"These are extraordinary times, and we face an extraordinary challenge." Those are the words John F. Kennedy used to start his address to Congress on May 25, 1961. In this address, JFK recommended to Congress that the United States commit to the goal of putting a man on the moon and returning him home safely by the end of the decade. To be honest, the United States had no business pursuing that goal. It had been less than three weeks since NASA had sent the first American into suborbital flight for a whopping fifteen minutes! Yet, John F. Kennedy had a vision of a nation pulling together for a common goal. He pushed for America to take a leading role and believed that it may hold the key to our future on Earth.
What a time to be alive! Our nation pulled together to find the funds necessary for such a grave undertaking. We pooled our greatest minds together to invent and problem solve our way out of orbit. We found brave heroes who risked their lives to carry an entire nation on their shoulders; those heroes proudly planted the stars and stripes in the rocky surface of the moon for the rest of the world to see.
I wasn't even born at the time, but I am still inspired by this moment in our nation's history. I remember hearing of the brave Neil Armstrong and dreaming of being the first man to walk on Mars. The stories, the history, and the pride has encouraged me to dream, think big, and seek giant leaps. It was an extraordinary time to be an American.
Today in Kansas, it is an extraordinary time, and we face an extraordinary challenge. Our budget is in crisis. There is a power struggle between the governor, legislature, and the courts. Our schools are in danger of being shut down. However, our Commissioner of Education, Randy Watson, has recommended a "JFK moonshot." He has created a new vision for Kansas schools: Kansas leads the world in the success of each child. Those words are not just a pie in the sky. When the world thinks of innovative education, Dr. Watson wants people to stop thinking of Finland and start thinking of Kansas. Kansas really has no business pursuing that goal. In less than two weeks our schools may be forced to close. Yet, Randy Watson has a vision of Kansans pulling together for a common goal. He is pushing Kansas to take a leading role, and he believes that it may hold the key to our future on Earth.
What a time to be a teacher! We have the opportunity to create incubators that bring to life inspired, healthy, successful humans. We have the chance to pool our greatest minds together to re-invent our educational system and what it means for each student to be successful. Teachers have the prospect of becoming the heroes that create opportunities for our students to find their unique success; teachers have the chance to create a scalable model for the rest of the world to emulate.
People often ask me, "Why would anyone want to go in to education right now? Why would anyone stay in education?" I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but I can't think of a better time to be in education. I can't think of a moment in our history where our students have needed great teachers more than they do today. I can't think of a moment in our history where teachers have had a greater impact on student success. I can't think of a moment in our history where teachers have played a more important leadership role in our schools. What a time to be alive! It is an extraordinary time to be a teacher!
I have to admit that it is a time of great change in education. And, change is scary. However, change is long overdue for our schools. Our schools were built to prepare students for the industrial revolution. Although our economy has changed, our schools have remained almost totally stagnant. It is no longer valuable to prepare students to be factory workers. Today, we need students to be team players, independent problem solvers, and innovative creators. In my opinion, we cannot continue to make small incremental changes within the box we call schools in hopes of raising test scores by a few percentage points. I believe we need toss out the box and totally re-invent our schools.
I've been thinking a lot about this change. It has become painfully obvious that this type of massive change cannot generate from a top-down model. This type of change must be organic and start at a local level. It must start with some brave "astronauts" willing to stick their neck out and challenge the beliefs of what is possible. This local change will spread and create scalable models for other teachers, schools, and districts to follow.
I may not end up taking the first steps on Mars, but I'm still focused on dreaming big! Today, I am stepping out as a teacher leader. If Kansas leads the world in the success of each student, then consider Dodge City the capital. I am surrounded by some of the greatest educational minds, and together we will pool our resources, synergize our strengths, and accept Randy Watson's challenge. It will be one small step for a teacher leader; one giant leap for education.
