I have been told by friends that I can get a little OCD about things.  My friend, Dwight, once came to my apartment and found a notebook of data about my use of toiletries and other household products.  I was collecting data about my usage of the products to see if I could accurately predict when I would need to order more of that product.  (Short answer - Yes)  

In the days of VHS and CD collections (showing my age here), my collections would be sorted alphabetically by title or artist, and in the case of CDs, within each artist the discs were sorted by album release date.  My closet has clothes hanging in the ROYGBIV color spectrum, and within each color there are sub groups of long-sleeve-with-collar, long-sleeve-without-collar, short-sleeve-with...  I think you get the idea.  

I recently noticed that the microwave of my apartment will always bring the warmed product to the front of the microwave if I set a time that ends on any 10 second increment.  This makes it easy to pull the warmed product, typically a cup of coffee, right from the front of microwave.  Reaching to back of the unit is more difficult, especially with it hanging over the oven.  It's hard to reach.

At work, the microwave seems to have no set pattern for how fast it spins.  I'm sure there is one, but I have yet to figure it out.  Thinking that most microwaves today have a "30 sec" button, I would think that it should at least end at the front on those increments of time, but it never happens.  Why?  It seems like such a simple thing to make possible.  

We take many aspects of life for granted, until they don't serve our needs.  Then we are left wondering, "Why?"  I have been working with a wonderful group of educators in Change.School for the past 4 weeks.  I am learning that there are many aspects of school and learning that I take for granted:

• People that resist change are still people, and like me, they have assumptions, fears, and beliefs that guide their work
• When I talk about "student-driven learning", everyone I'm speaking with has the same ideas and definitions of what that means (along with so many other edu-jargon words)
• New ideas about the purpose of school and learning in our modern contexts are easy to get others to buy-in because they make sense to me
• Is anyone trying to talk to actual kids about these ideas?  I know I am trying.

Recognizing our assumptions and biases can help us to start important conversations and stop taking things like these for granted.  We need to have common language before we have discussions about our beliefs about school and learning.  We need to understand that people (including young people) are coming to the table with their own beliefs and assumptions, and they are worth understanding.  

I probably won't get a meeting with the manufacturers of my work microwave.  I will continue to search for a time pattern that will get my coffee cup to the front of the microwave every time.  I'm going to find an answer to this problem within the context of the microwave where the problem exists.  But if I am ever shopping for a new one, you can bet I'm going to drive a sales person crazy as I test the rotation vs. time of each unit.

This week I have been thinking a lot about the purpose of school and what things could really be like if there were no constraints.  That level of thought can be tough.  As a leader, I naturally lean toward thoughts of, "But what about the teacher that doesn't jump on board," or "What about parents that might fight the changes?"  It's hard to stop thinking about people pushing back when you are trying to imagine a best case scenario.  

As I rethink what school could be for learners, I begin thinking about students that will be served by the environment I help to foster.  For me, that environment needs to be driven by the learner, not the teacher.  Kids are amazingly capable of driving their own content.  Former student, MH, once spent time with me on a weekend to go to Maker Faire NYC and then another weekend at a library for a lesson on building a circuit (inspired by the time at Maker Faire).  Two days later, he is sharing pictures of a "Air Conditioner" that he made from a computer fan, wires, battery, coffee can, and ice.  I didn't give him the plans or teach him to make it.  He chose to find something he needed for his room, and used some of what we explored together to create this device.

Yesterday, I stopped for coffee and to meet another former student, Ami, for a catch up session.  This young woman was devoted to promoting and cheering on our after-school robotics team when I was their coach.  She had a tough time in high school, and she did not like it.  I asked her what was one thing she missed about high school, and, no surprise, she told me about a teacher that had a good relationship with her.  "Teachers should be there for kids, not a paycheck, Glover."  So true.

I asked her how she was doing in college, which she pursued with the help of an after school program, and she said she dropped out.  She never wanted to go to college, she wanted to go to culinary school.  But the after school program was insistent that she go to traditional college - they did not support her passion.  She ended in a little debt, but she got out within two years.

"You're not going to believe this, Glover, but I do homework.  I want to work on stuff at home.  Look at my grades - 86, 89, 100, 90.  I've only been in school for 6 months!"  Ami has begun a baking program in a culinary arts school, and she loves it.  She works full time (sometimes 50 hours) to make ends meet while she attends school and learns to bake.  "I'm proud of myself."

When students are given a chance to do things they are passionate about and interested in learning, they will learn.  We need to change schools so kids can explore their own interests with an adult to learn with them, to help guide and frame their learning, not insist upon what content is more important to their lives. 

How will I help improve schools so all students have a space to guide their own learning?  How will I help redefine the role of adults in the classroom so students have teachers that focus on them as people, as learners each with unique interests?  How will I create a culture  and community of Curiosity?  How will I create a space where all students can say, "I'm proud of myself?"

I'm proud of you, too, Ami.  Keep pushing yourself, and drop off a pear tart every now and then!