Message to Teachers and Future Teachers...
This past week, my third graders participated in a debate. The subject of deliberation was "Sam Houston: Rebel or Role Model?" The students collected evidence from a book, a movie, and a museum visit and quickly discovered that this much celebrated local hero definitely had a dark side. But after the arguments and rebuttals, most students concluded that the same attributes that made Sam Houston a rebel also made him a role model. He charged when he was told to stand down, an act that both endangered his life and changed the course of history. Although their historic legacies stand in opposition, Houston considered Cherokee Chief John Jolly as well as President Andrew Jackson "fathers" because of the impact they had on his life. And although he was considered a hero in several southern states, he resigned the office of Texas governor because of his conviction that this nation was better united. Yes, the students concluded that this man was complex and courageous, a rebel and a role model.
And so in speaking to you today, many of you as you start your student teaching, some as you're graduating and launching into your career, and others who are already at various places in your teaching journey, I challenge you to follow Sam Houston's example. Consider the ways you can be both a rebel and a role model in the teaching community. These words made famous by an Apple Inc. campaign seem to apply perfectly here: "Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."
Everyone in this room right now has the potential to be a change-leader in education. I'm going to be honest- I always struggle with speaking to pre-service teachers because I want to inspire you, but in a way that doesn't leave you disillusioned when you get out into the real world. I don't want to sugarcoat it- leading change in the teaching profession will be difficult. We're currently at somewhat of a tipping point in education. Innovation and globalization have changed the world faster than we, in education, can prepare its future citizens. Most of us realize that teaching students the same curriculum we learned growing up isn't going to cut it in preparing competitive, compassionate, and contributing members of society in this ever-changing world. But in an attempt to catch up with the transformation this innovation has brought, many educators feel like we're drowning in a sea of core standards, high stakes tests, and international comparison data.
I don't believe that the answer to this struggle is going to come in the form of committees or mandates. The changes in education that will truly prepare our youth to be innovators in the 21st century will be led by you guys- by passionate risk-takers who dare to take educational reform personally. Let me make one thing clear- in encouraging you to be rebels, I don’t mean to tell you to storm the schools, ripping standards to pieces, throwing tests out the window, or refusing teacher evaluation. No, as a "recovering in-the-box rule follower," I would never encourage that kind of rebellion. Instead, I encourage you to lead by example. Lead from the position that John Maxwell calls "Pinnacle Leadership," the type of leadership in which people follow you because of who you are and what you stand for.
What if every single one of us went into our respective schools and taught our students to be deep thinkers? What if we used teaching models that encouraged creative thought... and challenged our students to go out and find information but not only that... what if we taught them to innovate with it? What if teachers set the stage for learning but then empowered students to take the reigns during the lesson?
What if we raised up students who weren't just trying to meet a minimum standard but instead aspired to exceed expectations and shoot for excellence? What if we spent more time on leadership skills, on shaking hands, on listening and asking great follow-up questions? What if we taught kids to reference digital sources but then close the laptop lid and look colleagues in the eye? What if our kids knew the importance of collaboration and genuinely cared more about the greater good than self-promotion?
What if we inspired our kids to do the same when they get out into the world? What if our kiddos left our classrooms with an attitude of servant leadership? What if they went out and inspired their families and friends and colleagues to be change-makers just by the service mindset they modeled? Wouldn't that be rebellious of them? Wouldn't that challenge the status quo?
Ok, so I was invited here to talk about my career and the book I wrote. And I hope that if you are looking for some practical ways to work some of these big ideas into a teaching model that you will check out the book. It's going to help you get an idea of why we need to teach innovative thinking, ways to design lessons that do just that, and how to do that within the parameters of public education. STEM-Infusing the Elementary Classroom is not just about combining the subjects of science, technology, engineering, and math. It is about using the concepts of creative design as a vehicle to teach the problem-solving, deep-thinking, and collaboration skills the students will need to be successful in their future.
But I feel I would be remiss if I neglected to take this opportunity to tell you that what we need in education even more than a new approach to pedagogy, is a group of teachers who aren't afraid of change... who will take risks by doing what we know is right for our kids even though the stakes are high... who believes that the number of lives inspired trumps any test score... who is willing to share every lesson they create with whoever wants to use it because they know that the world moves forward not just because of research but because of sharing new information so that others can use it as a jumping off point for further discovery...
What if we were that group of teachers? What would the future of education look like?
And so in speaking to you today, many of you as you start your student teaching, some as you're graduating and launching into your career, and others who are already at various places in your teaching journey, I challenge you to follow Sam Houston's example. Consider the ways you can be both a rebel and a role model in the teaching community. These words made famous by an Apple Inc. campaign seem to apply perfectly here: "Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."
Everyone in this room right now has the potential to be a change-leader in education. I'm going to be honest- I always struggle with speaking to pre-service teachers because I want to inspire you, but in a way that doesn't leave you disillusioned when you get out into the real world. I don't want to sugarcoat it- leading change in the teaching profession will be difficult. We're currently at somewhat of a tipping point in education. Innovation and globalization have changed the world faster than we, in education, can prepare its future citizens. Most of us realize that teaching students the same curriculum we learned growing up isn't going to cut it in preparing competitive, compassionate, and contributing members of society in this ever-changing world. But in an attempt to catch up with the transformation this innovation has brought, many educators feel like we're drowning in a sea of core standards, high stakes tests, and international comparison data.
I don't believe that the answer to this struggle is going to come in the form of committees or mandates. The changes in education that will truly prepare our youth to be innovators in the 21st century will be led by you guys- by passionate risk-takers who dare to take educational reform personally. Let me make one thing clear- in encouraging you to be rebels, I don’t mean to tell you to storm the schools, ripping standards to pieces, throwing tests out the window, or refusing teacher evaluation. No, as a "recovering in-the-box rule follower," I would never encourage that kind of rebellion. Instead, I encourage you to lead by example. Lead from the position that John Maxwell calls "Pinnacle Leadership," the type of leadership in which people follow you because of who you are and what you stand for.
What if every single one of us went into our respective schools and taught our students to be deep thinkers? What if we used teaching models that encouraged creative thought... and challenged our students to go out and find information but not only that... what if we taught them to innovate with it? What if teachers set the stage for learning but then empowered students to take the reigns during the lesson?
What if we raised up students who weren't just trying to meet a minimum standard but instead aspired to exceed expectations and shoot for excellence? What if we spent more time on leadership skills, on shaking hands, on listening and asking great follow-up questions? What if we taught kids to reference digital sources but then close the laptop lid and look colleagues in the eye? What if our kids knew the importance of collaboration and genuinely cared more about the greater good than self-promotion?
What if we inspired our kids to do the same when they get out into the world? What if our kiddos left our classrooms with an attitude of servant leadership? What if they went out and inspired their families and friends and colleagues to be change-makers just by the service mindset they modeled? Wouldn't that be rebellious of them? Wouldn't that challenge the status quo?
Ok, so I was invited here to talk about my career and the book I wrote. And I hope that if you are looking for some practical ways to work some of these big ideas into a teaching model that you will check out the book. It's going to help you get an idea of why we need to teach innovative thinking, ways to design lessons that do just that, and how to do that within the parameters of public education. STEM-Infusing the Elementary Classroom is not just about combining the subjects of science, technology, engineering, and math. It is about using the concepts of creative design as a vehicle to teach the problem-solving, deep-thinking, and collaboration skills the students will need to be successful in their future.
But I feel I would be remiss if I neglected to take this opportunity to tell you that what we need in education even more than a new approach to pedagogy, is a group of teachers who aren't afraid of change... who will take risks by doing what we know is right for our kids even though the stakes are high... who believes that the number of lives inspired trumps any test score... who is willing to share every lesson they create with whoever wants to use it because they know that the world moves forward not just because of research but because of sharing new information so that others can use it as a jumping off point for further discovery...
What if we were that group of teachers? What would the future of education look like?