My son will soon be pitched headlong into full time education. As a father and a teacher I have certain hopes for the kind of experiences he will have in the next 15 years or so.
I hope he will be in classrooms that are bright and engaging.
I hope that he will think school is exciting, where ever it is.
I hope there will be people that will find out what makes him happy.
I hope all of his successes are celebrated.
I hope he gets outside to see the world at every opportunity.
I hope his class sizes are smaller.
I hope that there will be teachers that understand what engages him.
I hope that technology is part of how he learns, but not the only part.
I hope teachers will really understand learning and not just teaching.
I hope that when he is learning he will be able to choose the technology and tools that he needs.
I hope that his teachers help him with this choice and stand back to let it happen.
I hope his achievements in one sector are not disregarded in the next.
I hope someone inspires him.
I hope he is encouraged to learn about the things that interest him.
I hope he begins to understand the world beyond his school and his home.
I hope that someone will help him understand what future contribution he might be able to make.
I hope that learning happens in a whole myriad of places.
I hope the teachers he encounters understand what technology means to him outside of school.
I hope his teachers feel free to innovate.
I hope he is happy.
I hope he is safe.
What do you hope for?
As an educator, I hope I can do these things, but we often lose sight in all admin and rush of the day. Thoughts like these help us refocus on the true reason we do the job we do. Children and the joy of learning! That light bulb moment, that lesson which goes so unexpectantly well. Thanks Tom.
When we as providers in turn become consumers (or, at least, parents of consumers) it tends to quickly bring into focus what our own priorities are.
When my eldest son started school, my horizons, which were initially much like yours, quickly narrowed to 'please don't let the school do anything else to stifle his natural curiosity about the world by controlling almost every second of his day or to further suck the joy out of his world by making him write when he is not yet ready.'
Congratulations on becoming a decisionmaker (!) and all power to your engagement and optimism; your school is extremely lucky to have you and clearly must see the value of many of the innovations that you touch upon in this blog.
Hello again, I got done reading this post and I can see how you feel with what you hope for your child. I too have a child, a little girl, who is soon to enter the wide world of education and can only hope for a better experience for her than what I had.
I love your hopes for your son Tom. They are wide-ranging and thought-provoking for those who teach. I hope he settles in well. If he has teachers as dedicated as you he'll be a very lucky boy! :-0
I hope that my children are allowed to fail and will know that as long as they adjust and try again, that a little failure is a good thing.
I hope they learn that the only place you get a trophy for just showing up is in the goofy leagues they have already participated in.
You are admirably full of positive thoughts! As an ex-teacher in a similar position in terms of my daughter coming up to school age, I hope I can remain calm and positive when things don't go to plan (occasionally!). Best of luck to you and your son 🙂
Great post. I remember going through the same anxiety when my kids started school. I think the year my daughter started grade one was one of my best years as a teacher as I was very empathetic to my student's needs.
Great list Tom, not much to add. I am especially encouraged by “I hope that technology is part of how he learns, but not the only part.” (And I love my tech)
If I had a reception aged child I'd hope she/he was in your class (good luck with the wee ones) 🙂
Some insightful hopes. I hope all students have parents that think in such an enlightened, supportive and understanding way.
Wonderful hopes- I might add that I hope he understands the purpose of his learning, that his learning is connected, and that while he derives great intrinsic satisfaction, he also struggles and persists.