“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, we must think anew and act anew.” – Abraham Lincoln
This is one of my favorite quotes, and although I am certain Old Abe wasn’t referring to educational reforms, the overarching message is quite appropriate to the educational situation in which we currently find ourselves. There is no denying that the pandemic of the past two years has wreaked havoc on the established educational plans and processes that have become familiar and comfortable. The resulting circumstances have forced us to rethink and often redesign our methods. This has been understandably uncomfortable for everyone involved, however, I foresee a number of positive outcomes to this unfortunate situation. We are living a tremendous social experiment that is allowing us to investigate and experiment with new and dynamic ways of reaching students, that are likely to propel educational methods and plans forward at a rate far beyond what typical research could achieve. We must remember that comfort can be crippling to growth and change. I am challenging you, teachers, administrators, parents, and students) to embrace the discomfort with the understanding that progress is on the horizon. Plato said it best when he wrote, “our need will be the real creator,” which we have adapted to the proverb, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Allow your creativity to shine and find new and exciting ways to rise to the occasion.
Take a moment to share in the comments positive changes that you have seen, are seeing, or are hoping to see in the world of education in light of the stormy present.