We already know that the traditional educational system doesn’t work as it’s written. Students, teachers, parents, administrators, even lawmakers know this. That’s why you’re here, on the LEADPrep website.
What proof do I have? Look at any public education system and figure out how often they’ve changed curriculum, adopted a new supplemental program, adjusted the way they work with “problem” children, refined how they monitor those who need additional support, etc. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any school that hasn’t made multiple changes in multiple categories in any given year.
It doesn’t work. So why do we keep running on the hamster wheel?
It’s time to unlearn. Let kids unlearn from the way WE learned in school. (It wasn’t best practice then; it’s definitely not best practice now.) Unlearn that test scores and GPAs are a sign of student achievement. (They’re not.) Unlearn that “butts in seats” mean that children are learning. (I don’t think I need to tell you that this is far from true.)
Look at the difference between how you grew up and what life looks like for kids today. In our youth, we didn’t have cell phones or on-demand television, we were expected to play outside (we wanted to play outside) and connection meant being face-to-face with our friends and loved ones.
It’s like night and day when you consider the technology changes, social development, human connection, racial awakening, and more.
And yet. The status quo in education is for students to sit in a classroom and listen to a teacher talk.
We’ve learned so much over the years about the importance of student agency, getting the child involved, hands-on learning, and more. Yet we keep doing the same thing and expect different results from the young adults in the workforce.
On a recent podcast episode, I talked with with Peter Hostrawser, the “unlearning coach,” about how we can stop checking off boxes in the classroom and start to let kids share their stories and design their own education.
It wouldn’t be difficult for any educational institution to get started; all it takes is an open mind and a desire to do things differently. After all, that’s how we operate at LEADPrep!
With how different life is today, I’d say it’s a requirement.
