Start Simple: Next Gen Leading for Next Gen Learners

The trends in education around innovation have required me to think differently.  I have pondered at length why education has been slow to transition to what our next generation learners will need for successful futures.  Public educators across the country currently deliver standards and assessments and continue to question why our outputs haven't change.  I have the privilege of engaging in conversations with educated folks and rarely these conversations end without statements that point to the necessary inquiry, ethical decision making, responsible and respectful behaviors that our students should possess upon graduation.  The puzzling piece is that educated individuals in the profession know what next generation learners require to be prepared upon graduation and yet we haven't changed our approach.   Courses are still taught in isolation, "A's" is the letter we use to gauge success knowing that an "A" for one teacher is a "C" for another, collaboration is scary, and the standards provided are interpreted to be the ceiling for instruction rather than just the start.  Why knowing these simple concepts are we hesitant to move forward?  Change is hard.  Change is messy. Change is questioned.  Change is lonely.  Change is necessary.  Classrooms in public education have kept the same face in my opinion due to fear.  Fear of Failure.  Even though I know it needed to be different in my heart, it did not make it easier to confront the how.  The last two years, change has been the story of my life in the role of a principal in a school that is in a designated District of Innovation in Kentucky.

The last two years I have experienced "the rubber meeting the road" for Next Generation Learners.  I had to commit to becoming a Next Generation Leader and that required me to get to the core of my beliefs fast.  My beliefs drive me.   Beliefs about what do grades reflect? What should they reflect? How should we approach curriculum to create a meaningful experience for the Next Generation Learners in the school where I serve? How does school reflect the real world that these students will enter?  I have always questioned these components throughout my career.  It just so happened that I was brought to a district that forces me to commit to what I believe and lead based on my passions for the innovations desperately needed in our schools.  The Love of a Leader is where I will share my passions as a leader and hope to inspire others to take the first steps in leading change and committing to be a Next Generation Leader for Next Generation Learners to create innovative learning environments.  

Remember...Keep it SIMPLE:
1.  Visit schools who have experienced success in innovative approaches to education.  Continue this through your implementation to remind yourself it is possible.
2.  Network in anyway you can...in Kentucky we have Regional Cooperatives where like professionals meet regularly to support various initiatives and learn from each other.  Social media is a great resource that should be utilized for connecting with others who can support your commitment to Next Generation Learners.
3.  Start with ONE.  One believer, one teacher, one classroom, one lesson, one schedule modification...it doesn't have to impact the whole school initially to achieve the long-term vision for change.  One intentional step at a time.

It feels great to be at a point in this work where I am able to provide for others what so many individuals provided for me: support and continued encouragement.  In the spirit of innovation in education, I continue one step at a time.  Sometimes in very quick succession.