I write this in looking at the fallacy of my own practice.

We have plenty of conversations about what we should do in schools, but little attention to what it should look like.

The oft-mentioned observation of the classroom one hundred fifty years ago versus today (and how little it has changed) needs to be taken into some deeper consideration. The classroom layout, while important to this discussion, should only be one part of many.

As a teacher, here’s what I would like to see:

School should be a safe place where students can express themselves and their ideas. Those ideas should also be challenged as they formulate critical thinking skills and consider the perspective of those outside themselves.

School should be a place where creativity is nurtured, instead of hindered.

It should be a place where students are exposed to a variety of fields in a way that piques their curiosity and allows them to explore its depths.

The classroom should extend beyond the walls, inviting the world into the room while also going out to explore it.

The day should be a mixture of deep work, collaboration and play.

It should breed the excellence of each student in their own unique way, rather than encouraging mediocrity among everyone.

There should be responsibility for their own learning, encouraged by choices in how they go about it.

The value of learning isn’t relegated to arbitrary rewards such as marks.

Work should be done within the walls, respecting the time with family and friends that could be spent afterwards.

Subject areas should blend together without priority towards certain ones because of government testing.

The students should be at the center of learning and the passionate teacher is there to function as a guide.

While I admit the list is intimidating, there’s no reason I cannot take strides toward making it a reality in my room… one piece at a time…

The way a school should look will change. It’s a matter of creating the wave or being pulled along in the undertow after it’s happened.