Afraid of Change

I have recently had a number of encounters with teachers and students that have led me to believe that one of the biggest problems we have facing us is our unwillingness to change and try something new. Some of my greatest life experiences have come from events that I took a risk on and went beyond my comfort zone. Yes, trying something new can backfire. Yes, technology sometimes does not perform the way you intend it to on that day you are using it in class, but the majority of the time it can enhance the learning process when used correctly. Students are not the same as they were 50 years ago, or even 10 years ago. The world is not the same either. We as teachers need to make sure that we are changing with the times. We have to modify our lessons to make sure that the students are prepared for today's changing world. We need to keep up with the other nations that are producing graduates that we can compete in today's global economy.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle is that people just don't know. They don't know about the new technology. They don't know how to implement it into their lessons. They don't know if the change will make them fail. We need to step outside our classrooms. As a teacher, we are sometimes stuck in an island of our own classroom and we don't get to reach out and see what others are doing and collaborate with the different departments and levels.

Another obstacle that prohibits change is fear of failure. The school system is in the public eye. People want results. There is pressure on administrators and teachers to produce these results. What ends up happening is that schools are fudging the data to get results they want to see. When we don't correctly identify the problem, we can't correctly identify the solution. For example, instead of saying students are dropping out, we say they are transferring to being homeschooled. What happens to these students? Where do they end up? How do they effect society in the future when they have been lost in the education world? Schools are scared to be the first to do this, because it could casue a dramatic shift. Ignorance is bliss. We need to step up for our profession, our students, our society and the future. We have to be able to educate the community we work in on what is really happening and what our real solution will be to the problems we are facing. We can't keep sweeping these problems, and therefore students, under the rug.

When people feel they work in a safe, collaborative environment, they are able to flourish.