We have come a long way since the one room schoolhouses of
the old days. Society has changed, kids
have changed, and learning has changed.
It is a given that these types of schools could not be effective public
schools these days. There are, however,
some old charms that we could use in the present. The old schoolhouse was a centerpiece of the
community. It had the sole purpose of
producing members of that community in order to help it thrive. Students were not grouped by age so older
students could bring along younger students adding more to the community
concept of the school. People were
accountable and responsible for the others in the school. Let’s not forget that the teacher was
respected and looked up to. Not
constantly questioned and belittled. That’s
a whole different kind of conversation though.
The schoolhouse is becoming more of a business than a place
of community and learning. Many of the “reforms”
coming our way seek to reduce our kids and teachers to numbers. They also would like to call school failures
in hopes of creating an environment of school choice and a push for more
charter schools. Folks don’t be fooled,
this is a business venture. The
schoolhouse is becoming an easy market for the “reformers” and our kids could
become the next privatized cash cow.
Our biggest loss in the new “development” of schools is our
sense of community when it comes to our schools. In each locale schools face different
challenges and use creative problem solving to serve their communities. The trouble is we are now so focused on test
scores, mandates and changes in teaching/curriculum that we forget how to be a
school and we run the risk of being called a failure. This will hurt our kids and
communities.
A few months ago I was turned on to a new initiative called
Illinois Vision 20/20. This is a
legislative initiative that seeks to, in my words, take back the schoolhouse. It is purely a vehicle to influence change in
the Illinois legislature to fulfill the promise of public schools once
again. Over time we have let changes
happen to us rather than sit at the table and help design what changes can help
make our schools and communities better.
One word of note: Vision 20/20 is about kids and their schools. Nothing in their platform seeks to benefit
the adults that work in schools except for the prospect of a better place for
them to find their student’s fullest potential.
This week I was proud to participate in the Alliance
Leadership Summit in Springfield. Over
600 administrators, board members and parents converged on the capital to begin
the process of change. We learned about
potential policy, changes in learning, and how state budgets have been
constructed. At the conclusion of
Governor Rauner’s budget address we moved towards the capital and visited our
legislator’s offices and promoted the four pillars of Vision 20/20. This was truly an empowering experience to know
that instead of sending a couple of lobbyists to speak, we sent 600.
This is how we will get the old school house back, in the
General Assembly. In a lot of ways this
is how we were put in the situation we are in.
New laws that restrict schools to serve kids have pushed us in a direction
we can no longer go. If you would like
to learn more about Vision 20/20, follow the link below and even sign the
petition. Over 300 school districts in
Illinois have signed on and the Illinois PTA and their 100,000 members have
endorsed the plan as well. Let’s take
the schoolhouse back.
http://illinoisvision2020.org/
