Happy Back-to-School, Reader!

Back-to-School is an exhausting, exciting time of year filled with possibility, renewed energy, and for some, perhaps even a little dread. We salute all you do each day the make the world a better place for kids. Rest assured that we have your back.

While we can’t “clear your list,” we decided to share some thoughts that may “clear your mind” and perhaps, even inspire you to lean into your courage and creativity.

Here are some of words of wisdom and witty tales to help you kick off the school year with a smile. [Be sure to look for the other cool stuff down the page]

“You’re only 7 once” — Jonathan Kozol​
We need a renewed sense of urgency. Each time we say, manana, kids miss out on potentially life-changing learning adventures.​

“School has an obligation to introduce children to things they don’t yet know they love and create the conditions in which kids might become great at those things.” — Gary Stager

“Keep your tactical foot inside the system and your strategic foot outside of the system” — Paulo Freire

Be more radical

Seymour Papert and Gary Stager created a multi-age, project-based, interdisciplinary, high-tech, alternative school for 13–21-year-old at-risk learners inside a troubled prison for teens. (This was the subject of Gary’s PhD dissertation.) At one point, Papert told Gary, “Every time the system says, ‘we get it,’ we should do something more radical.”

Gary has come to explain that as if you’re trying to make progress, imagine a wagon tied to a rope. If the rope is loose, nothing moves forward. We need to keep the rope taught, especially in these challenging days. Those of us who know better, need to do better, because if we won’t stand between kids and the madness, who will?

Gary once got to spend time with iconoclastic Teacher of the Year and provocative Dumbing Us Down author, John Taylor Gatto. Once Mr. Gatto realized that he was in the presence of a fellow warrior for the rights of kids, he shared the following challenge:

“It is the sacred obligation of every educator to commit one conscious act of sabotage per day against the system — even if that is just hiding the Vice Principal’s toilet paper.” — John Taylor Gatto

Monday is a step on the path to Someday

“‘But what shall I do Monday?’ which is teacher-talk for ‘Be real, I’d love to do that, but it is impossible.’ Indeed, for the individual teacher the vision cannot be achieved before meeting a class of present-day children when she gets back to school. Yet there is a pragmatic, constructive answer to the question: ‘I can’t tell you specifically what to do Monday, but I can tell you a general principle: whenever you have a choice ask yourself which way best takes us a step closer to someday.’ This might mean changing the criteria for what you do in your class. Choices are supposed to be made by thinking about which will produce the best immediate improvement in how the children learn. But in the long run, the best choice might be what improves how the system learns.” — Seymour Papert ​

Leader to Leader — More Inspiration for the year ahead

​Read back-to-school advice for education leaders from leading educators, including: Alfie Kohn, Deborah Meier, Seymour Papert, Lillian Katz, & Tom Vander Ark here.

Computational Making and Learning Workshop – October 16^th in Chicago

Gary Stager is leading a fantastic full-day hands-on computational making workshop in Chicago, October 16^th. Don't wait — Early-bird registration ends September 15^th.

Computational making recognizes that the future is computational. Making things with code expands the creative canvas, supercharges mathematical thinking, and positions learners to explore the frontiers of nearly any discipline.

Best of all, this includes a dive into an optimistic, learner-centered vision of AI in your classroom.

Developing computational fluency allows students of all ages to solve problems, make cool things, and make things work. Join educators from across the region for a full day of computational making, playful exploration, and practical classroom-ready ideas!

Learn more here. Register today!

Only You Can Save History!

History, especially US history, is under-siege. Powerful forces are attacking the Smithsonian, removing mentions of slavery from national parks, renaming military bases and schools for Confederate soldiers, erasing heroism, and threatening voting rights. Children are more dependent on robust and high-quality history education more than ever before. It just so happens that veteran educator, Beth Krasemann, has written a brand new and practical book for secondary history teachers. “History in their Hands…” provides teachers with primary sources to share with students, along with strategies and advice for creating an inquiry-based history classroom in which students construct a more complete understanding of the American experiment. Learn more and get yourself a copy today, here.

Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager
Constructing Modern Knowledge