Looking back, looking ahead

It is an absolute privilege to participate in the day to day life in a secondary school. There is an energy here, an optimism, and the hopefulness of youth that friends in other noble vocations seldom encounter through the regular course of their professional lives. Who else but teachers have the opportunity to hold the attention of teenagers (if at least for brief intervals of time),  to observe their discoveries, guide their learning, help them up when they have fallen, boost them along when they have stalled,  and even entertain them with our sometimes sorry jokes (they’re so polite).

Much about what is good in secondary schools hasn’t changed since the time when we travelled these halls as students: the deep sense of friendship, the feeling of community, and the firm belief that education was key to success later in life.

But the world has changed and educators have the massive responsibility to understand these changes, to interpret their meaning, and adapt practice to best prepare students for the challenge of days ahead.

These pages are intended to share some of the current thinking on effective practice. There are contributions from many colleagues as well as some from the other sources. I invite your input and ideas.