When was the last time you allowed a choice… I mean a real choice for your students, teachers, or administrators? When were they allowed to explore, do, or create something that they were talented in and passionate about? Do you regularly feel supported and empowered to achieve in the areas that you are most excited about and proficient?
It is hard to not put constraints on a job, lesson, assignment, project or initiative. Our educational system seems to believe that without those constraints one will not learn anything, produce enough, or create the right thing. They are sure that without these structures, a person will fail if they are not told what to do and how to do it.
We need to step back and realize that by giving them the freedom and trust to create in a way that THEY are passionate about and gifted that they will actually learn more, perform better, and build the confidence to be not only the person that they want to be, but should be, for the benefit of all those around them and the rest of mankind. We must squelch this desire to micromanage our administration, staff, and/or students and empower them to pursue their passions and creatively add to and improve our education system and, by doing this, our world.
Learning to follow rules, step by step processes, and or proven curriculum has a place, but what place should it hold? Should we do we do the unthinkable and let people excel at what they do best by helping them find and live out their passions? I believe that we should… our organizations, cities, country and world will be much better off if we do!