Summer Set Back?

Should we radically change the school calendar?  Recently I read an "article" about getting rid of summer vacation for kids.  Read Here  One of the arguments was that kids forget "stuff" over the summer break, and then teachers and schools waste all sorts of time trying to catch them back up again; it is assumed that this cycle continues throughout the students K-12 career.  To me, an ideal situation is one where kids use the summer break to learn and grow based on their own interests and passions.  How can schools embrace summer breaks as an opportunity for student growth and learning?   Does our society create a situation where the parent(s) are working, and the student gets to stay home all day and play video games or watch TV?   If parents are unable to enrich their childrens lives during the summer break, is it a schools job to "fix" this situation?

A recent article in the Globe & Mail on increased enrolment in Summer School shows that kids aren't taking Summer School because they're repeating courses they've failed.  Many are simply interested in "getting through" the factory we call school.  If this is true, it saddens me because our schools should be engaging and interesting places. The learning that goes on in schools should lead to a well rounded education, one that prepares students for a future where their opinion and involvement in society makes the world a better place.  Schools shouldn't be a place where the big reward at the end of it all is simply some grades and the chance to leave.  That said, it is interesting to me that it is succesful students themselves who are driving the increase in summer school enrolment.  It's as if students are interested in their futures..."let me get school out of the way so I can move ahead with my life!"  It is this form of personalizing their education that schools should be interested in embracing...the question is how.  One recent example of how was a week long camp I read about where students interested in law enforcement, receieved an up close and personal chance to see what that job is really like.  To me, this is an example of what summer learning should be like, quite the opposite from regular school.  The benefits go way beyond the classroom too, it was a very interesting piece of learning outside of school. 

As a summer work experience teacher, I am in touch with students and their employers constantly over the summer.  The teacher / student relationship has a very different feel to it over the sunny season because of the broader community relationship developed through work experience.  The above articles, and my personal experience made me think that schools may be better off moving away from the normal idea that all "learning" happens at school.  The important questions are, how can we effectively involve the home, the community, and businesses more in the broader education of our children?  When we rely on schools for education, we forget that education happens outside of school too!  Of course this begs the question, "What is school for?"  If that is a question you've been pondering then you simply must read Seth Godin's book "Stop Stealing Dreams."  This free E-Book is a must read for any teacher or education stakeholder.   

Student motivation to get through school should lead students to their preferred destination.  If you're thinking that schools should just deal with the societal demands of literacy and numeracy; preparing students for the workforce you would be wrong.  Education stakeholders seem to worry about the results of standardized tests more than anything.  Of course, these measures indicate certain skills in literacy and numeracy, I understand that, and its easy to argue that literacy and numeracy are critical to future success.  What these exams miss out on is something more important. 

Should our schools be offering more of what  Patrick Awuah is trying to offer in Africa?  Patrick Awuah is trying to improve life and an education system in Africa by teaching his countries children skills such as Leadership, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving.  His questions,  around why Ghana produces so many corrupt and unethical leaders had me thinking about what our Education system values.  Awuah believes that Ghana's children needed a lot less emphasis on the rote memorization of facts, and the regurgitation of this information.  I believe this is what we need too.  It took an African TED Talk to help me realize how important it is to reform our education system for the betterment of our children. 

When all we are worried about is grades and marks, we seem to forget what school is for.  This clip from HBO's series (The Newsroom) highlights some of America's failures, and it has made me think a lot about what we need our schools of the future to do.  Our world needs leaders, and we currently prepare our young for the future by forcing them through a factory we call education.  Let me be clear, we have a great Education system in Alberta...we don't have this whole thing wrong, but we do need to look at improving it.  Our children need to know and understand what true Leadership is, What Critical Thinking is, and how to Solve Problems.  This is something schools can't do on their own, this kind of learning needs to be done in partnership, with parents, the community, business, and schools all involved. 

Summer school enrolments increasing may point to the fact that students are eager to get through and get started on their own personalized agenda.  This is what we want and need from our students.  As they emerge from high school, they need to be prepared to get out in the world, and follow their interests and passions.   They need to know how to read and write, and they need to know what real Leadership, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving is.  In many ways we need to go back in time and foster the Pioneer spirit that helped settle Alberta.  Reading A Candle in the Grubbox by reminded me of what it really means to problem solve and persevere, it's a great read for all people interested in education.

Our system needs to ensure that students know more than easily forgetable, Trivial Pursuit kinds of questions.  Should we consider the calendar too?  Of course, but the question is how can we change our school calendar to be in constant support of students? 

All of this from a question about Summer School.

 

What if Teachers Were Paid Like Professional Athletes?

I had a few thoughts rolling around in my head over the holidays, and one had me thinking about the teaching profession, and how it pays its professionals. The question was, does our education system, with a basic structure of Superintendents, Administrators, and Teachers running the show, have things all wrong. In sum, we are basically operating under the assumption that Superintendents make the most money, Administrators make the next most money, and teachers make the least? This isn't a debate about paying teachers more, but I was comparing the pay grades of these positions in terms of real value?

In professional sports, the "best" athletes make the most money. These athletes earn a great living, but that said they work for owners, Team Presidents, and General Managers. Owners aside, I am assuming that Team Presidents and General Managers do not earn anywhere near what the highest paid athletes make. Why? Because the athlete, a person not in a official position of "power" within a team is the reason for success or failure. Compare this to teachers. Teachers are on the front lines of education; student motivation, happiness, wellness, and success depends on the teacher. A great teacher can make a huge difference, be it positively or negatively, in a child's life. Does 'success' in our system push our best teachers into Administrative positions?

There is some logic to the fact that a great teacher, should remain a great teacher for as long as they can. Unlike professional athletes, a master teacher would probably age like a fine wine. Their skills and influence in the classroom would grow because they would continually do the job they were meant to do. Our education system would appear to push our best teachers into leadership positions. Hence the question, does the allure of "Administration" take great teachers out of the classroom to the detriment of students? I understand the argument for Instructional Leadership, and I do know that there are many great teachers acting as Superintendents and Administrators. I have no doubt that these fine teachers themselves continue to have a positive impact on schools, teachers, and students. That said, part of me can't help but wonder what would happen if we had a system where the best of the best stayed in the classroom. What would it be like to work in a system where the best players stayed in the game for as long as possible? To me this was an interesting question, and I sometimes wonder if we have things completely wrong.