Ask almost any teacher what the most important thing in the school is and you’ll probably get a similar answer: the students. Of course. The kids are the reason we find ourselves hunting for flat toothpicks at 9:30 on a school night. The reason we skip lunch to grab a quick conference with a parent we’ve finally reached. The reason we buy a gallon of glue to make slime. The reason we are constantly seeking to improve ourselves as teachers.
But, when it comes time to make changes in education, do we still keep our focus on the kids? Do we “play it safe” and go with the majority so we don’t make any waves? What if people think our ideas are wrong? What if others disagree? Do you cling to your textbook because that’s what everyone else is doing? How often do we think about trying something different, only to be afraid to go against “the system”? I usually think of fear as the kind that leaves you screaming at the scary movie, but isn’t fear also that little thing that sometimes holds us back from making changes?
Until we step out of the box, willing to push past the resistance, and extend ourselves beyond our own comfort zone, education is going to remain stuck. Change won’t be smooth. It won’t even be easy. But, the alternative is not changing. Remember the reason: the kids. That little bit of fear? It’s just not as important as they are.
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