"Why?" Questions for Education

As I reflected on discussions about education at the national and state level and my experiences as an educator for 45 years, I want to pose these why? questions for education. I don't have the answers, but I believe that these are questions we might explore if we want to make the kinds of changes that are necessary to prepare our children to inherit a world where they can make a difference. Here are some of my why? questions:

• Why are schools so "traditional" and why is it so hard to change?
• Why aren't we looking at different ways to fund the building and/or upgrading our schools to the 21st century?
• Why can't developers be responsible to build schools for the areas they are developing?
• Why do we need standardized report cards to tell us how a student is doing in school? What do grades really tell us about a student? 
• Why do we need standardized tests? What do these tests really tell us that we didn't already know about a student?
• Why do we have grade level standards? What would be a better way of collecting evidences of student progress - where they started and where they are now - as opposed to where we say they need to be by the end of a grade level?
• If we value innovation and diversity, why are we so intent on standardizing education?
• Why do we keep talking about school reform? When will we stop talking and do something amazing that will keep our teachers excited about teaching and our kids excited about learning?
• Why aren't educators valued in the United States as they are in other countries?

And my most important why? question is:  If we say that the 'children are our future,' why aren't we willing to invest in that future?

What questions would you add to the discussion? 

Hooray for Twitter!

As a recently retired principal, I have time on my hands. It’s wonderful to be able to relax and not be beholden to schedules and the responsibilities of the position.

Teaching staff returned to work in Hawaii this past week. It was great to see the enthusiasm as evidenced by the Twitter posts. Around ten years ago, I started a Twitter account for school, primarily to keep parents informed about upcoming events or activities. Then I read a blog somewhere that Twitter can be an effective professional development tool. Hmm . . . I decided that there was more to this social media site than I previously thought. I started paying more attention to who I followed and what they were sharing. I also did my best to share how Twitter was helping me as a principal, but getting others on-board was a challenge.

Last year, I wrote a blog, "Connecting with Our School Communities," encouraging principals to use social media to communicate about happenings at their school. I suggested using Twitter as a starting point. Twitter is not only a way to share the great things happening at our schools; it's also a wonderful way to learn about the latest educational research, to read about other schools, not just in our state but nationally and internationally, and to make connections that can enhance how we teach and learn.

As the year progressed, I noticed more and more educators and school leaders in Hawaii being active contributors on Twitter. When the school year started this past week, there were so many photos and tweets about how the first days of school were structured to engage and empower teachers so they, in turn, can use these strategies with their students. I saw schools using problem-solving processes, going on field trips to sites in their community, learning about SEL programs,and sharing information through collaborative group work. I saw tweets about partnerships with the community and engaging parents through different types of activities. The beauty of Twitter is that it then allows schools to contact each other especially if they are experiencing the same kinds of challenges, and through the many and diverse edchats,, an educator can participate and learn from other like-minded participants. Twitter provides an opportunity for individualized professional development.

It is my hope that all educators will begin to see the value in Twitter, not just as a tool for communication, but also as an opportunity to share and learn from each other. I would also encourage these schools to explore how their students can use Twitter to enhance their educational experiences. If you haven't tried Twitter yet, create an account and see how it might work for you.