The most DANGEROUS word in Education

Recently, I read a blog from a family counselor, Justin Davis, who spoke of the most dangerous word in marriages and in families. I was able to draw some comparisons between the blogger's musings and my own observations as a school administrator when it comes to public education. What many people believe is that our current way of doing things in public education has only led to mediocrity, complacency, and the status quo. My observation is this is all due to one word, the most dangerous word in education: a word, that I sadly hear all too often…… BUT.

• I know I should not focus on standardized tests…BUT
• I know I should let students have a voice/say in their education…BUT
• It’s true that I am not adept with technology…BUT
• I know I should not use the textbook as my primary teaching resource…BUT
• I know student's have the ability to use their own mobile devices to learn…BUT
• I would allow student's to create their own goals and standards for learning... BUT
• I  would probably allow student's to talk more in class... BUT
• I do not really think student's will truely use what I am teaching them in the future... BUT
• I know this is the best thing for my students... BUT
• I know I should value student creativity over test-taking strategies... BUT
• I am concerned that all this testing is taking away from innovation... BUT
• The students are all stressed out because of these tests... BUT

There is a solid problem with thinking this way. The problem with this line of thought is that it leads to making excuses, going backwards instead of making progress, becoming irrelevant rather than displaying relevancy... and ultimately, it leads to boredom, dropouts, and discontent among all students. Maybe today, you need to kick “but.” You need to identify the areas where you could help your local school in developing a cutting edge, outside-the-box, student-centered place of learning. What if you went to your students and set them free to discover learning with passion and excitement? These actions and paradigm shifts are game changers. That is you choosing to move beyond mediocrity and helping public education be extraordinary places of TRUE education.

Do you or your school struggle with BUT?