Redefining Education

After a forty-year teaching career in public, charter and private schools, it has become clear to me that we are failing our children. It is my intention, at this stage of my life, to do everything I can to change that. Major decisions about education are not made by the stakeholders but rather by politicians and corporate leaders. I see a society that places more value on those with power and wealth, at the top of the hierarchy, than those who face poverty and racism, who come at the bottom of the hierarchy. The failure of education is the failure to address racism and poverty. It is my opinion that we need to begin to recover our lost power by creating an arena for a process to emerge that will include everyone’s voice. We need to begin a national conversation about the purpose of public education in the 21st century and then consider how we will get there.

Based on my observation and experience once children are in schools they are no longer empowered, autonomous learners. The agenda is clear. It is adult driven and full of standardized content that lacks room or flexibility for them to insert their own personal skills and interests. Thus they become cogs in a wheel, fitting into a slot that society has created often without ever realizing their true passions and potential. They follow rules and teachings without question and accept the hierarchical concept of society. There are some schools where students are encouraged to claim their voice and question authority but these schools are more often found in privileged, wealthy towns and neighborhoods. Across vast swaths of the country…