Where Do We Go From Here?
Illustrated by: iFp Teen Creative Ashi
We are iFp and Cambridge Public School students. Over the past several weeks, we have shared ways to improve the educational system through our blogs. We have discussed many topics such as the importance of curiosity, inspiration, motivation, expression and risk-taking. We talked about the need to view educational change from a systems perspective in order to combat educational disparities. Now we want to tie all of these ideas together and recommend solutions that will have a positive impact on our education.
2 Blocks is a student-led movement created to build bridges between the educational system and professional world. There are learning opportunities all around Cambridge and Kendall Square. These can help students become more familiar with college and career choices if integrated into our school system. Opportunities are not reaching everyone equally and this is where the opportunity gap begins. Everyone should have the chance to reach their full potential. These opportunities provide a space where students can grow.
There are people who learn effectively in the current educational system and many more who do not. Although a few changes have been made over the years, the system continues to use a ‘one size fits all’ concept. This approach benefits some more than others.
Goals We Seek + Action
The blogs that we have written are not just theory, but goals for the educational system. The ideas presented are essential for the school system to improve its relevance in the world that we live in. For instance, there are more jobs in Cambridge that focus on being creative and innovative, while many subjects taught in schools may not be beneficial for those types of jobs.
The goals discussed curiosity, expression, motivation, and inspiration bring the changes that we want to see. We want schools to nurture innovative mindsets.
Your Role
Everyone plays an important role in the educational system. The system requires that we work cooperatively. Each role requires different actions. The stakeholders identified in this system are teachers, policy makers, administrators, businesses, students and community members.
It is VERY hard to come up with a viable solution. It will require different solutions for each part of the system. Not everything will work well at first. This is innovation. We need to take risks and learn from our mistakes in order for our educational system to improve. We have to act now.
Teachers should create classroom atmospheres that encourage curiosity, motivation, and expression:
Build more personal relationships with the students
Use teaching strategies that create student involvement (passion projects, socratic seminars)
Encourage students to take more risks in their work
Policy Makers and Administrators should support policies that advance equity, justice, and belonging in education:
Acknowledge their ability to change the system
Support new learning opportunities for the students
Make the system less dependent on grades and more on learning opportunities
Businesses should support authentic learning:
Expose students to professional careers
Connect with schools to bring more opportunities into the classroom
Students can demonstrate excitement in learning:
Embracing opportunities that come your way
Doing your best in school and encouraging others to do so
Everyone can become a part of the conversation. Help spread the word about our campaign on social media, share feedback on the current educational system and most importantly, act to bring change!.
Conclusion
2 Blocks is not like a school project. After these blogs are finished, we will continue to discuss change and hope others will do so as well. The purpose of school is to prepare us for the future. Students should be excited about learning. The learning opportunities should reflect what inspires us. Kendall Square and the Port are only 2 Blocks away from one another. We should ensure that all students have the same opportunities to succeed. We need to work together to make the educational system more equitable.