We say we have a new kind of student, but we want them to be like we were, share our values and find what we find important, important. Then we say we want to change and be more like them. We are all growing and changing and learning, but then we discredit what they do,  what they like, who they are becoming. They are distracted and can’t read a book! Gasp! We want to teach them new things, what they want to learn in new ways, but really we just teach them what we want them to learn in the ways we were taught, with new tools and call this progress.

We say we want to be inquiry driven and constructivist, but we get through curriculum we design, assess by our standards and bore them to death. Just exactly where does student inquiry fit into teacher planned curriculum? We say computers are good. We say they are bad. Connected, disconnected. We teach writing and reading, but can’t say why and most of teachers seldom do either.

Do as I say not as I do is still the backbone of most school environments.