Dear Teachers, it's not your fault.

Dear Teachers,

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During our meeting yesterday, I heard the strain in your voices, saw the tears in your eyes, and felt the yearning in your hearts to be better teachers.

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And yet, your students are disengaged, and you are exhausted.

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You want to be a better team and improve as teachers. You so deeply want to create a good classroom environment where students are learning, and their needs are being met.

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And yet, your students are disengaged, and you are exhausted.

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I’ve watched you teach. You employ masterful strategies to help students be focused. You differentiate a lot of the learning. You have techniques to calm a rowdy room. You lean into restorative practices. You work so hard to bring energy, joy, and to make lessons fun. You put so much energy into being charismatic and putting on a show.

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And yet, your students are disengaged, and you are exhausted.

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You pour your own money into buying more resources for the classroom. You give up lunchtimes to grade work. You forgo recess to tend to the emotional needs of students. You sacrifice your social life over weekends because you are preparing classes for the next week.

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And yet, your students are disengaged, and you are exhausted.

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Teachers, it’s not your fault.

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Have you ever noticed what happens when students tell you about something they are passionate about? How their eyes light up when they talk about a hobby? How excited they are when they tell you about a TV show or a YouTube video? Why do kids bubble with excitement when they get to solve a problem they care about?

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But, you seldom see that excitement and interest in your classroom.

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Teachers, it’s not your fault.

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Your students are disengaged because the work is meaningless. It has little or no connection to their lives or interests. The curriculum you so earnestly follow lacks any relevance to the current or future needs of the students. And they know it.

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Your students are disengaged because the type of schooling they are enduring seldom takes kids where they want to go. The school day is rigorously piloted by adults following a set curriculum. It almost never leans into the passions, strengths, and talents of the students.

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Teachers, you are exhausted because you are working so hard to keep students engaged in a system that is outdated and broken. They know it. They are bored and frustrated because they are wasting years of their lives sitting in classrooms where you try to fill their heads with content that we as adults have deemed useful and that kids may use in the future.

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Teachers, it’s not your fault. There is a way to engage your students and energize yourself.

It’s time for something new. The current form of education once worked well. It no longer serves us or our children or our future. A new form of schooling is needed. Let’s use schools to activate the incredible talents of students.

Look at schools through these three lenses to make schools ARTful:

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Is this Authentic?

Let’s allow them to tackle challenges facing them and humanity. "Authentic" accomplishment involves real-world engagement and meaningful application. It immerses students in genuine problems and projects that result in real-world accomplishments.

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Is this Relevant?

Tailor content and projects that are relevant to their interests, aspirations, and to the needs of the world around them. Give students endless opportunities to address challenges that matter to them. Have create products that are realistically offer a solution.

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Is this Transferable?

Cultivate adaptable students who can seamlessly apply their learning to these novel challenges. Skills and knowledge will be immediately transferred and quickly mastered by students when your classroom focuses on real-world projects that have a positive impact.

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Teachers, isn’t this the kind of classroom that will invigorate you and engage your students?

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Isn’t this the type of education your students and the world need?

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#EducationRevolution #InnovationInEducation #LeadershipJourney #FutureReady #ARTful

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At The PDL Group, we free schools from an outdated model of education. We strategically advise schools, coach leaders, develop managers, and train teachers to redesign schools that meet the needs of students in the 21st century. We create Future Ready Schools.

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