"All adventures, especially those into new territory, are scary." - Sally Ride
I believe that this sentiment characterizes the pace of educational change in the United States. People most fear what they do not understand. Therefore, new ideas and innovations are struck down by those who fail to see their value and potential. Nowhere is this more prominent than education because it is such a familiar field. All citizens of the United States have their own schooling experience as a point of reference for what does and does not work in education. Thus, when new ideas are proposed, many respond with, "Well, that's not how we learned." By holding on to what they know, policymakers fail to allow education to adapt to our ever-changing societal needs. Fear can cripple the ability to change.
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2 comments:
It's funny but I think it is safe to say that most current teachers liked their primary school experience. After all, if you had a bad school experience or you didn't find it worth while, why would you choose to devote your life's work to its purposes? This assumption as you wrote definetly hinders change from taking place since the people involved in schools generally had a positive experience so why would they see a need to change it?
I actually hated my secondary school experience, but loved every moment of college. I never in a million years thought I would become a teacher, even though it countless people advised me to try it. I'll alway remember my first interview and how uncomfortable I was stepping into that dreaded hallway...but I hope that my empathy makes me a better teacher.
I completely agree that people fear what they do not understand. We all have experienced moments when change was necessary, but not easy to do. It takes people time to make adjustments in their lives with change. As a teacher changing my practices is inevitable to happen down the road, but it probably won't be easy.
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