on being a change-maker.

Revolutions start with fundamental challenges.  Ten years ago, education was crying out for a revolution.  I was hopeful in my early teaching years that local and federal governments were prioritizing educational agendas and spending more tax dollars on schools.  Sounded promising, right?  Somehow, though,  “educational reform” turned out to be the accountability movement.  

In actuality, even my homeboy Obama couldn’t shake the contagious narrative of what turned out to be Race to the Top (a 5 billion dollar grant to reward top-performing schools).  And now, in our recent transition from NCLB to ESSA, despite policy differences,  it all feels the same to me.  Testing still reigns.  

But I will not bow down.  

I despise testing.  I despise nonsensical data analysis.  I despise being told that scores matter.  

I love the opposite.  I love pushing kids to think outside the box.  I love inquiry-based projects.  I love when students challenge each other’s thinking and review their September versus May writing pieces. (Talk about growth!) I love diving into a good book with my kiddos and how, together, we transport far, far away for forty-five minutes, analyzing character reactions to life's surprises, each step of the way.  

We know what drives us and what doesn’t. I’m not sharing this to ask you to live in denial and ignore the realities of day to day teacher and student expectations.  Perhaps, though, by pushing hard on what we believe in, rather than what we don’t, success stories might catch on, and others might follow our alternative path.  

We can push the positive instead of bash the negative.  

True, it’s no small feat.  When it comes to the standardized testing obsession, sometimes we don’t know what else to do.  What’s the alternative?  PD’s focus on data analysis and student growth measures.  Teacher evaluations and celebrations reward test scores.  Who’s pushing otherwise?  Where are these revolutionaries?

We are teachers.  We are the change-makers.  We are the revolutionaries.  

And if we’re sitting back and letting things we don’t believe in just happen to us and our kids, then we should probably stop complaining.  

What do you want to change? Promote what you believe in...not what you don’t.  

1. When promoting what you love/what you believe in, using research-based best practices to support your mission goes a long way.  Credible resources are a must.  
2. Pilot programs or ideas with your students.  Pull out the ol’ scientific method and use the results to spread the word.  Pre and post data might persuade others to consider your new strategy.  
3. Aim to advocate for one thing at a time.  Momentum can die quickly when we take on too much at once.  Start small and dream big!

Being a change-maker isn’t easy and focusing on the positive when you’re just so dang tired is a challenge.  The feeling of waking up each day and doing what’s right can release a lot of that stress and ignite the fire within.  

Who knows, the stress might just turn into passion and we could have a 2020 educational revolution on our hands!

Power to the teacher.