Thinking About: Learning Revolution

Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution! https://youtu.be/r9LelXa3U_I

Daniel Pink's Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us https://youtu.be/u6XAPnuFjJc

I think many ideas shared in the revisiting of these two videos particularly resonated with me. First of all, educators have a deep and profound responsibility to foster a nurturing, supportive, and respectful learning environment that values each student's dreams and aspirations. These learners are people, unique individuals, who are being entrusted to others who have to have continuous training and certification updates to prove they can educate.

However, as is certainly brought to light in recent times, educators and the educational field are not treated as equal among professionals. The most recent social media posts and news posts especially during this economic time are really showing how educators are paid much less as compared to peers with the same amount of education, degree requirements, and years of service. That led me to think about David Pink's explanation "If people don't need to worry about money they can focus on the work..." (Pink, 2010). What if our educators were paid like other professionals? Even a cost of living adjustment? Would that make educators more motivated to continuously be focused on mastering their craft? I saw something posted on Facebook sharing "In 1999, a house was $105K. Today the same house is $490K. In 199, a teacher's salary was $65k. Today, a teacher's salary is $69K". What other professionals work extra hours with the compensation of being able to wear jeans? With teacher retention being at the forefront amidst a teacher shortage are we in a system that allows for and supports "the three factors [that] lead to better performance and personal satisfaction: autonomy, mastery, purpose"? (Pink, 2010).

(This is the meme is circulating lately on social media...Actually it's worse than it portrays. The numbers expressed in 'constant 2021-2022 dollars' factoring Consumer Price index - average 1999 teacher salary in US was $69,647. In 2021-2022 it dropped to $66,397. Source: https://nces.ed.gov/pro.../digest/d22/tables/dt22_211.60.asp)

This leads me to some thinking regarding our current educational system. We can't keep putting scotch tape repairs on a structure that needs bulldozing and rebuilding. There is no more "reform" to be had. I am now at the point in my educational career where I have seen at least three pedagogical practices be dismissed and then resurface as something new under a different and updated name (Language Arts teachers, can you relate?). "Many of our ideas have been formed not to meet with the circumstances of this century, but to cope with the circumstances of previous centuries, but our minds are still hypnotized by them. (Robinson, 2010) Until we can break the educational state of hypnosis, we are going to remain stuck in the same cycle. Until teachers' collective voices are heard (civilly, of course), and changes are made so the paradigm shifts, we can expect to repeat the same patterns. Until then, we need to continue to disruptively innovate within the system, until the system HAS to change.

I like how Sir Ken Robinson quoted Abraham Lincoln when he was demanding essential cultural and societal change for our country "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high ... and we must rise with it...we must think anew...and disenthrall ourselves." (A. Lincoln, Robinson, 2010). I genuinely thought COVID and learning from home was going to be the tipping point, propelling our educational system forward and blended learning being the standard model. So much creativity was unleashed. So much learning occurred! How many past pandemics has the world seen where mass education CONTINUED? I mean, there really was no "learning loss". There was "learning change", meaning- we continued to keep learning a priority during a worldwide CRISIS. Learning still occurred. It didn't stop. Now we are adjusted to our new "normal", and we have to adjust where we think kids "should be" versus meeting them where they are and growing them forward. We have the privilege of MANY great educational leaders before us who have laid out the groundwork necessary for educational transformation that other countries are already using successfully (Finland, anyone?)! Why aren't we using the SAME research for the betterment of our educational system? What is the real reason to remain so stubbornly committed to a system that is truly and fundamentally broken at so many levels?

References

Robinson, K. (2010, May 24). Bring on the learning revolution! | Sir Ken Robinson. YouTube. https://youtu.be/r9LelXa3U_I

RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. (2010, April 1). RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. YouTube. https://youtu.be/u6XAPnuFjJc