Like Riding a Bike

I listened to the late Sir Ken Robinson's TED Talk about education more than ten years ago. Sadly, it wasn't in person, but it was stunning nonetheless. He discussed the factory model in education, which we still have to this day. Here's a clip of the most salient points (less than one minute long). If you want the entire talk, click here (it is almost twelve minutes long but well worth it). Thank you to YouTube for both of those clips. 

For some reason, that was in my head when I saw this tweet earlier this month from Brad Johnson (@DrBradJohnson): 

Dr. Johnson and Sir Ken Robinson are on to something here regarding the reality of education. It's not about churning out results like a factory. It's about creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive place where all students can grow and learn to their potential, making mistakes along the way. It's not about output. It's about input. 

The goal is growth and mastery, not just good grades. We want our students to be better this year than they were last year and to grow even more next year. We want them to make mistakes, learn from them, and not make the same mistake twice. Consider the following examples: 

• How many people learned to ride a bike the first time training wheels were taken off? I would offer that some did, but most of us didn't. I distinctly remember my dad running behind me on a dead-end street in the neighborhood where I grew up many, many times. It wasn't until I learned how to master the balance, pedaling, braking, and turning that I didn't need his support. There were plenty of falls, skinned knees, and hands in the process. To this day, I still know how to ride a bike. 
  
  
• How many people didn't pass their driver's license road test the first time? I passed my first time, but it took me (and my parents) a long time to even think I was ready to sit for this high-stakes, real-world assessment. A couple of my friends did not pass the first time but got specific feedback about the skills they needed to hone before returning to test again. Even if it took more than one try, those friends passed and still have their licenses. 
  
  
• Final example: What happens if you don't pay your federal taxes by April 15? Do the feds give you a zero and wait around to see what you do next year? No - you pay a fine and get a six-month extension. In one of the most basic tenets of our society, extensions are given when deadlines are missed. 

The education process is complex, nuanced, and full of grey areas. It's not like a factory where one size fits all, and we can predict the outcomes simply because of the assembly line our students are on. The educators in East Greenwich Public Schools are constantly tinkering, adjusting, fine-tuning, tweaking, and pruning the lessons our students engage in daily. Planning, delivering, assessing, and then reviewing a topic in a classroom is a professional commitment to the variety of learners and learning styles in our six buildings. 

Do we get it right every time? Nope. Do our students get it right every time? Nope. But we start over again, learning from that day's teachable moments, promising not to make that same mistake again. Both students and teachers. 

Just like riding a bike.