Response to TED videos

Rita Pierson's message validated many of my teaching beliefs.  I believe her discussion about the value and importance of human connection supports the Responsive Classroom model that we implement at Rowe School.  Rita stated that "all learning is understanding relationships," and the social curriculum taught through a Responsive Classroom model builds human connections and teaches children about relationships.  One of the guiding principles of Responsive Classroom is that knowing the children and families we teach is as important as the content we teach.  This aligns with Rita's belief about the value of human connection.

Another important message I took away from Rita's presentation is that teachers may not like every student they ever teach, but you can never let that show.  As Rita said "teachers become great actors and actresses."  You will have tough students, and these are the children who may need your love and human connection the most.  As an educator it is important to believe in these children and tell them what they can do.  A quote I took away from Rita is "if you say something long enough it starts to be a part of you." 

The student in the video "Teens Talk" made many important remarks about public education.  A few key points I took away from her message are:

• "Public schools are killing creativity."
• Does academic choice help solve this problem?  Is it possible to prevent all creativity from being lost?
• "Students are skimming the surface just to pass exams."
• This remark really struck home with me.  I feel as though that is what I used to do in high school.  I would learn the content for an exam, pass it with flying colors, and then move on, often quickly forgetting the material I had "learned."  As educators, how can we teach what we are required to teach in a meaningful, engaging way for students?
• "The best education is one that teaches you to speak and think for yourself.  That is much more valuable than just passing an exam."
• I can remember having a lot of anxiety about speaking during class discussions throughout high school.  I didn't begin to feel comfortable contributing to class discussions until college, when it became a regular part of my classes.  In my own kindergarten classroom, I encourage risk-taking, and all of my students appear comfortable engaging in discussions.  I wonder if this is a result of their age or has responsive classroom contributed to this?