Don't Blink

I’ve reached a point in my life where I’m beginning to understand what people mean when they say, “Don’t Blink”. As a teenager and even as a young adult I spent my days wishing time would speed up so I could experience what was coming in the next phase. When I was in high school, I longed to experience college. When I was in college, I was excited to get my first teaching job. After I got married, I was excited to have children. Then you know what happened? I blinked.  Last week I attended a high school registration meeting with my oldest son. It seems like just yesterday Isaac came into this world, and just a minute ago I was taking him to kindergarten round-up. High school registration doesn’t seem possible.

In the relatively short time I’ve held my k-12 position, I have become versed on the requirements of all educational levels in our district. I understand what is expected for our young students coming into kindergarten. I understand what is required for our third graders as they embark on that pivotal year with IREAD and ISTEP. I even understand the course requirements of our high school students who are striving to earn a particular diploma. So why did it take me sitting next to my own son at a high school registration meeting to realized just how quickly our children have to put these skills into place? High school is not what it used to be. The demands placed on our Yorktown students (and all students) today are much greater than when I attended the same school, I won't say how many years ago. Which brings me to my point. The world changes in the blink of an eye. Students are required to apply certain skills, while at the same time adding to their content knowledge base. School has changed because jobs have changed. When they say we are preparing our students for jobs that don’t yet exist, they aren’t kidding! The depth of knowledge required and the skill set to think critically, problem solve, and collaborate is no longer celebrated in the few who possess it, but rather an expectation for anyone stepping into a career. That’s a change. The clear shift from the industrial age to the information age has happened and while things will continue to evolve, we aren’t going back to the way things were. It’s not the same world and it will continue to change. Requirements, along with the competition have become tougher, bringing with them a sense of urgency for us to start developing our students’ critical skills at a young age. It is irresponsible for us to educate our children in the same manner that we developed our content knowledge and soft skills. As a result, the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” mentality has to change.

In my position I advocate for the need of an instructional shift so students can develop 21st Century skills along with the understanding of course content. I preach how the use of technology can help students develop those skills in addition to conceptual understanding. I provide a model for this type of learning through our teacher professional development. As an Integration Specialist, that’s my job. As a mom, I can only hope teachers are open to instructional redesign and are willing to grow and learn as well. Isaac’s registration meeting helped me to realize just how little time we educators have to help our students develop the skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives and how it passes with just one blink.