Many of the posts I have written about the problems in the education industry have pushed me to consider whether the whole US education system (and likely many other countries systems) may be on the verge of a major revolution. The education industry has been getting hit form many unrelated sides: unions… as in Wisconsin, a growing sense that the whole system is far too top heavy, the sense that technology is being held back…that is, until lately, where almost any idea gets coverage and plaudits. Teaching theories and methods (students in charge?), the curriculum of education programs in colleges (are these programs technically valid in training teachers at all?), and so on are being given a lot of coverage in the ‘civilian’ media… It seems that when you add in the growing number of dropouts, the growing notion that high schools don’t prepare students well enough for college curricula, and so on, you see a growing siege mentality amongst those in power. You can almost feel that there have to be some profound changes coming…soon.
I was talking to a friend about this last week (he had just seen ‘Waiting for Superman’, and was a bit alarmed…justifiably too!). An aspect of this debacle allowed me to see something I had been taking for granted: that this may be the best time ever to be a teacher, and to attempt to make a difference.
In the near future we should see some huge changes, fits and starts, debacles, re-doing lots of things, but in all of these ‘surface noise’ -type miscues, there will be a chances for teachers, and educators (the same thing?) to step up to the plate, to help create a means for the next generation of students to grow and thrive in this future world.
If you look at these problems form this standpoint, how can you not feel elated?
