Recently I challenged myself to boil down my educational philosophy to a single sentence or phrase. Actually, the restrictions were tighter. Pare it to a tweet. I came up with what actually amounts to less than half a tweet (at least per number of characters):
Inspiring a person to become a better version of him- or herself.
Then came part two of the challenge: identifying and articulating three primary ways in which a great school can strive to accomplish this.
· Great schools reveal possibilities and opportunities. In seeing them, students glimpse what they in turn can become. They meet people—real and imagined, present day and historical—and determine whom they wish to emulate and whom they scorn. Students are exposed to new ideas and models and minds. By experimenting in numerous areas, students discover the mélange of strengths and weaknesses that constitute the unique presence they bring to the world. As all these experiences germinate inside a student, they begin to flower in a vision of the person her or she desires to become.
· Great schools connect students to the infinitum. All civilization is, in essence, the ever-expanding evolution of all that which has come before the present. All the tradition, all the lore, all the claimed invention and discovery—it all builds on itself in ways that propel human culture forward. Students should engage in the ongoing conversation. More importantly, just as they see what they can become, students begin to conceptualize what and how they can create their own contribution to the future.
· Great schools invite students to play joyfully in an infinite game. Per game theory, finite games have immutable rules and boundaries, with a clear end and definite winner. Think your typical board game or sport. An infinite game, on the other hand, involves constant morphing so that the game keeps developing. The players must adapt to whatever emerges. In fact, players must respond nimbly to keep the game going and to thrive therein. Think real life.
Too idealistic? Perhaps. But endless hope fuels great education. And a great education helps a person discover his or her place and purpose.
What would be your tweet?
9 comments:
While there are many educational methods/ideas/practices that I embrace - Charlotte Mason, Maria Montessori and Howard Gardner being among a few - there are certain key components that makeup my educational philosphy. My tweet is: patience, self-regulation, empathy, perseverance.
You know, I'm not so sure that endless hope fuels great education. I know that it fuels continual change in education. (smile) I think it is the other way around. Great education fuels endless hope. Perseverance, creativity and pragmatism fuel great education.
color outside the lines.
Christina, both your comments remind me of the virtuous cycle in that you could be addressing any point in the educational process. Take the idea of hope as the fuel. I agree completely with what you say, in that great education should make one feel hopeful. But teachers must have a great sense of hope to keep on doing what they do, to see the possibilities. If they do, then a student may. Similarly, teachers need those qualities and can model them for their students, who can then develop them as they mature.
Pam, definitely! Have you ever heard a Harry Chapin song about a kid who gets slammed in school for not coloring flowers the right way? Part of the problem with the educational system is that we want it to be linear and standardized. And sometimes fear on everyone's part can paralyze us.
Inspiring a person to be able to think within and out of the box,depending on circumstances.
I like everyone's contributions. Sylvia's makes the most sense to me. Brilliant!
Sylvia, in many ways yours makes a great deal of sense. But I'd have to add something I guess would move it past tweet status. I want students to question the very nature of the box itself.
The very nature of the box under fire! Good show! The tweet expands!
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