Building for the Future

I've been thinking about the future a lot in the last few weeks.  While at times it can be a bit scary, I'm also excited about it.  As for my own future as a teacher, my fellow English teachers have been motivating me more than I could ever motivate myself.  It's exciting to sit and talk to like-minded people and think about what we can do to improve the English classes at our school.  Last Tuesday, we all met together with the initial goal of planning the second year of the Honors English class.  That meeting soon evolved to meeting with Mr. Myers to discuss the long-term vision for the school regarding College Credit Plus and other initiatives which are meant to improve our school and the futures of our students.  We eventually continued our planning for Honors English, and that time with my colleagues was so beneficial to me and our department.

As for the futures of my students, I'm trying something new this week with my English 10 class.  I have created an argumentative writing unit checklist, which I am going to present to them and allow them to work on at their own paces.  They might decide they work best alone.  They might decide they work best collaborating with others.  Regardless of what they decide, it will give the opportunity to work independently and collaboratively, both of which they will have to do in their careers.  Will it work?  I don't know.  I at least have to see what happens because I want independent students who can think for themselves and aren't afraid to make mistakes (because, of course, mistakes are the best teachers) to leave my classroom at the end of May.  Have I done nothing up to this point in the year to create those students?  No, I don't think I've completely failed to prepare students for the future, but I want to put all students in a position to excel regardless of how long it takes them to do it.  This also relates to the fact that I see some of my students with a fixed mindset, and I want students to have a growth mindset (click here for the Carol Dweck website related to her book about mindset).  Students and workers of the 21st century need to have growth mindsets, be well rounded, and ready to use ever-changing technology, as this article from Wired exhibits.  All of this shows how much there is for students and teachers to think about when it comes to preparing for the future, but life would be pretty boring if all we had to do was be satisfied with the status quo.