Category: Instruction

Education Still Has Time to Choose Humanity in an Age of AI

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Surely I am not the only educator who is tired of watching lipstick being put on pig after pig. Apparent improvements on the surface without really addressing what is required. Intentions and measures taken to raise test scores, create policies around AI usage, and nail down portraits of graduates.  Each might appear successful but ignores the deeper issues.  I only trust 2026 will result in letting the pig be a pig. This possibly requires discomfort as we remove the veneer, are more honest, and see things for what they are. Notably also, for where we currently stand. Then, and only then, might we address what truly is priority. Seemingly, I consistently keep coming back to the power of slowing down. Society is not becoming any less rushed or distracted, so we must learn to consciously do this, slow down. AI this. AI that. Everywhere we turn, AI. Important it clearly is, however it is imperative we gather our thoughts and our selves. Reflecting on what matters most, so as to protect the very human values that make us who we are.

When Outsourced Systems Stop Seeing People

Over the holidays, several hours passed me by as I tried to fix a holiday flight issue. The “support” I received was outsourced and scripted. My frustration mounted as a result of loud background noise at a busy foreign call center. I could barely hear or understand. At times I questioned if I was even communicating with a human. With each phone call, chat, and e-mail, my sense of helplessness left me feeling like I was free falling into an abyss. What contributed most to this, was that it did not appear that anyone was truly  listening or moreover, willing to take ownership.

At one point I surprised myself with the nerve to ask, “Who is responsible here?” Only to be met with, “I don’t understand sir.”

“Uggh!” Not one to give up, I trudged on.

A reader may wonder what this has to do with education. Everything!

Efficiency at What Cost?

Just as no company can outsource responsibility without losing trust, schools cannot outsource learning or human connection without losing purpose. A similar frustration I felt shows up in classrooms and throughout the current decaying education system. The quest for efficiency, blended with AI tools may accelerate the “knowledge” economy but, such automation may just be racing us further apart as humans. Einstein warned, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.”  Specifically, he was concerned that ethics were lagging behind as weapons had become powerful enough to destroy humanity. AI is the “weapon” at our doorstep in 2026. More than two and a half years ago, professor Ethan Mollick shared with McKinsey Global Institute imparted AI wasn’t a future threat but was already reshaping the world of work and learning. A tremendous amount has happened in the last couple years. For comparison, the number of transistors on a CPU (computer chip) is said to follow Moore’s Law, doubling roughly every 18–24 months. This led to computers becoming exponentially faster, smaller, and more powerful over time. Until recently, Moore’s Law was haunting growth. AI scaling however, is traveling even faster, doubling in capability in 6-12 months! Such breakneck speed requires even more consideration of and for ethics. Anthropic, an AI research company and public benefit corporation focused on building safe, reliable, and helpful AI systems, is best known for its Claude family of large language models (LLMs). In an article titled, Anthropic’s “Soul Overview” for Claude Has Leaked, Anthropic revealed how they “want Claude to support human oversight of AI,” and to “behave ethically” and “genuinely helpful to operators and users.” So, whilst companies train AI to be ethical, we each may be wise to not give up our own governorship, deciding for ourselves when AI truly helps us instead of just making things faster. 

Human Needs in an Age of AI

To know our needs is critical. Students, teachers, schools, businesses, and all society at large. In an Education Week article titled, “Rising Use of AI in Schools Comes With Big Downsides for Students,” AI is reported to have a negative impact on student to teacher relationships and peer-to-peer connections. Furthermore, the authors cite a report by the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology in which “seventy percent of teachers worry that AI weakens critical thinking and research skills.” AI is and will only continue to have an enormous impact on how we are learning. And yes, we, similar to all species, need to adapt. Yet, our human needs are far more stable.  Thus, knowing our needs is critical. So, what exactly is it that we need?

1. Connection: Students need to feel seen, heard, and understood by real people.

Funs Jacobs points to human connection as the answer of what will become more valuable when intelligence becomes a commodity? For more, see:

Human connection will thrive in an AGI world

2. Belonging: Learning happens best in environments where students feel safe and included.

Global Online Academy (GOA) serves students, teachers, and leaders and is comprised of member schools from around the world, including independent, international, charter, and public schools. For more about how they are addressing belonging, see: Belonging Beyond the Bell

3. Meaning: Students need learning to connect to their lives, experiences, and the real world.

After more than two decades in the classroom, this is why I teach Capstone and Entrepreneurship. For Getting Smart, purpose means integrating content and skills outcomes with real-world problems and tasks that students find meaningful. For more, see:The Importance of Purpose-Based Learning in K-12 Education

4. Challenge: Growth requires struggle, thinking, and problem-solving. Process and not just answers.

Gallup reported in 2024, “Less Than Half of Gen Z K-12 Students Say Their Coursework Challenges Them or Gives Them the Opportunity to Do What They Do Best.” For more, see: K-12 Schools Struggle to Engage Gen Z Students

5. Responsibility: Students must develop agency and have an opportunity to not just collect knowledge, but be able to do. This includes ethically using tools, including AI. Yong Zhao said it best in a recent visit to The Knox School, “Learning, is no longer about collecting information. It’s about doing. And in this co-evolving relationship between humans and machines, we must teach students to think critically, act ethically and create value…The goal of education is simple: help every child find their unique greatness. They won’t know what it is until they try. But give them space, support and the chance to fail fast – and they’ll discover it.”

The Cost of Chasing Outcomes

Tis’ the season for grade 12 students to hear from universities on their admittance. The push into these schools is often IB curriculum and AP classes. This is not to be a slam of either curriculum, and yet both receive critiques of how pedagogy is often bent on an overemphasis on structure, compliance, and formulaic inquiry. For students and educators alike there may even be burnout. What runs the risk of getting lost is what truly matters most: knowing students as people, creating space for thinking, academic struggle and responding to the moment, rather than the “checklist.” Or, even the feeling that the ends could ever justify the means. The 5 on an AP exam, the college essay, or even an acceptance letter is hardly “an end.” And the means?  Regardless of school or curriculum, many students are utilizing AI in responsible ways. Yet, shortcuts are common as students push towards a perceived illusory finish line. Automating their learning shortchanges them of the very purpose, learning. All the while, increasing the demand for “real” connection.

A Vote for Humanity

Some are predicting 2026 to be a year in which low-tech (maybe even no tech?) instruction will rebound. Balance is what I hope for. Absolutely, mastery of how to use AI is an essential skill for K12 grads and beyond. And yet so are seminars and oral defenses. Consciousness and intent are critical if we are to ensure that technology does not exceed our humanity. This nexus we are living amidst is exhilarating, inspiring, and frightful. It may even feel like a burden to bear. Yet, what may be our greatest fortune is that we have not crossed over yet. We still have a choice. Education that chooses humanity helps students connect, belong, find meaning, embrace challenge, and take ownership of their learning. 

Make a vote for humanity. I am. 

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The Paradox of School Attendance

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Sometimes I feel trapped inside Catch-22s, seeing both sides but not clearly aligned with either. Catch-22s are seemingly ubiquitous, prevalent in many ways within our education system.

The term Catch-22 dates back to 1961 and Joseph Heller’s satirical novel, where U.S. Army bombardier Captain John Yossarian attempts to avoid flying more combat missions in World War II due to the constant danger of war. Complicating matters was the absurd, self-serving bureaucracy of his superiors. The paradox rested in a rule stating that a pilot who was insane could be grounded. Yet, if a pilot asked to be grounded, this was proof that the pilot was sane, and they had to continue flying. Paradoxes simply do not make sense because they contain two opposite or conflicting ideas. In Heller’s novel, the Catch-22 was represented by the illogical, bureaucratic system.

These past few years, I have found my mind grappling with the existence, or non-existence, of attendance policies in schools, and, moreover, the enforcement of them. Enforcement? That does not sound very inviting. We are talking about the privilege of having a teacher and a school. Yet, clearly, we all do not see it this way, and inherent in that is the question of whether our schools and classes are offering real value. Maybe they are on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but not perceived to be on Mondays or Fridays? Whatever the case, there is global, recent data showing that absenteeism is not just a U.S.-centric issue. The Guardian reported, “In England, over 170,000 children missed at least half their school lessons in 2023–24. This was the highest number ever recorded.”

A year ago, I participated in an accreditation committee, and the data presented showed that the school was challenged with attendance. I left reflecting on how my current school has more than one or two students and families similarly challenged with attending classes. There’s no single national standard in the U.S. for how much school attendance is required to avoid being considered truant; it depends on the state or district. In Hawaii, where I live, the Department of Education Attendance Policy defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason. The independent school where I teach has more autonomy to set policies, yet there still appears to be a gray area between “excused” and “nonexcused” absences. Or maybe there really isn’t? A parent can excuse a child without providing much explanation. On this side of the Catch-22, I find agreement. Ultimately, parents are paying customers, and if they want to pay for an education their child does not fully show up for, this seems perfectly acceptable. Furthermore, is the traditional system of education not built around learning by sitting at a desk, within four walls? A student who finds a way to learn without being consistently physically present deserves recognition. Maybe, just maybe, there is truth in the sentiment: “It’s not about breaking the rules, it’s about knowing the rules well enough to make them work for you.” Or, perhaps, Elon Musk’s approach to value is worth considering. Musk explicitly says: “Walk out of a meeting … as soon as it is obvious you aren’t adding value.”

The educator in me sees and feels the other side of the coin as well. At times, I have questioned whether this side is caught up a little in ego. “This is the seventh time she has missed my class,” a thought that has surfaced more than once, as if to foolishly take offense. Mixed in is the feeling of a quiet message of spite being sent: “I don’t need to be there, we don’t really do anything anyway,” a laissez-faire attitude of sorts. One that silently undermines the integrity of the academic program. Upon deeper reflection, however, the umbrage is more about what I would call an unwillingness to be a team player—an apparent lack of consideration for what it means to exist within a greater learning and school community. This, and the responsibility we each have to one another. For example, asking questions, building projects, or helping others understand. These roles depend on collaboration. Several of education’s greatest philosophers would support this. John Dewey believed learning is a social process that happens best through experience and interaction. Lev Vygotsky emphasized the importance of dialogue and collaboration in helping students advance their thinking. Moreover, Jean Piaget, the father of modern developmental psychology and cognitive learning theory, shared that doing things in social collaboration and group effort leads to a critical frame of mind. An essential factor in intellectual development is students communicating with each other.

Yet, insisting that students must be in class implies that learning only happens at school. And though this may be partly true, learning is certainly not limited to the confines of our schools. On the contrary, I can convincingly say that my best learning has always occurred outside of school. So, maybe instead of being caught up in policy and counting days missed, we should focus on the question that matters most:

What can we do to make our classrooms and schools more inviting?

Might this re-envisioning include much more spaciousness of both time and place? 2026 is dawning, and we can hardly claim to be new to a digitally connected world where learning can happen anywhere, from anyone, at any time. Maybe the real Catch-22 isn’t about attendance at all. It’s about creating schools and classrooms where students want to show up, contribute, and learn together. Knowing that my classroom is one of my few “controllables,” I will continue to do everything I can to promote curiosity, collaboration, and connection—so students are ready to “show up.” One of my go-to sources for wisdom is marketing guru Seth Godin, who suggests that showing up matters not just as a physical act, but as a committed, consistent presence. It’s about being generous and doing the work, possibly for something—or someone—bigger than ourselves. Wow, wouldn’t that be a marked difference in education? Generosity and learning for something more than just ourselves—it’s definitely possible.

Thank you, Jane Goodall.
 Thank you, Malala Yousafzai.
 Thank you, Nelson Mandela.

To name just a few. Nothing about them speaks of paradox!

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From Rigid to Ready: The Shift Toward Flexible, Skill-Based Learning

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The conversation no longer should be about the world our students will enter. Rather, it needs to be about the new world we awake to each day. The telephone, radio, airplane all impacted the world. The ability to connect in new ways. Next was the internet. Now, not only connection but the quickened pace and high rate of change is mainly because of new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation. Changes that are not just happening in some jobs; they are impacting nearly every job. The skills needed for jobs are changing too. More than one-third of the top 20 skills needed for the average job have changed since 2016, and one in five skills is completely new.  Long gone are the days of simply reading, writing, and arithmetic. According to World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Survey, 2024, the top three skills predicted to be in demand between 2025 and 2030 are AI and big data, networks & cybersecurity, and technological literacy.

Worldwide, in 1900 only one person in a hundred studied post secondary. A century later, the ratio was one in five people. Seemingly the path was clear: go to school, get a degree, get a job, and possibly keep that job for life. Education resembled a “factory,” physical buildings and set times. A linear, fixed approach. The institution, as most of us have known it.  However, it is now shifting. And needs too! If we are to keep up with the demands of the modern world.

Moving Towards a New Way of Learning

We are transitioning to what’s being called the new learning economy. Author Jeffrey Selingo says it best, “No matter what, it’s clear that education rather than be an iterative approach early in life is becoming more akin to streaming entertainment: it’s always on, and in the case of education, it will be lifelong.” A few ways the  learning economy is fundamentally different than the traditional approach includes:

  • It’s about the individual learner: Instead of being centered on the school or college, the focus is on each student’s needs and path. Individualized learning is becoming highly valued.
  • Learning is flexible: It will happen in various ways and places, not just in a classroom at a set time. Think about how your students consume entertainment like TV or movies now – they can watch it whenever and however they want (streaming). Students want that same flexibility in learning – they want to learn in person, online, or a mix of both (hybrid). This flexibility allows students to balance learning with other important things like work or gaining experience.
  • Focus is on what you learn: The measure of learning is shifting from how much time you spend (like traditional credit hours, which were compared to “shelf space” in old TV schedules) to whether you have mastered the material. The time it takes might vary for different students.
  • Learning is lifelong: The idea of a single degree setting you up for life is less common. The new learning economy offers continuous learning, where people can dip into education when they need new skills for different jobs or careers throughout their lives.

Sidebar: In 2021, I began teaching for Global Online Academy and have not looked back. All three tenants above have factored into my favorable experience.

This shift towards new ways of learning brings us to a core question: what matters more in this new learning economy—degrees or skills?

Why Skills are More Important Than Ever

In this revolutionizing world, just having a degree is no longer enough. While employers still value a degree as a sign of discipline, what they are beginning to value most is if a candidate has the specific skills required for the job. We are seeing a movement away from what is known. It’s more about what a person can do. For example, in 2024, Microsoft and LinkedIn looked at how AI will reshape work and the labor market broadly, surveying 31,000 people across 31 countries. One of their findings was that leaders are more likely to hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced one without them.AI skills are increasingly important, however in a broader sense, there are two main types of skills to focus on:

  1. Foundational Skills: These are broad skills needed in many jobs. Beyond just communication and teamwork, they include human skills, basic digital skills, and business skills. Developing these skills across different areas can help people earn more and move between jobs more easily. Skills like navigating ambiguity and doing things you weren’t specifically asked to do are becoming necessary for everyone, not just certain jobs like journalism. Problem-solving is also a critical human skill.
  2. Specialized Skills: These are skills specific to certain jobs or industries. Knowing how to use particular software (like Tableau, Adobe, or Salesforce) or having skills like data visualization or analytics can lead to significantly higher salaries. Employers are actively seeking these precise skills. One example is of a graduate who had trouble getting a job even with multiple degrees from a prestigious institution, but earning certificates in Salesforce skills was “critical” to landing a job.

Embedding both foundational and specialized skills into education is a key way institutions can help students succeed.

What This Means for K-12

Our students are growing up in this new learning economy. And they will work in it. My students from just a few years ago already are! While K-12 structures have unique considerations, the underlying trends suggest a need to prepare students for the future by helping them build key skills like problem-solving, communication, and digital literacy, while also encouraging them to manage uncertainty. Since students will likely learn in flexible and online ways throughout life, it’s important to teach time management and independence. This I have definitely seen in working with grade 12 students in yearlong Capstone projects. Instead of rushing through content, we stand to gain a tremendous amount when we focus on true understanding and mastery. This requires us teachers (and students too!), to recognize that learning does not stop after school. Consider how AI might support personalized learning, and remember that K-12 is a crucial part of the entire learning ecosystem that connects to college and the working world.

The need for education globally is immense. Preparing students for this future by emphasizing flexibility and building essential skills is a significant opportunity and challenge. It’s about helping individuals succeed in a constantly changing world. Organizations like Global Online Academy (GOA), which is a nonprofit founded and run by educators and focuses on learner-centered, modern practices and skills, is but one example of what this new approach can look like.

Educators, schools, and policymakers must not wait any longer to sit comfortably (or uncomfortably) in the status quo. Act with purpose is imperative—reimagining what, where, and how we teach—to ensure students thrive in a world where change is constant and learning never stops. A world where systems not only allow for autonomy and flexibility but encourage it. A whole new world might be imagined, one of bold invitation, instead of dogged compliance.

Students are ready for it.

And the world won’t wait.

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THE INTERSECTION OF NEPOTISM, AI, AND HUMAN INTELLIGENCE: NO SHORTCUTS

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Face it, we live in a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). Even here in Hawaii, a place where much of the world thinks of as paradise. There is an increasing necessity to not only look at the facts but to apply our HI. No, not HI as in the abbreviated form of Hawaii. Rather, HI as in Human Intelligence.  To think for oneself. Not to kid oneself either. Legislation in Hawaii passed in 2010 a requirement that single-family dwellings being built must have solar water heaters. Four years later, all single-use plastic carryout bags were prohibited. As we come upon the tenth anniversary of this ban, we still need to focus and see the forest through the trees. Much remains to be done in Hawaii if we are to truly become more sustainable. The photo above, taken from my home, is but one example. Seeing the whole picture is necessary. A beautiful coastline, open space, and yet the neon green arrow points to where diesel oil burns for energy. A shortcut of sorts.

Education in the AI Era: Shortcuts and Consequences

Recently a colleague encouraged me to install Brisk and Origins as Chrome extensions to detect the misuse of AI and plagiarism. To catch out students who opt for shortcuts. Ultimately though, my energies are more into teaching how to use AI as a thought partner of sorts as from personal experience I’ve garnered an understanding of how AI has the potential to create deeper learning. Surprisingly, however, I have found that many students are reluctant to utilize AI. Though initially drawn to it, students have shared how if used ethically, AI often creates more work. More work? Or, more learning?

An invitation for more “work” is not one usually accepted. Increasingly this appears to be true. As students juggle academics, athletics, the fine arts, and all else whirling in their busy lives I sometimes marvel at the choices being made. For example, many students today have a much more “unique” approach to reading than a few generations ago. Maybe you remember the time, PI (pre-internet), when just had the book and maybe a copy of Spark Notes you purchased in a physical book. Today with the ubiquity of resources, instead of delving into the depths of a book, more traditionally or straightforwardly, students resort to a cunning shortcut. But there are no shortcuts. Watching videos, reading websites, and doing everything BUT reading the book, is a search to reach comprehension without the hassle of exhaustive reading. Ionically this makes the process a whole lot more laborious than just sitting back and reading the book!

Similar to the clever game of intellectual maneuvering to “read” a book, these past months as students apply to universities, I have wondered to what degree students are being used by AI. Opting for the long and winding road, interested in mastering the art of shortcuts, is an inaccurate portrayal being demonstrated to admissions departments? A colleague of mine advises, “Reality will surely strike.” Universities are likely to feel the brunt of who students “really” are and what students can do themselves. AI might be a tool that helps a student jump through the hoop, but once admitted might they be ill-prepared? If so, what might this mean to the future workforce?

The Shortcut Myth

The current conversations of AI and ethics remind me of the nepotism I confronted early in my international teaching career.  “But Matthew, Martin is a ​​Dueñas (surname),” chided the director of the school. I was unfamiliar with the power of a last name and had never experienced such favoritism.  “Matthew, the Dueñas never fail.” All I knew was that Martin had done nothing all year. He knew, his family knew, and the director knew. Yet, ultimately I would be asked to change his grade. I stood my ground and let the director know that it would have to be her to do such a thing, not me.

There is a Chinese saying that goes “Wealth does not last beyond three generations.” This can be likened to a similar belief depicted in the American expression, “Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations”. Later in my international teaching career I would have a chance to see this adage playing out and would once again confront nepotism. This time, however, in a different region of the world. The fading of generational wealth was evident as I was introduced to hard-working and determined grandparents who were the builders and first generation of wealth. Students’ parents often were the maintainers and were able to preserve the wealth. Yet, various students, the third generation, were either being pushed through their education or accustomed to taking shortcuts. Unaware that there are no shortcuts. Ultimately, they would be inheriting companies and positions of power in which they were ill-equipped to perform. In effect, they were on the path to becoming the squanders of the families’ wealth.

Nepotism, seemingly in the DNA of many cultures and industries, shares a kinship with the advent of AI as a shortcut. They both illustrate a preference for the familiar over the uncharted. Nepotism prioritizes kinship over meritocracy, while AI prioritizes convenience over authenticity and understanding. I continue to be a proponent of AI, recognizing that it is here to stay. It can and should be used as a tool. Also, one of the elephants in the room is the “shortcut myth.” AI may be just as students report, “more work.” However, when leveraged with honesty, as a tool, an addition, not a replacement to our Human Intelligence, results may generate greater opportunities, broader perspectives, and deeper understanding. In contrast to the constraints of nepotism, possibilities loom.

Meanwhile, it may help if we remember, there are no shortcuts.

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MASTERING FIRE WITH WATER: A LESSON IN CREATING EDUCATIONAL SPARKS

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Many outdoorsy types, including boy and girl scouts, dream of successfully mastering the age-old art of igniting fire with nothing more than a magnifying glass. What if I told you I started a fire with water?

Nurturing Trust and Agency: The Cornerstones of Inclusive Education

As educators, we invest copious amounts of time into planning for the school year and in the first few weeks intentionally creating community in our classrooms. At the forefront, is fostering an inclusive environment where every student’s voice is valued and respected. Listening and truly valuing one another is our hope. As is collaboration and providing multiple opportunities for students to build connections with one another. Yet, at the foundation of everything is a fundamental feeling of trust. A Harvard Business Publishing Education article suggests that activating positive emotions, including trust, among students helps students foster cooperative relationships, build resilience and persistence, and increase motivation. Further, trust is in many ways tethered to agency. Positive and effective learning environments should induce trust. Trust in teachers, classmates, and possibly even in the education system. Of course, however, trust must begin within the individual. Then, there is empowerment. Not being acted upon as if to say, “I am giving you the choice.” But from within. This subtle nuance is the spark. It is the sensing of control, “the world is at my doorstep.”

But beyond trust and agency, what are the other necessary ingredients to creating optimal learning environments?

Learning Language, Breaking Barriers: The Role of Authenticity and Place

Recently I was in a high school language classroom and it took me back to my first experience learning Spanish. The class was held in a lecture hall where I sat passively amongst 200 other students as the professor stood up front and rattled on incomprehensibly. Feeling academically wounded, I would then limp over to the language lab. Here, a teacher’s assistant would open a sliding glass window to enquire about the module. Then, before pushing play on the cassette recorder she would hand over tight-fitting headphones, a #2 pencil, and a scantron sheet. Never was there the ability to pause, let alone stop. The “show” just went on. With a one in four chance, I would guess, weary to have too many Cs blackened. My confusion and being disheartened eventually lost out to a more pervasive feeling. One of repulsion. This is NOT the experience we ever endeavor to create for learners.

Oddly enough, a decade later I would be in the classroom teaching Spanish even though I questioned if language could be learned in a classroom. My sentiment is captured in a timeless parody called, “One Semester Spanish Love Song.”  When I last watched, the first comment below the video read, “I took Spanish all the way up to AP Spanish in high school. This song summarizes how much of it I remember.” Might this be because of relevance? Language often is learned by going somewhere. We learn it when we have a purpose. When it is authentic. Furthermore, might there be ties between place-based education and the learning of language? Certainly, a deeper understanding of local culture and environment is integral. This example of learning a language ultimately can be translated into what it means to learn anything. The importance of place, purpose, an individual’s motivation, and authenticity. Ultimately, getting out of the classroom and into much more boundless spaces of learning.

Even if the reality for many teachers remains within four walls, we know learning is like breathing. Students will learn no matter what. So, let’s keep the “air” as clean as possible.

The Container: Creating the Right Conditions

So I did really light a fire with water. I share this because it showcases what is possible with just the right conditions. Might we as educators intentionally create such similar conditions? Where there is a spark and then a fervent fire for learning. Countless times in the past I have filled a gallon glass jug with water and set it in the sun to allow for dechlorination. Recently, I errantly placed it against a dry wooden stump where in the days to come I would water saplings. 18 hours after filling the jug I received a text from our tenant saying, “There was a small brush fire at a tree stump in the front of the house, all put out now and heavily watered down. It was caused by science and a glass water jug which magnified the sun…” He was being generous, the fire was caused by ME! Well, my negligence along with heat, dryness, powerful morning sun rays, and the water’s reflection. Never in my wildest dreams would I have considered the gallon jar of water a fire hazard. Besides being grateful to have learned the lesson the easy way, I thought about how this example speaks volumes about what is possible. What is possible with the right conditions?

So, venture forth to continue to spark inspiration and kindle the flames blazing within your classrooms!

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Abandoning Ordinary Pursuits

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In a world increasingly topsy turvy by politics, hypothetical iterations of the Internet, climatic dystopianism and more, wisdom and laughter are of critical importance. Now is no time to revert to passivity or to remain idle and uncreative. Nor can we be as amenable school age children tethered to a desk, inside four walls, disempowered so much as to need to ask for permission to even use the restroom. 

We have all at one time or another felt this.  Lived this.  Confined to the recesses of a darkened cave. 

Graciously 2020 and 2021 allowed society to climb out of such a “cave.” Arguably a light, if not “THE” light was seen. However unpopular, and emboldened all the way to his execution, the great philosopher Socrates laid a groundwork for us to question but also “abandon ordinary pursuits.”  Authenticity, balance, and coherence are far finer than lives of compliance. Sam Haselby alludes in “What Type of Citizen Was He? of the profound heroism of Socrates. Courage, curiosity, and civic-mindedness traits similarly in dire need of today.  “Socrates likens his dialogical testing of the opinions of others to the agonising sting of a gadfly: the value of the sting is that it shocks its victim out of the slumberous condition of quotidian existence into a moment of moral clarity.”

The past few years provoked the dawning of this moral clarity. COVID, a sort of gadfly.

Socrates’ student, Plato, left an indelible mark on Western literature and his famous Allegory of the Cave symbolized how human beings may be deceived by appearances. Two worlds, inside and outside the cave. A contrast of that which is real with our interpretation of it.

In some regions of the world, the “rush back to normal,” may have us wondering if a pandemic ever even happened. So too in our schools. As teachers return to delivering curriculum, standardization reigns supreme, and children continue to be herded through lackluster experiences which extinguish innate “flames” and fervors for learning.  Default to antiquated systems, so many crawl back inside caves and into the dark. 

The courage, curiosity, and civic-mindedness of Socrates are similarly in dire need today.

What was Real?

Equity cannot be overlooked, especially with respect to the digital chasm and different levels of access to on-line education.  However, during the pandemic more exposure but also credence was given to “unschooling” and other not so well-known educational philosophies. Time was redefined, as the term “asynchronous” was a buzz overnight. Technology expanded the notion of when and how learning might occur.  Where, or a sense of place, suddenly shrunk as the world moved indoors. Life from beyond a screen became more important as borders were closed and we all were limited to just our immediate communities. In doing so, there was a realization of the important role education plays in connecting young people’s learning to a sense of place.  

Beyond spaces and places, “faces” and the conceptualization but also importance of “synchronous” became a glaring need. Consciousness developed around Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and students, teachers, and parents alike needed time to connect in “real” time. As an online and hybrid educator, “the synchronous” took on a significance similar to what photographers prize as “the golden hour.” Those special moments to engage one to another Outside of these scheduled times, greater balance could be achieved. Learners were empowered to speed up pre-recorded videos and soon found they could learn wherever and whenever. Empowered by default, they might remain in their pajamas all day, or be engrossed by Fermat’s Last Theorem at 11:30 at night.  As they wished.

And now?

 

From Wisdom to Laughter

“All I claim to know is that laughter is the most reliable gauge of human nature.” This is where we turn to humor and the irony of how the preceding quote is attributed to Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Someone who according to Britannica, “specialized in the analysis of pathological states of mind that lead to insanity, murder, and suicide and in the exploration of the emotions of humiliation, self-destruction, tyrannical domination, and murderous rage.”

For readers who lived through dial-up modems, you may remember when you first saw Baby Cha-Cha-Cha, also known as Dancing Baby. Do you remember? Considered the first meme to go viral on the internet, the rendered animation of a diapered baby performs a cha-cha type dance.  At the time, the second half of the 1990s, the term “meme” remained obscure.  Close to twenty years would pass before I really understood what a meme was. It was Harambe not Oxford Languages that in practical terms helped me understand that a meme was “An image, video, piece of text, etc., that is copied (often with slight variations) and spread rapidly by internet users.” Or simply an unserious response, created in an attempt to cause laughter. Some may say, as a result of a generational discord where youth are unable to regard major events with the “appropriate weight.” Whichever stance is taken, the motivation is one of humor. A valuable quality or state of mind.

Harambe was named after Rita Marley, widow of Bob Marley, and her song “Harambe” (Working Together for Freedom. The 440lb. 17-year old Western gorilla was shot dead while in captivity. Nearly instantly, thousands of memes were launched.  The power and virality of the internet would once again demonstrate how a collective online psyche can catch like wildfire. In “The Power of Memes,” Allexus writes how “the use of memes is important to our growing society where Meme Culture brings people together as it represents the media around us.” Whether people are “brought together” may be dependent on if the humor is shared. For at first glance, a meme may be deceiving, especially if it is re-mixed and out of context. Laughter is possible, democratization of discourse is certain.

Harambe at the Cincinnati Zoo sitting quietly

Harambe certainly stirred emotion and became an overnight social justice sensation. Similarly, the Coronavirus, also not a topic inherently humorous, would be the brunt of countless memes. However, it is possible they helped us find our smile, if even under a mask.

In a world engulfed in fear, deceit, and distraction, we have a choice. Hopefully one of reflection, redirection, and focus. Not fooled by appearances or lulled back to sleep. The pig with pretty lipstick is still a pig. And as we identify it as such, might we too laugh a little.

But also move.

Jolted awake by Socrates’ gadfly, a new reality possibly already appears in our rear view mirrors. The past few years  allowing for a recognition of that which must dissolve.  Now, might we utilize the wisdom and vision gained, along with a sense of humor, to create a new narrative.  Pathways toward the light. Out of the caves.

Again.

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OF FIRE AND ICE~A TALE OF SUNKEN SHIPS AND EDUCATION

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There is good reason why Newton’s third law did not state, “What goes down must come up.” Two sunken ships more than 6000 km apart, are case in point.  Both will remain on the ocean’s floors, a distant 3,000 meters down but for very different reasons.  The first, protected and memorialized for its historical importance is also a symbol of perseverance, more valuable than any of its remaining contents. The other ship, a modern day toxic catastrophe.

As different as the two are, both have parallels to the field of education as we know it. Not just because some may say the system of education is fraught with challenge and ostensibly sinking.

 

Little Drifting

Exactly 100 years to the day of Sir Ernest Shackelton being buried on South Georgia island in Antarctica, his ship The Endurance, was found.  After being trapped in dense pack ice for nearly a year, the ice floes opened, and the sea ice crushed the ship, eventually swallowing it up.  Shackleton reportedly cried out, “She’s going, boys!” At this time, Captain Frank Worsley recorded in his diary his best calculations of where the masts and hull were last seen.  Poor visibility on account of harsh weather did not allow for estimating the direction nor speed of the floes. Yet, more than a century later, The Endurance was discovered only 4.16 nautical miles from Worsley’s calculation!

In effect, The Endurance did not drift much. Nor has the system of education. Its foundation poured in the later half of the 18th century, is oddly enough, about the same time Shackelton was of schoolboy age. Never distinguishing himself as much of a scholar, author Roland Huntford alludes to how Shackelton was “bored” by his studies. Shackelton was even quoted, “I never learned much geography at school … Literature, too, consisted in the dissection, the parsing, the analysing of certain passages from our great poets and prose-writers … teachers should be very careful not to spoil [their pupils’] taste for poetry for all time by making it a task and an imposition.”

Who would have imagined that arguably the greatest leader of all time would reflect on how “school” seemingly stood in the way of his learning?  Yet still, he managed to hone his skills of compassion, strength, and bravery.  And what about Shackelton’s mastery of developing camaraderie and decision making?

Note: skills. Not just knowledge.

All the fervor around competency-based learning is legitimized as we transition away from mere atomic disconnected facts and towards unity, connection, and application. Students “showing what they know” as they transfer learning.

The Endurance drifting little amidst such extreme conditions, in effect helped with the ship’s preservation. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) recently captured images of century-old ropes, tools, and notably the emblazoned letters “E-N-D-U-R-A-N-C-E” completely intact on the stern. The frigid temperatures, darkness, and low levels of oxygen all contributed to little weathering of the craft.  Further, the absence of wood-eating microbes in the Antarctica seabed surely helped too.  This is not to say we should keep our classrooms cold, dark, and static.

 

A Passive Approach to Disaster

Robert Frost, considered whether the world would end in fire or ice.

“From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.”

 

Just weeks before the Endurance was found, The Felicity Ace was lost.  Fire the element taking the ship down.  A vessel more than four times the length of the 144-foot Endurance.  The three-masted Endurance is a complete contrast to the bunker fuel burning behemoth.  The Felicity Ace carried 2,200 tons of fuel, 2,200 tons of oil, and up to 17,000 metric tons of cargo.  The sinking cargo aboard the ship all the talk; not the waters, reef, and seabed they would eventually pollute.  4,000 luxury vehicles, some of which carried lithium-ion batteries for electric cars, went down.  The ship’s manifest listed more than 1,000 Porsches, 200 Bentleys and dozens of Lamborghinis.  An approximate dollar value exceeding $400 million.  But what of the destruction and environmental risk? Are we morally able to put a dollar value on it?

The latest press release from March 14 reads:

The oil slick seen at the time of the sinking has drifted as it dissipated, and experts say it will soon disappear. During this time, a trace of a small amount of oil was found to have surfaced as an oil film from the site of the sinking. We have also obtained the opinion by the experts that it will gradually dissipate as it drifts. In accordance with expert organizations opinion that it is unlikely that a large-scale oil spill will occur and it is appropriate to continue observation using satellite photographs for a while, we will continue to observe the situation using satellite photos and establish a system to respond quickly to the situation.

The situation with Felicity Ace is synonymous with the acceptance of  a status quo of education.  Regardless of tides and currents but also any hazards that might prevail. To merely observe when ecosystems are at risk. Fish, plankton, and our very own children. A passive approach as evidenced in a fire that would burn for two weeks, eventually leading to the demise of the “Blissful” Ace.

 

Location: 64°Felicity – 56°Endurance – 12°Hope

In the case of The Endurance, the ship was trapped, crushed, abandoned and eventually sunk after 10 months. The value of finally finding the Endurance but deciding to leave it under water, can be ironically juxtaposed with the cost of keeping the Felicity Ace and its thousands of fuel-filled cars amongst the fish. The Endurance centers on respect and all that may be learned. Of great historical value, there is significance to leaving it literally in the darkness of the Weddell Sea.  Instead of being “monitored” as a toxic risk like the Felicity Ace, the Endurance is being protected.  The historic site is safeguarded under the Antarctic Treaty which ensures it will not be touched or disturbed in any way.

Schooling may be sinking, yet learning remains afloat. With excitement might we look upon the near and more distant past as opportunities to become wiser. Stories of sunken ships, fire and ice which in essence might stir our imagination.  Of yesterdays and todays.  Informing but infusing tomorrow with Felicity, Endurance, and hope.

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RETURNING THE JOY TO MUDVILLE

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“Yes, please order a pair of gloves for my daughter,” the email response read from a parent of one of our middle school softball players. Her confusion in not knowing only one glove was needed to play the sport was similar to the memorable and mildly entertaining scene the first day of practice. Our equipment included several gloves and the girls put them on every way but the correct way. Backwards, upside down and even on their dominant hands.  Once this was corrected, they began to toss the ball from the mitt, akin to a lacrosse stick. This pre-test of sorts was perfect because as coaches, we knew exactly where the team was beginning.

This was exciting. Known as America’s favorite pastime, none of the girls are from there. So, baseball or softball is as foreign as sepaktakraw was to me. Sepaktakraw, originating in Thailand, is much like volleyball but only with your feet! Such clarity of unfamiliarity was extremely refreshing. No knowledge would be taken for granted. Further, how rewarding to share the diamond with children that show up three times a week, simply eager to learn and play a “new” game.  The concept of ego nowhere to be seen nor felt on the field.  This beginnerdom, a melding of earnestness and joy, connects well with being a new teacher, yet the actual experience may run counter.

Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts?

This past week I chatted with a relative of mine who nobly joined the educator ranks within the last year. Before hanging up I pondered the probability of a first year teacher self-reporting that teaching is easy.  Leslie Gray Streeter  of the Washington Post writes about educators, “They’re more than the people who give math and science lessons: They might find themselves makeshift social workers to troubled students, surrogate parents checking if children eat, security guards breaking up fights and funders of the most basic of classroom supplies from their own shallow pockets.” Though the later may not so much be the case for teachers in independent schools or those working internationally, other roles surely are assumed.  As coaches and advisors, but likely also participating on  a slew of committees and assuming other duties. In effect, being extended so thinly that maybe even the phrase,“death by a thousand paper cuts” applies.  Literally, it is all the small actions added up which leads to “the bleed.”

Undoubtedly the pandemic negatively impacted educators’ experience.  Safety measures and lack of trust high on the list of unfavorable factors, as was adapting to emergency, remote, and hybrid models of education. Surveys and polls the past 18 months align with what is termed the Great Resignation.  Some predict an exodus so great that anywhere from one-fourth to more than half of U.S. educators  are considering a career change. Such potential crisis is not mirrored in international schools, however the start of 2022-23 academic year is already positioned for far greater mobility than seen the last few years.

Mindset Atop the List

Several reasons drive the decisions of teachers to switch careers. However, for teachers who are just beginning, why couldn’t their introduction to teaching be like the girls on the softball field? Frustration simply cannot take hold. Carol Dweck, a well-respected researcher in the field of motivation cites a poll of 143 creativity researchers, who concur that mindset ultimately tops the list of creative achievement.  And to educate is clearly to be a Creative.  No one, first year teachers included, must assume a sense of failure.  Yet, seldom do we “get things right” the first time and there remains inordinate power in reframing failure as something positive.  An example I often allude to, is learning to walk. Close to the ground, we as toddlers bounced off our backsides. Without even thinking, we simply popped back up and attempted to put one foot in front of the other.  A fine balance.  Akin to teaching! The mentality clearly one of, “I got this.”  Dweck contrasts fixed and growth mindsets by saying, “In one world (fixed), effort is a bad thing. It, like failure, means you’re not smart or talented. If you were, you wouldn’t need effort. In the other world, effort is what makes you smart or talented.” A network of support and both strong leadership and mentorship are essential for first year teachers to want to sign up for year two. Though it is not enough alone, to claim a teacher just needs to adjust their mindset or try a little harder, however resiliency definitely needs to be in the line up.

Play Ball!

As far back as 1888, Casey at the Bat, appeared for the first time in the San Francisco Examiner.  The first 12 of the 13 stanza poem foreshadow Casey’s success at the plate.  Yet, a twist comes the final line, “But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.”

Failure.

Though the poem may have been about letdown, it might help to examine it from another angle.  Of its success. After Ernest Thayer authored Casey at Bat, a stage actor and comedian, by the name of DeWolf Hopper made the poem somewhat of a national heirloom. For nearly five decades Hopper performed it, upwards of 10,000 times. He just kept “hopping up.”

A similar spirit of just hopping up is to be assumed by teachers.

Batter up!

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POSSIBILITY. PURPOSE. ACTION.

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I am not an old man.

10 print “Hello, I am cool.”
20 goto 10
Run

“Hello, I am cool” would cycle down the screen.  Early days of coding with BASIC in my later elementary years on an Apple 2E.

In high school my relationship with the phone was a bit adversarial and yet I dreamed of a day when I would see on a sort of screen, my aunt and uncle as I spoke with them on the phone.  Likely this was not entirely of my own imagination but influenced by the popular animated sitcom, “The Jetsons.”

During six years of university I borrowed a friend’s Brother word processor to type papers before toting around both floppy and hard diskettes, external writable storage devices. These were helpful when I managed to reserve computer time at the only computer lab on campus, a university with 16,000 enrolled students.

Imagine 16,000 students sharing 15 computers today!

For the first few years of teaching I did not have a personal or laptop computer.  There were no projectors in the classroom, aside from an overhead projector.  Next to it were printed transparencies to share and a stack of blanks for writing notes for the class to copy.

I am not an old man.

A few years into the 2nd millennium and classrooms began to be retrofitted for the digitization that was underway. Digital projectors began to be mounted on classroom ceilings and in one school I worked, SMART boards debuted. The interactive white boards all the rage before they quickly fizzled out.

The intention is not to look fondly back as if to say, “These were the days.”  All the contrary and instead, this short bit of history points at how far and fast we have come. Moreover, might we imagine what is next?  Anything is always possible, as I was reminded of this past week in class.

Oculus Provides a Glimpse Into the Future

“Ten years from now, everything is going to be virtual,” proclaimed one of my quieter eleven year-old students.  Her shyness overcome by both her passion and resoluteness.  We were preparing to have an introductory experience with virtual reality.  The device, the Oculus, aptly named for it means, “eye” in Latin.  Further, oculi are architecturally structural elements that are round openings at the tops of domes or cupolas. The Pantheon in Rome is one of the best examples. Originating in antiquity, the oculus is the perfect name as we begin to challenge ourselves in learning from the future.

The actual VR experience proved stimulating for students, the connection being one linked to our current unit on innovation and how access clearly is a social justice issue. More provocative than virtually dancing with a robot, was the captivating conversation that ensued. One which reflected how students need not wait to create their own reality and how entrepreneurial mindsets  can drive transformative experiences in our schools. A definitive juxtaposition from the default where educational models often result in teachers and students senselessly passing back and forth assignments.  Free of audience and purpose.

An Entrepreneurial Spirit Remains Alive

“So much is already virtual. I am selling my art as NFTs,” voiced probably my second most reserved student. He went on to broadcast the platform where five of his digital art pieces are being auctioned. Students enquired about the cost and the artist further imparted what he understood about non fungible tokens (and though English is his second language, he pronounced this perfectly), cryptocurrencies and Ethereum in particular.  In effect, between the five pieces of his artwork, the value was equivalent to more than $18,000USD.  I remind you, this is an eleven-year old.  So, it’s possible he could enter school, sit all day being talked at by teachers, and exit at 2:30 with thousands of dollars in his virtual pocket, or wallet.

Why not tap into this?

None of the art was done at school.  None of the computer platform learning or marketing if you will.  None of the background on cryptocurrencies and NFTs.

Yet, he and so many other students, find a way to learn.  To follow their passions.  In this case, business and art.  But what about the child studying the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, ensuring a clean and stable water supply and effective water sanitation for all people?  Is she effectively contributing to making a difference so this goal might be realized in the next eight years?  Or, might she simply be researching, taking notes, and making a Google slides presentation?

Possibility.

Purpose.

Action.

Seems these three words might best become a mantra of sorts in our schools.

10 print “Possibility. Purpose. Action.”
20 goto 10
Run

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A Quest to Serve All Learners, Everywhere, Anytime

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A hybrid is something made by combining two different elements.  My earliest understanding was that of the mule, the result of crossing a horse and a donkey. In the field of education, hybrid learning is best defined as some students participate in person, whereas others are online. Educators teaching virtual and in-person learners at the same time.  

Though often used interchangeably, hybrid models are not the same as blended learning.  Blended learning is resultant when educators combine in-person instruction with online learning activities, completing some components online and others in person.  A hardly foreign approach in technology-rich schools.  

In an article authored by Celisa Steele titled, “Hybrid vs Blended Learning: The Difference and Why It Matters,” further distinction is made.  “Both types of learning involve a mix of in-person and online learning, but the who differs in the two scenarios. With hybrid learning, the in-person learners and the online learners are different individuals. With blended learning, the same individuals learn both in person and online.”

 

360° Accommodation

The pandemic ushered in a necessity for renewed flexibility and inversely spurred creativity to strategically design schedules to accommodate all learners wherever they may be, at whatever time.  The terms synchronous and asynchronous more than mere buzzwords, were essential to take into account.  

Amidst a background of more questions than answers, scheduling becomes anything but dichotomous. Dr. John Spencer illustrates five different models for structuring hybrid learning.  

  • Differentiation Model:  students at home and in-person engage synchronously on the same lesson.  The two groups frequently interact with one another.
  • Multi-track Model: students work on the same lessons but they are divided into cohorts that exist in separate tracks. The cohorts rarely interact.
  • Split A/B Model: students alternate days between being at-home and being in-person.  Most at-home learning is asynchronous with a few opportunities for video conferencing.
  • Virtual Accommodation Model: When the group at home is small (3-4 students) they can function as a virtual small group but use video chat to join the in-person classroom.
  • Independent Project Model: When a face-to-face lesson doesn’t work off-line and only 1-4 students need to work virtually, an independent model works best.

Spencer recognizes how every model has strengths and weaknesses.  Further he comments, “As educators, we need to be strategic about which model we select based on the needs of our students.” Furthermore, Spencer attests to the importance of being intentional if hybrid learning is to work. A one-size fits all approach could not be justifiable, equally choices must be made instead of kidding ourselves that every model might be implemented with success.

 

Various Hybrid and Blended Models Mixed to Make a Jambalaya 

Currently, we find ourselves ushering in a sort of Wild West.  If nothing else, a spirit of innovation prevails and we must remain optimistic; to at least give things a try.  Yet, upon first or even second glance, some ingenious scheduling options, might leave an educator wondering about their skill set and abilities to nimbly bounce between different modalities; designing lessons and supporting learners in-person, while at the same time virtually, both synchronously and asynchronously.  A reality where some schedules may be a combination of hybrid and blended models.  Possibly three of Spencer’s models, and an overlooked delineation of the difference between hybrid and blended learning.  In effect, models proposing eighty minute lessons with a combination of physically distanced learners in-person and virtual synchronous but also asynchronous learners; cohorts on A/B days; and sixty minute entirely virtual synchronous and asynchronous lessons.  One may tire reading about such a schedule, so the exhaustion in implementation is unimaginable. Further, some families may be weary of sending their child to school, resulting in some learners always virtual in real-time, whereas others remain in different time zones and always asynchronous.  And to spare a bit more confusion in schedule design, we will not examine what it might mean when educators similarly do not feel safe to return to in-person instruction and remain entirely virtual.  

Amidst the jambalaya, some educators as well as families may question the very nature of a school and its identity, especially if a variety of hybrid and blended models overlap.  The motivation is apparent, complex scheduling for the sake of providing access to all learners. Though a noble hill to die upon, an analogy of diversification may not be so far-fetched.  Would Nike ever expand to brand potato chips?

There is legitimacy in questioning, “Who are we?”  Especially so, as educators tethered to the values of excellency constantly dedicate themselves to honing their craft.  Some may be filled with intimidation, wondering if in our attempt to be everywhere, at all times, for everyone; might we be spread thin?  The result is one of mediocrity, where some learners are served, in some places, some of the time?”

Time will only tell.

As we embark on what appears unchartered waters, a spirit of voyage hopefully seeps into our being.  A focus on the potential and not the peril.  One of the greatest explorers of all time, Sir Ernest Shackleton attested to the “need to put footprint of courage into stirrup of patience.”

Poised and positive we set sail.