We have an opportunity to let go of our broken education system and build something better for our future. Let’s not waste it.
I taught high school online for six years. I ran professional development for virtual and blended schools and spoke at education and technology conferences throughout that time. I have seen the potential of distance-learning, its success’, its limitations, and its drawbacks. Before COVID hit, I was in the process of opening a blended high school in a co-working space that reimagined education from the ground up. I, like many, have spoken out against the broken education system in this country and have been working hard to change it.
And then all of a sudden, it did change- just not in a way any of us anticipated.
In recent weeks, many have pointed out that this is an opportunity to build a new system, an opportunity to discard the broken outdated and unjust institution for one that actually serves teachers and students and helps advance society. That is the goal of education after all- the betterment of people and society. That is what education can be for. It doesn’t need to be about standardized tests, canned curriculum, and outdated assessments. Education can have a purpose beyond the acquisition of perfect grades, test scores, and the ticking of boxes for a college admissions application. Those things aren’t education, they are just a part of an institution we have the opportunity to let go of.
As we move into summer- as schools, teachers, and families try to find a way forward uncertain if schools will open in the fall- I say focus on curiosity.
While at home, dedicate time to play and experimentation, because that is how young people learn. Talk to them, have them explain what they are doing and why, help guide them to information to further their knowledge and develop their passions. Try not to worry too much about them falling behind on their testing skills or force them to click through irrelevant online material that bores them. It will only add to stress and tension at home, which no one needs right now.
The core reading, writing, and mathematics skills that have been deemed most important in education (as evident by state testing) can be learned in a million ways. Surprisingly, they are not the proprietary skills of worksheets and textbooks. Experts in education have been saying for decades that students with choice and agency in the topics they explore will not only be more engaged in learning, they will gain skills through that exploration. So let them explore.
This is an opportunity to cultivate curiosity with the purpose of developing life-long skills; not just temporarily memorized facts. An opportunity to create a system dedicated to the learner that engages their interests and pushes them to question and innovate. School should not be synonymous with data-driven standardization. “Success” should not be measured by bubble tests or formulaic five-paragraph essays. That system developed to reduce students to statistics for easy comparison during the college admissions process. That system was designed to take the human condition out of consideration.
None of this advice solves the current crisis. None of it changes the stress and anxiety of uncertainty moving forward. However, I hope it plants a seed of what education could be. An optimism about how we can move forward and choose to build something better. We can create a system that values humanity over data, and I hope we take it.
More from Elizabeth Dowell
Former high school social studies teacher turned school founder and education disruptor.
Elizabeth Dowell 