I am reading Creating Innovators by Tony Wagner right now, and I have to say, it is inspiring me in multiple ways. Because of what I'm reading, I am driven to both teach and parent differently. Without summarizing the book, (trust me, though, you should read it), I'll tell the story of how a particular segment has served as inspiration.
In chapter two, the author tells the story of Kirk Phelps, a very successful innovator. His first "real world" job was developing the first iPhone. How he got there, though, is what is deemed unconventional. Having only finished the eleventh grade, Kirk dropped out of high school and was accepted to Stanford to begin a dual BS/MS program. According to the book, when asked why he dropped out, he said that he really wanted to take a class during a free period in his schedule, and the school wouldn't allow it.
Without knowing the full story, we can make assumptions here. It might have been that an academic advisor was afraid the course would be too much for an individual with an already full schedule. It might have been that the course was full. Frequently, though, what happens in high school is that the schedule is set. Students have options about electives they want to take, what year they might take some required courses like foreign language or physical education, but otherwise, (especially if it is a small school), the schedule is set. And if you want to take an AP, dual credit, or college prep class, it's going to be offered once. If you want it badly enough, you'll somehow manage the rest of your classes around that, even if they're courses you don't want to take or with teachers that you know you struggle with.
This is a barrier for a student.
Now don't get me wrong - there are all kinds of barriers for students. Poor home life, learning disabilities, lack of resources, etc., etc. Any teacher could easily rattle off an enormous list of barriers kids face today. But what if our students did not have barriers? What if nothing held them back? What impact could we, as teachers, have if we set forth to change and maybe even remove those barriers?
I know there are many things outside of our control that we cannot change. We can't change the fact that some kids have a poor home life. But we can make their days at school full of care, warmth, respect, and encouragement. We can't change that students may come to us with less academic experience than we'd like, but we can provide learning experiences differentiated to meet their needs. We may feel that students are not motivated, but by designing instruction so that it mimics the real world, they have greater purpose.
If scheduling is a barrier for our kids, can online classes help? If our resources are stretched thin, could we look at eSourcing our curriculum? When we are frustrated by apathy, could we give students just a bit of freedom of choice with tools and design? What could each of us do to help break down those barriers and minimize, or even eliminate them?
Can we make barrier removal 100%? I can't answer that, but there are so many things that we do have control over that we can considerably change those that do stand in our students' way. We have control over schedules, classes we offer (or don't), mutual respect for students, accommodations, lesson design, and even most local assessments.
Several years ago, when I became a technology integration specialist, I was suddenly requested to do all sorts of things that I hadn't considered as job responsibilities. Upon receiving those requests, often, my initial reaction was, "No." But wanting to be a team player and to show my new boss that she had made the right decision in giving me the position, I made a rule for myself. If my initial reaction was no, rather than responding with that answer, I would respond with "let me think about it." In the time that response bought me, I would consider how I could turn my "no" into "yes." Sometimes it was out of my control and the answer was still no. But often, I could find a way to remove the barrier and create a win-win situation. This is another part of teaching with fidelity. It's just about doing what's right.
We can remove many of the barriers for our kids. Let's find ways to open their schedules, develop relationships with them, teach them to create instead of consume, seek alternatives for limited resources, differentiate our instruction, utilize small groups when our class sizes rise, and think - How can I turn my no into a yes? How can I eliminate barriers my students face?
