If You Could Go Back to School, What Would Be Worth Learning?

    You've made it to adulthood. Congrats! Look at you "adulting" in the real world. You're managing a career, a family, a household...I hope that you are finding happiness and success as you reflect on this masterpiece of a life you've created. And now you want the same or even better for your children, right?

    Let's consider all of the ways our world has changed since we ourselves were children, in elementary, middle, or high school. Now think of all you had to accomplish to get to where you are now. There were certainly a lot of hoops to jump through. Would you say that you were well-prepared for what was ahead? Perhaps there was something different or something more that could've helped you in your educational endeavors.

    "Why do I have to learn this?" That bold, reflective, and honest question from learners can really stop us in our tracks. Do we really want to respond with something about it being on the test or needing to keep up with the standards or because you'll need it for next year? As an educator, I sometimes worry that what I'm teaching may not be the most helpful or meaningful skills my learners need now or in their futures. This thought hit me hard last year while teaching 5th grade math virtually. We were currently working on the standard: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.7 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths...

    So there we were, on Google Meet, an online class full of about 15 learners joining in on their Chromebooks from their bedrooms, kitchens, dining rooms, even one in his mom's car on his way to a dentist appointment (talk about dedication!). I'm in the middle of the live broadcast, working out a multiplication example with carefully chosen decimal numbers from my own desolate classroom, trying to spread my enthusiasm and excitement through my laptop screen. After a few minutes of careful computation, I get to the final product with an exhaled breath of accomplishment after so many steps. I ask the learners if it all made sense and if they had any questions or comments before trying one on their own. Then, one brave student "unmutes" himself, and with a sly smile on his face, he says, "Hey Mrs. Petre, listen to this: 'Alexa, what's 5.9 times 3.2?'" And all of my joy and sense of pride was washed from my face. The bold question that lingers around the classroom came flashing in front of my face. I thought, "Why should I teach this?" There's a whole chapter dedicated to multiplying decimals, which equates to about 15 instructional days. A robot gave my learner the answer in less than 5 seconds.

    If you are a teacher or a parent, do you ever wonder if our current K-12 curriculum lines up with what we need to be able to do to be a successful and happy adult? Shouldn't there be a connection between what is taught and how it pertains to surviving in the real world? Does being able to multiply a decimal number, memorize the fifty capital cities, or recite the photosynthesis process really prepare us for adulthood? The aforementioned skills are definitely great to know, don't get me wrong. And I personally enjoyed learning about them all when I was a child. But in hindsight, trying to juggle a career, a family, and a home, I do wish I would've been taught more about the application of skills for managing real life and a little less about memorization of facts and processes. In our day to day lives, think about how much we use interpersonal skills, financial management, understanding taxes, insurance, deductibles, conflict resolution skills, cooking and cleaning, organizational skills, physical and mental health and wellness, nutrition, life saving skills, I could go on. But when was the last time you had to define chlorophyll or recall the capital of Arkansas? (It's Little Rock, by the way, I just Googled it on another tab.)

    There is no doubt we must lay the foundation with reading, writing, and arithmetic skills for our learners to be successful. But we must also keep in mind that we all now have answers at our fingertips, as long as we can read them! I don't want to waste precious time with my learners on skills that can be calculated or Google searched in seconds. I want to provide them with meaningful experiences that will prepare them for a happy, successful life. Let's change the dreadful song and dance from "I have to learn this because it's on the test," to a new proud beat: "I get to learn this and I want to learn this because it helps me get to where I want to go in life."

Are we providing pathways to happiness and success?

    If you were to ask any parent what they want for their children's future, most parents would say that they want their children to be happy, successful adults.   So, the question must be asked, "How do we know our learners are happy and successful?" and "Are we dedicating time in school to lead learners down a path that will allow them to find happiness and success?"

    One might say that being happy is connected to finding what makes you passionate about life and success is usually connected to finding a way to provide a life for yourself and loved ones.  School can be a great place to allow learners to find their passion and to discover a pathway that will lead to opportunities to provide a life for themselves.  Is the American educational system providing enough opportunities for our learners to find happiness and success in our current and future world?

    Our current educational system was designed in the Industrial Age with its goal to teach students a specific set of rote skills.   After graduating, students could be hired by a company that would require that very specific set of rote skills and nothing more.  Employers paid a reasonable wage for employees to complete jobs that required compliance, memorization, and repetition.  School provided the one and only direct pathway to success.

    Our current and future workforce is requiring so much more of its employees than ever before.  Employers don't need people who necessarily know every fact and formula. Memorization is not a valuable skill anymore.  Employers need people who know what to do with facts and formulas. The synthesis of new ideas is worth it weight in gold.   A learner's "soft skills" are far more valuable than his or her technical skills.  When referring to "soft skills", I am referring to some of the following characteristics that allow a person to find success in any environment:

• effective communication
• emotional intelligence
• critical thinking
• creativity
• innovation
• problem solving
• willingness to learn
• leadership
• conflict resolution
• positive attitude
• collaboration
• self-directed
• persistence
• time management

    If the marketplace that will be employing our learners in the future are looking to hire people with skills beyond compliance, memoization, and repetition, shouldn't we be focusing our instruction and learning opportunities to foster the characteristics that they will need in the future?  While we follow a set standards that will ensure our learners have a solid academic foundation, I believe it is time that we spend more of our efforts dedicated to enhancing the "soft skills" as listed above. 

    If learners can practice and adopt these characteristics, then they can learn and do anything in which they set their mind.  If a learner masters a set of Math skills but cannot communicate these skills nor collaborate with his or her co-workers to accomplish a task, then the set of Math skills are rendered useless.  

    So, what kind of people do we want our children to become?  I don't think our children will be happy or find success with memorizing facts or performing repetitive tasks.  Our learners will have the best chance at being happy and successful when they perfect their "soft skills" and focus on HOW they use information versus how MUCH information they know.  It is time to dedicate more of our public school efforts to enriching our learners' positive characteristics.

One Size Fits All......but does it really???

I'm sure you've seen items marked with one size fits all.  But are items really made to fit everyone's size and shape?  I know there are things that I have purchased with that label and it didn't fit correctly.  

When I look in classrooms, I see the same desks and chairs for every learner.  But we all know that children are unique and come to school at varying sizes.  So why are we having children all sit at the same desk using the same chair as everyone else?  This has bothered me for some time now.  Classrooms need to have varied furniture to accommodate the unique learners that occupy it daily.  I am talking about flexible seating.  Classrooms that have flexible seating have a variety of seating options for the learners to choose to best serve them for their needs for that day or activity.  When I think about myself, I enjoy different seating options for different tasks.  When I'm reading, I like to be comfortable and lounge on pillows or the couch.  As I cut out materials and items I have laminated, I like to sit cross legged on the floor.  Currently I am sitting in a very comfortable desk chair typing on my desk chair.  So think about the different tasks that you do throughout the day and how you vary your position and the type of furniture you use.  

If we are personalized learners' education, we also need to think about their environment and personalize their seating options.  Learners need areas where they can relax to enjoy reading a book, an area where they are able to collaborate with their peers on projects, but also have an area if they would like to work independently.  A classroom needs to have varied furniture such as yoga balls, wobble seats, standing desks, movable tables, stools, and pillows to match our very unique and different learners.

Anyone feel the same as me?

     The COVID pandemic offered the opportunity to slow down and reflect on our lives.  For me, I took the time to reflect on my professional life.  I remember what it felt like when I got the news I had been hired as a full-time employee of Cambria Heights. This was quite the accomplishment considering when I first started substituting the list was 200 people long!!!  It took me about nine years, but it finally happened.  I was filled with excitement and enthusiasm!  I spent hours perfecting my lesson plans, creating fun crafts, and projects.  Then something happened.  Can you guess what it was?  If you guessed standardized testing, you are correct.  Each year there was more emphasis on the test and less on creativity.  I don't blame CH; it is the nature of the beast.  We felt the pressure for our students to perform well on the test so some of the fun got pushed to the side.

    Well guess what?  I've had it!!!  I've fallen into that rut, and I am done.  I want excitement and enthusiasm back.  I want my students to be excited about coming to my class.  I want learning to be fun again!  I have recommitted to the mission.  I want my students to master concepts, be able to apply them, and make learning meaningful again.  Anyone feel the same as me?  Who is ready to commit and revolutionize the way our children learn?

Striving for perfection

 "Nobody is perfect, and at times we don't measure up, but if we can be authentic and open to learning and growing with those we serve, we can collectively achieve much more than if we assume we have all the answers."

This is a powerful quote from the book Learner Centered Innovation by Katie Martin speaks volumes.  

In an age where information is at our finger tips, I no longer want to "pretend" I know everything.  I want to teach students how to problem solve and think on their own.  We should be not be afraid to show failures.  If I never fail, I won't grow as a person. 

Are you tired of striving to be "perfect"? I'm tired of pretending I have all the answers.  It hurts me deeply to watch a student beat themselves up when they make a mistake.  This quote by Michael Jordan is a favorite of mine.  This quote inspires me to show my failures to my students.  I want them to know that we all struggle, but we pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off to start again.  

Report Cards: A Measurement of Compliance or of Learning?

    My 7-year-old daughter brought home her report card last week. "Look, Mom, they're all in the nineties!" She was proud and excited to share her first report card of her second grade year with the rest of the family. I, too, shared her excitement upon seeing A's or percents that equated to an A in each of her core subjects. But I continued to probe her. I wanted to know what her understanding of "A" means, so I continued, "I'm so proud of you, Joc, but what does a 95% in math mean?" She responded, "It means I got an A and I was pretty close to a 100." And that was that. She was satisfied. Jocelyn is the first born and a total Type A kid. To further clarify, today is Sunday and this morning the first words out of her mouth when she came into my bedroom, in a panic, were, "Mom, where's my school iPad? I need to get my green dot!" It was not the most peaceful way I've awoken on a Sunday morning, but most parents know that "peaceful" isn't the word we often choose to describe our slumber. Anyways, by "green dot" she was referring to Reflex Math, a program used to help kids become fluent with their basic math facts. Here's the bottom line: Jocelyn wants to get all of her work done. She wants to get all "A's" on the left side of her report card and all "Satisfactories" in her behavioral expectations on the right side. She cries when misses school due to illness or appointments. She aims to please. She aims for A's. A parent's dream, right?

    But after seeing her satisfaction with a 95% and not really addressing or worrying about that other 5% of whatever math skills that she missed or did not show mastery in, I ponder the question, "What if she, like many other learners, are just learning, to comply?" She knows she made her teachers proud and her parents happy; therefore, she is content and happy.

    Don't get me wrong, I am totally thankful that I do not have to battle my oldest two kids to get them up on school mornings or beg and bribe them to do their school work. They really do enjoy the learning process. But we all know not every kid is like this. In fact, I very much worry about my third child's compliance skills. In her first three years of life, my husband and I witnessed the rage she brings when she does not get her way. She simply will not budge. She fights back if she doesn't agree with doing something. Let's just say, we won't be shocked if she does not wake up on the weekend with a strong desire to memorize math facts, especially if she doesn't see the point in it. These are the kinds of kids we see every day as teachers. So another question that comes to my mind is, "What happens when learners don't care about complying or getting bad grades?"

    So that's it, then, they simply don't want to learn. They don't care. They don't want to try. We can't hold anything over their heads if they choose not to do the work, not to study, not to participate, not to complete classwork. And as a teacher, I certainly cannot just shove math into their brains. So how do we teach relunctant, non-compliant learners?

    My bolded questions are certainly loaded and I'm not afraid to admit that I don't know the answers, or perhaps I just don't like the answers. But here is one statement that I truly believe after seeing years and years of kids not caring about their education: Our current educational system, grading included, does not work for every learner. It's important that I add those last 3 words because, on the bright side, we have seen kids thrive at school and love school. And our system rewards those kids with beautiful marks on a report card that gets posted to Mom and Dad's Facebook pages and on the refrigerator for all to see. But on the dark side, we have seen so many kids unmotivated, angry, and most times truly lost while they sit in our classrooms counting down the minutes and years until they are out.

    As we re-imagine and navigate the many changes our post-covid world has thrown at us, let's also rethink our current K-12 educational system. How can we better ignite curiosity, passion, and motivation in today's learners? Should we be satisfied with a piece of paper that has "Satisfactories" and "A's" on it or could our learners prove themselves in other innovative ways that might not just get thrown away after a few weeks? Is there a better way to get those disengaged learners to care about their education when report cards and failing grades don't do the trick? We simply cannot keep letting these kids slip through the crack and go through life unengaged and uncaring, because then we fail along with them. And as for the learners who love to comply, earn "good" grades, keep their teachers, their parents, and their peers happy, let's challenge them beyond compliance and encourage them to never be satisfied. A learner in today's world needs to evoke their own curiosity, to evolve with our ever-changing world, to discover what they want out of their education and, ultimately, to be proud of the way they spend each minute, each year, in their one precious life.

Even children need relaxation

I am fortunate to have grand children. They are so full of energy.  They seem to run on fast forward all the time.  When nap time rolls each of them struggled to settle their brains so they could rest.  My daughter would use a sound machine and this seemed to solve the solution. When they stayed at my house I had to become creative.  I searched on YouTube for heartbeat sounds.  This worked like a charm.  However it got me thinking about my students at school. 

You would think my class is filled with smiling faces all eager to learn.  WRONG! As I look around the room.  I see kids where falling asleep in my class before lunch. They are laying on their desks yawning trying hard to wake up.  These are good kids. I believe them when they say what time they go to bed.  So, What is going on?  In all the years that I have taught this has never happened before. This is a new change from when I started teaching 20 years ago.  I started wondering.... What is so heavy on their minds? 

 Life is moving at such a fast pace, it is imperative that we teach our learners how to slow down their brains. So they can not only focus in school, but learn how it feels to be relaxed.  Do you find that your child is having difficulty going to sleep or staying asleep?