The Yearning
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
I’m being challenged with the creation of a professional learning session to begin the rollout of a 1:1 program at one of my schools. They decided there’s no time to waste and they want to hit the ground running this year by issuing students devices right out of the gate.
It’s certainly humbling and daunting to think about leading this work. It’s also very exciting and inspiring. The quote above reminded me that I shouldn’t be facilitating the learning around using devices in the classroom or the many tools that can be used when every student has a device. Instead, it’s reminded me there is a need to instill a deep desire and passion to seek genuine shifts in pedagogy and developing amazing cultures of thinking.
As I brainstorm, design, and attempt to pull together a plan that will promote the yearning for the vast and endless sea of personalization and incredible learning, I’m being humbled by that sea itself. It’s an incredible opportunity but certainly daunting as my fears of not providing the very best swirl around while my creativity runs wild with possibilities.
What do you do to teach, inspire, and lead others to yearn for the vast and endless sea? What are the strategies, ideas, and processes that allow us to tap into others’ passions and interests so it’s not about the tools or shiny new technology but rather, it’s about the inspiration to create amazing new learning opportunities for all students on a daily basis?
To extend (and possibly torture) the metaphor further:
Not all people enjoy the sea. In fact, my most common experience on the ocean is that of being violently ill. Clearly, the sea of change and shift toward Personalized Learning is filled with opportunity, but it is not always smooth. We will hit rough waters, and when we do, we will need to figure out how to “batten down the hatches” (or something equally nautical). These are likely times that we will learn the most, but only if we can lean on one another for support.
If you are running into some rough water in your thinking or within a school, please share. These are opportunities for all of us to get better, together.
