to teach a lesson,the kids should learn it, I should teach it, they should learn it, case closed.” No surprise her response was “…you know kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.”
No wonder this segment was entitled Every kid needs a champion, kids need adults to recognize them for who they are and help them find that way they learn most effectively.
Is that a big ask? In some cases I believe it sure is, but most days at my job have been a big ask as well and I have held and been accountable for everything I have been tasked with in my adult working life. Let’s face it, I’m sure we all want the mechanic working on our car to be sure he’s putting his best foot forward. Should it be any different anywhere else?
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of awesome teachers out there, despite a system that often stands in their way, and I had quite of few of them in my day. Despite the school format not being what I understood best, or thrived in, they found a way to find me. It was in their classes that I learned and grew the most. However it was often the “learner” in me that kept me going, not the content or the format.
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
There’s talk of a paradigm shift coming in education, I sure hope there is. I was raised in the sit, listen, and figure it out era. There were some very valid reasons for that format in education, but we have grown as a society, changed, and the world that we live in today doesn’t follow that model anymore. Why then, does education still trend that way? After reading, pondering, considering, and reflecting for two years – I too believe it’s time for change. There’s no perfect way, or no formula for 100% success, because we as humans are complex, ever learning, ever changing beings, and we are all different in the way we do things, and the way we learn. As our world changes around us, education should be changing as well. We’ve been stagnant for too long. Is change hard, yes, of course it is. Is it necessary, yes I believe it is if we want our students to thrive. Do I have all the answers, most certainly not, who does. But learning is most effective when it makes sense to us. It is then that it resonates, sticks, and is retained. For some, our current system of lecture and absorb works well. For others, like me, it is not. In order to foster the best in each student we need to give them the chance to be their best. Why am I so adamant about change? Because finding your way to that place you thrive, that place you are meant to be, is hard and often it is those around you who see you best.
Here is my story.
My Story created with Doodly