I’ve been teaching—with kids and adults, in schools and online—since 2005. But not this academic year. As the new year starts, ten provocations about education are on my mind. Perhaps one will resonate with you.
1️⃣ Joy and curiosity are more effective motivators than penalty or competition—and that’s true for both students and educators.
2️⃣ Let’s acknowledge that educators’ labor is often under-compensated and invisible, while infrequently appreciated for what it is—one indicator of a steadfast commitment to shape more hopeful futures.
3️⃣ Similarly, let’s acknowledge that learners’ wisdom is often unrecognized and misunderstood, while infrequently appreciated for what it is—one indicator of intrinsic brilliance that inspires more humane futures.
4️⃣ Schooling is a boxed exercise, literally and figuratively; it is limited by the four walls of a classroom and the rigid expectations of standardized performance. Learning, however, is an expansive practice that transcends contexts; it is amplified by the creativity of communities and is rooted in cultural ways of knowing, being, and thriving. I know so many of us educators are compelled to school, often for reasons beyond our control. Nonetheless, I hope more of us can also facilitate learning.
5️⃣ The adjective “generative” is more usefully associated with collective inquiry than trendy technology.
6️⃣ School policies and practices that fail to honor—much less amplify—the inherent dignity of our students are fundamentally antithetical to the equity-oriented aims of education in a multiracial society.
7️⃣ The complexities of our learners’ lives—whether they’re five-year old kindergarteners, passionate undergraduates, or adults pursuing new careers—is an unparalleled gift. How we, as educators, receive and make use of this gift is a humbling responsibility. We must act with grace in the face of complexity.
8️⃣ There are no technological solutions to pedagogical challenges. Those advocating for such frictionless paths to profit will shortchange our learners’ growth and bankrupt shared intellectual endeavors.
9️⃣ I know there is no such thing as a “good” school year, a “satisfactory” evaluation, or even a “final” essay. Ambiguity and contingency are definitional to learning journeys and human development. Systems or strategies that favor the fixed will need a hard reboot followed by a shot of reality.
🔟 The educators who changed my life for the better were all kind people. That’s probably the same for you, too. Care is a legacy more enduring than gimmicks or grades. Let us please care for one another as the new school year begins.
Forward.
