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How To Save The Whales: Revolution Part 2

11/19/2012

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Nearly fifteen years ago, I wrote my senior project research paper about protest movements and attempts at revolution. I remember how painful it was, certainly, but I remember little else besides the general thesis: modern protest movements (and other attempts at revolution) fail more often than not because the people fighting the establishment for change are so divided amongst themselves--they cannot mount a sustained charge because their energies are diffused. 

Modern people want what they want, exactly how they want, and they want it now. So the arguments become What Is The Best Way To Save The Whales & You're Not Doing It Right, instead of Whales Need To Be Saved. 

Do you understand the difference?

Most people in education, at least those who are, say, conscious, think our contemporary system is badly broken. Some of us are working from within the system to break down walls and barriers to learning for the kids we have in front of us, right now, because they deserve the best we can do, given the circumstances. Some are outspoken outsiders, just as passionate, proposing potential solutions to the problems that plague us. 

Here's the thing. We need both groups. 

And the even more important thing is that these two groups HAVE GOT TO STOP FIGHTING EACH OTHER. 

The children of Today can't wait for the revolution of tomorrow. And the children of tomorrow deserve better than what we are able to deliver today, given the current climate. 

But nothing (Nothing!) is going to change about the educational Tower of Babel unless we start working together against the established structures instead of each other. A house divided cannot stand. We understand this cognitively, historically (at least until it's one of our pet positions that is being threatened). Let's understand it in our hearts. And then let's do something about it. 
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To Be Myself Completely

11/6/2012

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Cheryl and I have had many conversations over the past months about hiding-- that is, glossing (or covering) over parts of our personality that we think someone else won't like or appreciate. The further I get into this school year, the more I realize that, because of academic circumstances outside of my control, I have been hiding myself from my students. 

Let me be clear: for teenagers, hiding is the default position. And it's also the way for teachers to lose kids' trust the fastest.  Lots of teachers with lots of different teaching styles can be successful in the classroom, but teenagers see through fake personas immediately. 

There is a reason that "Keep It Real" was a thing. Though it was later bastardized into meaning something very different, I am very much a fan of its original intent; that is, be who you are. Who you are is less important than the act of being true to whatever that You Is. 

In our rush to improve our test scores and cover content, it is of critical importance that we remember, first, to be human in the classroom. Our humanity, our presence, our care, our relationships-- those are the things that cannot be outsourced to videos, computers, or business consultants, and those are the things that will ultimately allow us to transform our schools and our world. 

It's also the way to transform ourselves and our own practice: to be ourselves completely, despite our fears. It is the first step in the process of transforming our classrooms from competitive to collaborative. It is the tipping point. 

So here's to tipping a little bit more. 


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    I'm Andrew. I write about learning. I like to learn. 

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