Better Opportunities Today and more Tomorrow...

When I think back to my early childhood days as a student I realize there were lots of lost opportunities. I had excellent teachers and attended a great school, but there was no thought of actually assessing before teaching. Everyone started at the same place and everyone moved at the same rate or stayed behind. There was ONE learning target…learn what the teacher was teaching at that moment. We all did the same worksheets, we took the same tests, in the same way and we read the same books and answered the same questions about the same books. We did learn and grow…but what else could have we learned and how far could have we grown had the approach been more like it is today?

Today we know that every child starts at a different place and moves at a different rate in respect to various learning targets. We understand that it is virtually impossible to begin teaching without first assessing. Students today are fortunate that so much research has gone into educating and learning. Teachers are fortunate as well, we have access to countless resources and thousands of colleagues. We can ‘pin’, ‘tweet’ and ‘surf’. We can use data in many different ways to help guide our instruction time and create personalized learning experiences for our students.

Although I am grateful for the great education I received and I appreciate the teachers that came to school every day prepared to teach; I cannot help but feel a little envious of the opportunities students receive today. I wonder how my education would have been different had I received formative instructional practices instead of the same worksheet my other 25 classmates received. What if I had been assessed before my teacher began the unit? How far could I have gone? Would I have received a better foundation of the subjects with which I struggled? Could I have advanced more quickly in Language Arts and spent more time in Math making valuable gains? Would I have chosen a four-year college right out of high school instead of waiting? I realize dwelling on the past doesn’t change outcomes, but if it is reflective dwelling, then it may have the potential to change future outcomes.

     I know many people think kids today have it rough with all the demands of education and the competitiveness of college and career readiness. I disagree. I would rather have tough demands and competitiveness than learning the same thing inside the same box. I would rather have my abilities, strengths and weaknesses actually considered than receive the same curriculum and routine as everyone else. Realizing the potential each child has and teaching in a way that accentuates that potential for each individual student is the goal and promise of teaching today.

Science, technology and research is constantly improving what we can offer the next generation. I am grateful that I received a better education and more opportunities than my parents and I am grateful that my children have received better and more than I. My goal now is to give the students of the future the most and best available today; while keeping in mind that tomorrow I should have something more and better to offer.