I’m not a rule-breaker. I wish I were.
But at 58, I don’t think I’ll be changing.
So I’ve had to learn to live with my fear, occasionally challenging myself to break the mold, let go, and take a leap of faith.
Heights, disappointing people, boats on choppy water. These give me constant struggle.
But believing that schools often damage children? Knowing that the way we “do school” is wrong? I’m not afraid to make those changes. These are questions I’m grappling with these days:
- The importance of writing and how the teaching of writing needs to change
- Whether college as we know it matters
- How to maintain a curious mind
- Whether the institution is the problem or the size of the institution
I suppose my own school experience contributes to my need to improve what we do. Because of my dad’s military career, I attended 13 schools in 12 years. I have only one positive memory of a teacher who mattered to me in all those years, and she changed my future.
I have no easy answers, but I continue to study and research the possibilities for change. Being afraid to rock the boat will mean calm waters but no movement. And I don’t want to stand still.