Irrelevant

Irrelevant.

I once wrote to someone explaining my philosophy of education that “education IS change, if we don’t learn to change, we become irrelevant.” With the onset of COVID-19 and subsequent shelter in place rulings, shutdowns, and social distancing, the changes that took place overnight quickly highlighted, and I’m afraid to say, grow increasingly more evident, how incredibly irrelevant public education has become.

Granted, schools and school districts do amazing work. The logistical day in and day out nightmares that dictate the majority of what schools, teachers, and administrators do is nothing short of miracles, minute by minute.  To feed, shelter, engage, provide clothing, safety, transportation, and care is amazing. The fact that any learning takes place is astounding. On top of that – our educators keep coming back to take care of our kids despite low pay, crazy amounts of paperwork, and endless certifications and trainings.

But let’s talk about irrelevancy for a moment.

When talking about things that are antiquated, I typically think in terms of old, like a dresser, or an old car. Still functioning in their designed capacity, but now fragile, or perhaps irreplaceable because it is no longer made. Even possibly the thought that something might be outdated – a marker of time past.

With irrelevancy, however, the idea that there is no longer value – no longer contribution – seems to have more of a negative connotation. If someone said I was an antique, I might take it as a compliment – I don’t mind being older. I believe wisdom comes with age. If someone said I was irrelevant, it means I’m disconnected – as if I am unaware.

I wonder if our schools realize they had no idea how to logistically or curricularly deliver quality instruction with K-12 online?

I wonder if they are cognizant of the fact that many children, mine included, can complete a week’s worth of lessons in roughly 4 hours, when not distracted by other students?

Or better yet, that they are suffering socially and emotionally from the withdrawal of not being able to interact with each other, tell stories, go to specials and extra-curricular activities?  

I wonder if schools and administrators are prepared to provide mental health care upon return to school as for the first time in my memory, EVERY SINGLE student will have experienced a form of trauma – simply by not being in school for this amount of time. Add to that – the students that have been at home with parents that don’t know how to parent, households that are abusive, the stress of spending all day within a family network that may have lost a job, spent a college fund, or have now been exposed to abuses that did not exist previously.

There is a long inward look that has to happen within schools around the country.  The deepest look is not into the logistics of how to get everyone back to school. Schools and teachers are good at that. It happens every year, at least twice. The deepest look is into the darkest places of our collective educational soul… is what we are teaching relevant? Is it relevant to the new world that emerges out of the first COVID-19 pandemic? If we are not willing to look deeply into our curriculum, our objectives, our delivery of instruction, and we simply put those things aside to help facilitate a faster “recovery”, we have only delayed the inevitable – the wounds are deep and need deep healing, socially, emotionally, and educationally. If the time isn’t taken, our irrelevancy that was highlighted by COVID-19, becomes a choice we make to be without purpose – and all the while we tell ourselves we are okay with being antique. If we make a choice to be without purpose, we make a choice to look away when others are hurting and when those that need voices are silenced. We choose to stop listening, to stop watching, and to stop feeling. When we can no longer distinguish between irrelevancy and having a meaningful impact on others, we lose our ability to change – and in doing so – we lose ourselves, our humanity, and our ability as educators to cultivate the very essence of the human soul. It is a gift we are given, it is a responsibility we have taken, and it is a duty we must complete. 

Don’t become irrelevant.

The world depends on it.