The power of connection in the digital world is limitless.
I don’t know Alyssa. She attends school in another school district, but here is Alyssa’s recent email to me:
My name is Alyssa and I am a grade 12 student and attend Templeton Secondary. Recently, I have been reading your WordPress blog and I am blown away by how much truth they hold. I started realizing that there needed to be a shift in thinking about the North American school system (structure & curriculum) about a year ago when I came upon Sir Ken Robinson’s Ted talk. Since then, I have been researching, and talking about this topic with as many people as I possibly could.
The one difficulty I have had with spreading the idea of change, is that – well, people think that everything is fine. What I want to do, is put together a presentation for my school, for the teachers, for the students, and for the parents, about bringing OUR education back to us.
Using technology, having more personalized learning, and a more relevant curriculum are all things that I want to address. Education is my passion, and I hope to help expand this education movement.
Our students are hungry to be included and engaged in these conversations — we just need to find the way. There are students like Alyssa, in all of our schools, who want to help guide our work and their learning.
I come back to a comment from Brian Kuhn regarding this movement: “How are we going to make the change? One student, one teacher, one parent, one school at a time.”
Thanks, Alyssa, for joining the conversation. Let’s all work toward engaging more students like Alyssa, in the education evolution.
cultureofyes.ca 
My belief is that one of the changes in 2010 vs. earlier times is that a segment, not all, of the kids are more mature. What I mean is that they have tools and a cultural place that allows them to take more control of their destiny. They are customers not subservient students.
Just like the business world had to figure out, the future of relationship (e.g. success) is 2-way and consultative. As a TOC, I can validate that is not at all how our system is structured. This post captures that well.
Here’s to the student voice and those that enable it. Well done Chris.
Thanks Bret – I really appreciate how you can bring some of your experiences from outside the system to this discussion. Those in education can be very inward looking, and not see that many of the issues we are dealing with are very similar to ones that are being faced by other industries. As you likely know, in West Vancouver we use more business terms that elsewhere – we talk about our brand, market-share, customers etc. I know this is off-putting for some, but it can also help remind us that we do have clients – our students and their families.
Thanks for the comment.
Thanks for giving this student a voice in the dialogue. There is no stopping empowered youth! They continue to be a source of inspiration and motivation
Thanks for the comment. A real goal of mine for the coming year is to find new ways to engage students in this conversation that so many of us are having.
This student’s voice is indeed eloquent, and reflects a passion that Bret (above) implies (correctly, I believe) is not necessarily present in all students. The word “change” is bandied about freely in education circles, and has been for the better part of two decades, if not longer. What is refreshing here is to see a call coming from the end user, the customer if you will. Clearly Alyssa, as a grade 12 student, is not expecting to see this “change”, whatever it might be, during her school days. She sees the situation in a broader context, and, if I interpret her last sentence correctly, she is likely to be party to the change when she returns to work in the field.
It is very interesting to engage students on the topic of educational change / reform. While many will complain about their current situation, they often don’t want anything to change. In part, I believe, is they are not sure what “different” might look like and they are doig just fine the way the system is currently functioning. I like that Alyssa sees the change as part of a bigger purpose than just her schooling – it is about schooling in general and in turn, what this means for the skills and attributes of graduates moving forward.
Thanks for commenting Peter.
I have come across quite a few students this year who are getting the flexibility to express themselves and their learning in a variety of ways. Teachers in Coquitlam seem to increasingly be entrusting their students with more choice and technology is often what they choose to use. It’s encouraging. As you quoted me, one person at a time… Eventually they add up to all persons! Thanks for the reference 🙂
I think the last twelve months have been good for “flexibility”. While the structures may not have changed, like you, I get the sense that students are being given more choice and this is often leading to more technology being used.
Hi Chris and Alyssa,
Some young people learn to feel empowered in high school. Some, later in life. Some, never. I applaud Alyssa for seeking change and for formulating a vision. My question to anyone with a vision is: What small steps can you take each day to work toward your vision?
1. Daily I want to remind teachers that our job is to activate student voice, to listen to students and to communicate to them that their voice counts. In short, to be facilitators of vision even for the very young. (As a Faculty Advisor, this is one way I can effect change in my present role.)
2. I love the problems posted on Twitter. As a participant in this online community, I like posting problems I have previously had, currently have or have seen in order to find rich, imaginative solutions to problems that could seem overwhelming when I am alone. It has become a life philosophy for me to seek help when I am stumped. Now I never feel that I must find all of the answers alone. I always want to belong to part of a team (or network or learning community – you can choose the term.) I encourage my children and my students to do the same.
3. I love the solutions posted on Twitter although they are not always labelled ‘solutions.’ I love hearing stories of how people go about their lives (in the field of education or otherwise) and I hope that over time, listening (with heart and mind) will make me a wiser person. I don’t have all of the answers but I am a better listener than I used to be. At this phase in my life, being an active listener counts for a lot.
Chris, I love that you honoured Alyssa’s voice by sharing her thoughts with a broader readership. Alyssa, you are an inspiration and a reminder that senior students can accomplish much through their actions.
Thank you both for using your voices to promote positive change in education.
Ingrid 🙂
To paraphrase liberally – the children shall lead us. Including students in all aspects of education from the planning of the lessons to the assessment to the feedback on the learning experience makes it completely relevant to them and it is then more effective.
One caution – don’t assume that only the “good” kids have value to add. Some of the most insightful feedback I’ve heard comes from the kids that most of the teachers can’t stand to have in their classrooms. The real challenge is that the teachers don’t often want to hear what amounts to improvements they need to make in their own practice.
I am always so impressed with our young people – thank you for honouring Alyssa’s voice, Chris. Alyssa has a fellow thinker in my niece, Brianna, who is questioning how she can be involved in making the curriculum in BC more relevant and personalized for high school students. She, too, is in grade twelve and a passionate learner.
Jennifer – you make a great comment regarding students who are challenging in the classroom. They have so much to teach us if only we can “hear” them.
Kudos Chris and Alyssa. This is so inspiring. This is truly unbelievable. It is amazing that we have some students like Alyssa who are going to be our leaders of tomorrow and are already thinking of how to make the education system a more effective one. I think, as teachers, we should do everything in our capacity to support such change agents who are providing a vision of tomorrow. Our government (all three levels) should also be collaborated and ask to listen to the student voice who not only have great seeds of change but also enthusiasm which is being evidently seen in Alyssa’s comments.
The major change in education will be in human relations. As we begin to understand that all have a role in transforming what defines education and have untapped human resources to contribute, we’ll move away from the industrial model to one that fits the needs of the 21st century and beyond. My favorite education related quote is, “Regard Man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.” http://www.mininggems.org
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