“What was the hardest change for you to make regarding your philosophy of education (or grading)?”

-Ben Gehring, 9-12 Science Teacher, Nebraska

Not changing sooner.

I, as I suspect many do, had long held back on what I now call daring different and braving better. 

For twenty years, I collected questions and doubts about my practice–really about education, and though questions did lead to some answers and doubts to some certainties, they never led me far enough away to fully break from tradition’s trap. Mostly–and I’m loath to admit this now–I didn’t break away because I didn’t think I could or should, but as we now know, I would. I did. And now, I wonder why I waited so long. 

Why did I wait so long? I think I thought I was alone. And I was. We all were to varying degrees, particularly pre-Twitter and other social media. 

Teachers–despite all the efforts to create a collective with PLC’s, etc–lead lonely island lives. As such, we ask in isolation; we doubt in the dark. And both keep us in place.

But things have changed. We are not in isolation. We are not in the dark. We are not alone.

So, let’s change. Today.

~sy