The fall season always seems to be the busiest for me as a writer and editor. I have no complaints. But it does distract me from keeping up with this blog.
For now, I just want to note three education-related pieces I wrote for the Carney, Sandoe & Associates blog:
Speaking of Speaking — December 2018
Saying No to the Packhorse School of Education — October 2018
Environmental Education Now — October 2018
I’ve been thinking a great deal about quality education in a era in which our schools feel like cultural battlefields.
It seems obvious, for instance, that we need to focus more on the social-emotional health of students, but too many schools remain focused on test-prep and ranking and sorting students, as if that adds up to a quality education.
It seems obvious that we need to address global warming and related environmental issues in our science and humanities courses, but these courses still remain on the margins in most schools.
It seems obvious that we need to focus on instilling and supporting essential skills — especially creativity, resiliency, collaboration, and communication — yet too few schools are thinking systemically about how to instill these skills across the curriculum.
I know change comes slowly to schools — and I appreciate the hard work teachers do every day. But I also feel a deeper sense of urgency for improving education so it constantly serves as an avenue toward a better culture and world. Mostly, I want to thank those who are doing pioneering work in these important areas, and encourage others to join in.