What are you seeking?
One of the most unexpected yet delightful revelations of my work and life is that students have become my teachers. Their personalities, circumstances, and unique needs inspire me to create and challenge me to grow. Often, by showing up for our work and facing my own vulnerabilities, I am open to their drops of wisdom and insight.
Just this semester, I had one middle school student observe about classroom culture: “What are they preparing us for, the future or the past?”
And another made a profound connection, stating that “teachers don’t take students seriously,” so how difficult it must be for young people with learning, literacy, or communication differences to constantly have to explain the virtue of their differences and advocate for their needs.
In these dialogue exchanges, students reveal the burden and blessing of our work. Cultural norms and tired ways of doing things lock young people in an environment they refer to as, “kid jail,” yet their voices, stories, and perspectives hold the key to progress and transformation.
Let us have the humility to respect young people, value their lived expertise, sensibly include them in the education planning process, and advocate for children in power structures.
The ultimate motivation behind all our work is to create classrooms, or learning environments, in which children are free to step forward and safe to raise their hands, be who they are, and demonstrate their wisdom and knowledge. By seeking contextual explanation and understanding, we can innovate and design learning spaces that fit learners’ needs rather than pushing them toward normal, traditional, rigid systems and structures.
I am grateful for your encouragement and support this past year, and for the time you have invested to learn more about England Editorial, our work, and mission. I hope you see the possibility of progress when we listen first and prioritize space for self-expression, creativity, and discovery, which I believe are critical to awakening personal agency and empowering minds.
Finally, I welcome your feedback and appreciate your consideration for how we can work together to make a difference in 2024 and beyond.
