I had an opportunity to see education expert and author Ray McNulty present recently at a conference I attended. The presentation was outstanding with many compelling points. Something that struck me most is when he offered the following:
"The purpose of education is not to help kids do well in school but to prepare them to be successful in the world in which we live."
Obviously, this is a simple concept and one that makes plenty of sense. The simplicity of it is rather profound and caused further thought. Questions that challenged me followed as I reflected on his statement.
*Do we as educators work daily to help kids be successful after they leave the safety of school?
*Do our efforts truly prepare them for the responsibility of adulthood in a free society or for the next test (not just standardized)?
*Are we more interested in them complying with rules, regs and policy or the ability to responsibly think creatively, problem solve and work well with others?
Just a few thoughts. I hope you are as challenged as I am.