At this weekend's TEDxNYED conference, I had the great pleasure to hear the talented musician, Morley who uses her craft as a tool to inspire change. In this video she features the students of our future who declare, "We will change everything!"
The sentiment is powerful, but I'm left wondering, how American schools and educators are helping students meet that promise? When we see schools today moving in the direction of more tests, harder tests, more rigor, and less choice in the classes students take, the question that lingers is this: "When will students have time to change anything when we don't give them the time to discover, explore, and grow their own passions?" Instead we focus our time, talents, energies and funds on ensuring they have high scores on tests often in subjects they never even wanted to take.
TEDxYouthday Theme Song from TEDxAmsterdam on Vimeo.
Why are there not more educators saying this....I so agree with you. I feel standardized tests and test scores have taken precedence over educating the whole child. Are we really helping them learn? Are we really preparing our students for the future? It remains to be seen. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMost schools are NOT helping kids participate in the world. If adults don't get involved and help shape kids' experiences, we may be sorry. Kids can create a subculture adults never see. It's in our interest and the world's that it be constructive.
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