I write this post for all those who call themselves educators.
I write this post for superintendents and the schools boards for whom they work.
I write this post for both central office and building level administrators.
And finally and perhaps most importantly, I write this post for teachers of all grade levels and all content areas.
There is a vicious epidemic that has been spreading and continues to spread unchecked across the globe. The achievement gap that is so often spoken of is merely a cover for what is really happening.
We don't have an achievement gap, we have an opportunity gap...
We have schools that are providing life-changing opportunities and experiences that others can't even fathom. We have kids who are doing work in their classes that is both impacting and affecting the world in which they live while other kids are doing worksheets from outdated textbooks about material and content they can't relate to.
There are kids who are being positioned to be game-changers in their respective parts of the world while others are being comfortably placed among the ranks of industry that is disappearing with skills that haven't been in demand in a decade.
The opportunity gap is widening at an accelerated pace during a time when technology and global connectedness are soaring.
Sure, it's easy to say that kids and their families have a choice as to which schools they attend. Families can move to different communities or choose to attend private or parochial schools that provide some of these wonderful before-mentioned opportunities.
But there's a reality that most know but seem to ignore.
Most families and students don't really have a choice as to where they reside and where they attend school. Communities are built around schools and more frequently than not, those schools who offer vast opportunities exist in communities that most can't afford. The 'haves' and 'have nots' legacy is deeply entrenched in education.
For educators, there are many variables that we can't control and as a result we must learn to work with and accept what we are presented.
This challenge can look very similar to an excuse and justification for why we can't or aren't able to do something.
I refuse to let what we can't control dictate what we can or can't do... and so should you.
When you go to school, fight for what our kids don't have. Fight for the opportunities our kids can only dream of. Fight for the opportunities our kids can't yet dream of. Fight to put an end to the opportunity gap and whatever you do, don't use it as an excuse.
Remember, the next time you hear about some school or district doing something amazing with their kids, keep in mind that the only thing preventing you from doing the same or preventing you from doing something better, is you...
I write this post for superintendents and the schools boards for whom they work.
I write this post for both central office and building level administrators.
And finally and perhaps most importantly, I write this post for teachers of all grade levels and all content areas.
There is a vicious epidemic that has been spreading and continues to spread unchecked across the globe. The achievement gap that is so often spoken of is merely a cover for what is really happening.
We don't have an achievement gap, we have an opportunity gap...
There are kids who are being positioned to be game-changers in their respective parts of the world while others are being comfortably placed among the ranks of industry that is disappearing with skills that haven't been in demand in a decade.
The opportunity gap is widening at an accelerated pace during a time when technology and global connectedness are soaring.
Sure, it's easy to say that kids and their families have a choice as to which schools they attend. Families can move to different communities or choose to attend private or parochial schools that provide some of these wonderful before-mentioned opportunities.
But there's a reality that most know but seem to ignore.
Most families and students don't really have a choice as to where they reside and where they attend school. Communities are built around schools and more frequently than not, those schools who offer vast opportunities exist in communities that most can't afford. The 'haves' and 'have nots' legacy is deeply entrenched in education.
For educators, there are many variables that we can't control and as a result we must learn to work with and accept what we are presented.
This challenge can look very similar to an excuse and justification for why we can't or aren't able to do something.
I refuse to let what we can't control dictate what we can or can't do... and so should you.
Remember, the next time you hear about some school or district doing something amazing with their kids, keep in mind that the only thing preventing you from doing the same or preventing you from doing something better, is you...
