Passing time is herding students,
From class to class;
Give them few more minutes,
Let them socialize,
Meander,
Build relationships,
Use the restroom,
Visit their locker,
Enjoy some introverted time alone in a quiet classroom.
A teenager's brain focused,
15 minutes at a time.
Hour long classes?
Make them shorter,
Less structured time,
More independence,
More doing,
More creating,
More showing their abilities.
Chairs and desks in rows,
Like an assembly line,
Putting widgets together.
No more.
Couches
And comfy chairs
And rolling, cushioned, desk chairs.
Sitting on the counter,
The table,
Laying on the floor.
Standing,
Moving around,
Being allowed to find what works that day.
There's no passing time,
For lunch.
Hurry up,
Wait,
Sit,
At your assigned table.
Scarf down a cold sandwich,
Feed your belly,
Get back to class.
This isn't the best.
Give them an hour,
Give them recess,
Give them hot, healthy, delicious food.
Let them slow down,
Let them socialize,
Let them run and be kids.
Let them play, relax, be alone.
A windowless school.
Humming fluorescent lights.
Dingy tile floors.
Trickling drinking fountains.
Graffitied lockers.
Drafty windows.
Stifling air,
No air conditioning,
Uncontrollable heat.
Dusty chalkboards.
Create new spaces,
LED lighting with dimmers.
Water filters with bottle fillers.
Carpeting.
Floor to ceiling windows,
Keeping the outside out.
Easy to erase whiteboards on the walls.
Filtered, conditioned air,
Hot and cold.
Spaces to encourage learning.
Bell to bell, no cell.
Preparing them for the real world.
That's not it.
A device in their hand.
Embrace their preference,
Let them use what they know,
They have options,
Use the best tool for the situation.
Old, white people,
Leading education,
The way it's always been done.
Not the best.
Not the most relevant.
Not rising to where kids are now.
Let's change.
Students are different.
The world is different.
Technology is different.
The old isn't acceptable.
We know better.
We need to do better.
Classrooms should lead it,
They are.
Schools should encourage,
Allow the new wave,
Ask the teachers.
Districts need to get on board,
Support the teachers.
Make it better.
Be the leaders our students need.
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