Wayward Expectations

What happened to the joy children used to have about going to school and learning? What has happened to parents who cared more about their kids than their careers or their social life? What happened to school administrators who could galvanize their entire community around a vision of mutual advancement and achievement without any hint of politics being involved? What do are we expecting to happen if things stay this way?

There is a solid disparity between what our expectations are of our current education system and what they should be. We should expect:

• Parents to be actively involved as partners with the people who spend more time with their children every week than they do
• School boards that are driven by a conviction and a commitment to human advancement rather than career advancement
• School administrators that lead with purpose and vision
• Teachers who take their profession seriously enough to do what it takes to make sure that they create the best learning environment possible for the children they teach every day
• An academic model that is not focused on sending EVERY child to college, but on helping every child find his/her natural bent and cultivating the natural learning process that can lead them into a prosperous, fulfilling life
• Community and business leaders who have a big-picture attitude that motivates them to sow into the ground that is producing the kind of employees they will want to hire in the future
• A accountability system that involves the input of everyone who contributes to the growth and well-being our children

Here’s the bottom line: All of us (parents, teachers, administrators, and school board officials) just need to go of all the inconsequential things that have no lasting value in the long run, and get back to the business of teaching students instead of teaching school.