Please... STOP using this picture!

I am so tired of seeing this picture, or ones like it, as an example of what not to do in the classroom. Old is bad, chairs in rows are bad, blackboards are bad. I get it. I feel like I am being hit with this image over and over and over again! Don't get me wrong, I agree that schools need to move beyond an industrial paradigm in order to meet the needs of today's learners, but showing me this picture does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to help bring about needed changes.

Additionally, you are feeding a negative stereotype about modern schools. It plays into the narrative of so many politicians and education critics who claim that "schools are broken" and doesn't acknowledge the growing movement of transformative education that is starting to spark in our schools. The bus driver who was shuttling me from my hotel to the ISTE conference this summer actually said to me: "They don't teach kids to think these days." Seriously! If only he knew what was going on behind the doors of the Colorado Convention Center where he dropped me off, and behind the doors of so many classrooms. At ISTE, over 14,000 educators from all over the world came together and we weren't just talking tech tools. We were having real pedagogical discussions about the best way to challenge and empower students to learn, think critically and create. On top of that, every time you turned around, there were students, kids as young as 7, showing off the innovative experiences they had in school last year! Let's shine a light on this, instead of highlighting those who haven't been inspired to change, at least, not yet.

I am so thankful to have discovered educators and leaders who are elevating the discussion beyond "old is bad" and "don't put your chairs in rows" to explore what today's classrooms need to be. They are challenging classroom teachers to think critically: "What learning are your students doing? What can your kids really do?" "How does your classroom environment and seating arrangement play a part in that?" I say, if sitting in rows is facilitating a meaningful and challenging lesson, then go for it!

Just like our students, if you tell educators what NOT to do without giving them inspiring and creative alternatives, not much is going to change. Real educational change needs to offer glimpses of the schools of the future, or better yet, pull back the curtain on some of the innovative teaching and learning that is happening in today's schools. We get so much more from our students when we inspire them to create. Let's inspire teachers to create too, to create challenging and innovative learning experiences for our students. I am so lucky to have attended InnEdCo and ISTE, 2 conferences that do just this and have inspired me to transform teaching and learning in my classroom. Even better, I have discovered a community of educators on Twitter who are constantly challenging me, and who are offering free professional development because they believe in transforming education by inspiring others. 

If you haven't found the people that inspire you, here are a few that have inspired me:
Who has inspired you? Please comment if you'd like to share your inspiration!



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