Fuck reform. Fuck Accountability. Fuck all the bullshit buzzwords in the conversation about today's schools. When are we going to just stop spewing out pseudo-intellectual vocabulary terms, and start talking about kids? Research-based strategies, evidence-based practices, when are we going to wake up and realize it's all just a made up framework to defend the crazy policies pushed down from the top?
No one, not a single educator I know, is against improvement (reform) or responsibility (accountability). We all just want to improve the quality of the educational experience for our students and be held responsible for reasonable expectations. What if our Congressmen and policymakers were held accountable for good policy, backed widely accepted theory in child development, cognition, and learning? What if we were "accountable" for children's mental and physical health needs the way were are for their learning. Maybe something would change.
Kids need to eat enough.
Kids need to interact with nature.
Kids need developmentally appropriate space to learn in.
Kids need developmentally appropriate learning expectations.
Kids need to move.
Kids need social interaction.
Kids need undirected play time.
Kids need music and art and theater.
Kids need flexibility.
Kids need time to discover what interests them.
Kids need to be thought of as human beings and not just test scores and data and game pieces.
Teachers know what kids need.
No comments:
Post a Comment