How Do We Educate Our Children to Take Their Place in the Economies of the 21st Century?

…Given that we can’t anticipate what the economy will look like at the end of next week?

As a parent, I am growing increasingly worried that school will sabotage my first-grade son’s overflowing creativity and problem-solving skills. I value those traits in him more than anything else!

With his “out-of-the-box” thinking, he may someday discover a cure for cancer or create some really outrageous invention no one in my generation ever dared to accept as a possible. But he’s discouraged from nurturing those skills in school and has over an hour of homework every night.

He goes to a GREAT school with amazing teachers. But, standardized tests do not capture “innovation skills” very well.

Meanwhile, as a professional educator, I worry about all of our students…are we really preparing them for the jobs of the 21st century? Or, since most companies can now do more with less people, will they have the entrepreneurial skills to create their own jobs?

There are very few things that I am more passionate about than these fundamental issues and concerns. They are the heart of everything I do professionally and are becoming more and more alarming to me as a mother of a very active and highly creative boy.

Last week, I was introduced to a video that validates many of my concerns and clearly illustrates the challenges of our educational system. Every parent and teacher should view this video! (Link below.)

You may –or may not- agree with all of it, but we are doing our children a great disservice if we ignore some poignant perspectives addressed in this video. It is well worth the 11 minutes of your time. Share it with your friends, share it at staff meetings…the conversation needs to start somewhere!

http://www.schooltube.com/video/2cb4889891b0c637f8f8/RSA-Animate-Changing-Education-Paradigms

(The link above will direct you to SchoolTube.com. If you have trouble accessing this website, do an internet search for “RSA Changing Educational Paradigms video.” This video is posted on several different sites.)

-Susan Kruger

EB 092517