With the school year upon most of us in Northern America, now is the time I start to dream. I know I cannot change the system in which I operate, although I can make waves, but I can continue to change our classroom, the journey we are on, and the road we take.
We all have such power; but do we remember it? Do we remember that even though much of our day is dictated by outsiders, we still have a voice? You do. It may seem like test prep, rules, and "routines" day in and day out but really there is room for you as well. There is room for you to give your students a voice and let them own the journey. There is room for you to not punish and not reward, those are choices you make. There is room for you to engage kids, to not be the center of attention, to let them speak, hope, dream, and inspire each other. There is room for all of that.
So although it is easier to say education is being done to us as much as it is to our students, it is not entirely true. We still have choices in our school, even if it is only how we speak to our students. And even that holds power within itself. So ask yourself; what do I control? What can I change? What do I have room for?
We all have such power; but do we remember it? Do we remember that even though much of our day is dictated by outsiders, we still have a voice? You do. It may seem like test prep, rules, and "routines" day in and day out but really there is room for you as well. There is room for you to give your students a voice and let them own the journey. There is room for you to not punish and not reward, those are choices you make. There is room for you to engage kids, to not be the center of attention, to let them speak, hope, dream, and inspire each other. There is room for all of that.
So although it is easier to say education is being done to us as much as it is to our students, it is not entirely true. We still have choices in our school, even if it is only how we speak to our students. And even that holds power within itself. So ask yourself; what do I control? What can I change? What do I have room for?
