Put on More Steam

There is an old saying in the coaching profession when you have an opponent on the ropes, "don't relax and let down, put on more steam." That is exactly what we need to do now in regard to educational reform. Now we can implement changes we wanted to put in place in the name of reform. No more having our schools looking like we are preparing for the Industrial Age.

Now we can get kids out of the straight and narrow rows of desks. Grouping them with tables or at least putting their desks together.

Allowing students, even encouraging it, to collaborate with each other on work without calling it cheating.

Allowing students to utilize mobile devices to access information from sources that aren't available in books. The textbook isn't the only source of information in the classroom.

Getting rid of the cookie cutter approach to instruction and devising ways to make learning meaningful for each student.

Having meaningful staff development that actually develops your staff into being better educators.

Freeing up the filtering devices, so teachers have access to information (since most students have already figured out how to get around the filters).

When approached with "we've never done it like that before" agree and admit that we should have been doing like that, because its best for kids.

I don't know about you but thanks needs to go to the people that started this talk, I know its not going in the direction they wanted, but they want reform, they'll get it. Don't allow the thinking that this to will pass-put on more steam.