A few days after I had written my blog about finding balance with homework and life, my son shared a great Prince Ea video, “What is school for?” This video resonated with him and completely supported some of the themes we have been addressing in this blog. Prince Ea makes a case that we are heading in the right direction as we continue to reinvent how we teach, inspire and guide our students. What skills are they learning that can be applied in their daily lives? Should making the grade be their ultimate goal?
Although many things resonated with me while watching the short video, one idea stood out. Prince Ea, stated “If schools put learning instead of memorizing and testing as the top standard then the letter ‘F’ would not stand for ‘failure’. It would stand for ‘find another answer.’ ” Yes… find another answer. The grade should not be the “end-all-be-all”. Intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and problem solving are gateways to future success and opportunities. Providing opportunities for students to foster these skills is worth investing our time and energy in.
If you end up checking out the video “What is school for?”, you will see a link to an interesting website. The “Innovation Playlist” on this website includes ideas, information and resources that can inspire and push us out of our comfort zone. We want our students to dare greatly, to not be afraid of failing so… why not us?
#inspireddaily