The Big Fresh October 11, 2014 What We Take Away

My father always told me, “The one thing no one can ever take away from you is your education.” School was the top priority in our home, and he set high expectations. He always demanded effort, persistence, and passion. If I did not do well, he did not care about the grade. He cared that I learned from my mistakes.  He would go over my quizzes, tests and papers to make sure I understood the content so I would not make the same mistake again.

When I think about the value my father placed on education, I wonder how education would change if we all held our lessons to this standard.  Rather than lesson objectives or “I can” statements, what if we analyzed every lesson through this lens?  Is this lesson worthy of never being taken away?  Will this activity teach my students something they will want to keep forever? Does this lesson really matter?

I worry that sometimes in schools we are moving towards streamlining – units, lessons and assessments.  In our efforts to map, pace, and measure performance we might lose sight of the authenticity of curriculum.  Education matters when it matters to the teacher and students creating it. We need standards, common assessments, and trajectories of study so all our students are exposed to a high quality, cohesive education. But we also need to create space for students and teachers to find their voice in these standards, common assessments, and trajectories of study.

This space is what makes education your own something no one can ever take away from you.  As I collaborate with teachers, I want to remember to think about creating learning experiences that matter to students — lessons that are worthy of never being taken away.

This week we look at homework and connecting with families. Plus more as always — enjoy!