Things. Scantron. Standardized Test. Worksheet. Desk. Chair. Hour. Coffee Mug. Light saber. All things. Things you can hold in your hand. Things you can put on a list.
Ways. Joyful. Thoughtful. Deepened Learning. Connecting. Creating. Making. The message of art. The sound of a poem. The beat of music. The feelings provoked by doing what you love. All ways.
We somehow allowed education to get watered down by things. Sure, we need things. But the necessities of education? The authentic ways to connect, grow, and share.
If you’re about to build a MakerSpace in your school, don’t ask yourself what things you need. Ask yourself what ways you can do things differently. How can you turn your writing assignment into an open ended choice where kids can be more creative? How can you incoporate robotics into that book that already brings joy into your kindergarten classroom? How can you rearrange the room you already have, or use spraypaint to tone down a mismatched scheme of color to allow for student thought to fill the canvas of the room? How can kids drive the curriculum so that they are not solving problems written by someone in an office far away, but solving real problems that make their hearts beat to come to school.
It’s just like the force. It’s not a thing. It’s a way. And it’s about finding a better one. Making school more.

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[…] If you’re about to build a MakerSpace in your school, don’t ask yourself what things you need. Ask yourself what ways you can do things differently. How can you turn your writing assignment into an open ended choice where kids can be more creative? How can you incoporate robotics into that book that already brings joy into your kindergarten classroom? How can you rearrange the room you already have, or use spraypaint to tone down a mismatched scheme of color to allow for student thought to fill the canvas of the room? How can kids drive the curriculum so that they are not solving problems written by someone in an office far away, but solving real problems that make their hearts beat to come to school. It’s just like the force. It’s not a thing. It’s a way. And it’s about finding a better one. Making school more. […]
[…] “ If you’re about to build a MakerSpace in your school, don’t ask yourself what things you need. Ask yourself what ways you can do things differently. How can you turn your writing assignment into an open ended choice where kids can be more creative? How can you incoporate robotics into that book that already brings joy into your kindergarten classroom? How can you rearrange the room you already have, or use spraypaint to tone down a mismatched scheme of color to allow for student thought to fill the canvas of the room? How can kids drive the curriculum so that they are not solving problems written by someone in an office far away, but solving real problems that make their hearts beat to come to school. It’s just like the force. It’s not a thing. It’s a way. And it’s about finding a better one. Making school more.” […]