CONCORD – “Imagine a world in which every child’s potential is valued; where every child receives the excellent education, they deserve. What would our government look like? What would our neighborhoods look like? What would our schools look like? What would our classrooms look like? What would school be like if we asked students to tell us what we adults don’t know?” Excerpt from the Introduction to I Wish My Teacher Knew, by Kyle Schwartz.
In 2015, a third-grade teacher, Kyle Schwartz, asked her students to complete this fill-in-the-blank sentence: “I wish my teacher knew ___________________.
Schwartz found their answers to be poignant and full of sincerity. She shared some of the “heart-breaking” answers via Twitter using the hashtag #IWishMyTeacherKnew. Her posts went viral and created a “movement” among teachers across the nation, as they duplicated her assignment to learn more about their own students. The story was published by national newspapers and was featured on ABC World News Tonight.
Ms. Schwartz discovered that in learning about the lives of her students, she could inspire others to act, to make sure the emotional, physical, financial, social, and academic support they needed could be identified and addressed.
Each school faces unique challenges. We cannot rely on local, state, or federal governments to take true responsibility for the issues our schools face locally. We need to learn about our students, support our schools and address OUR local needs.
How could we begin this movement within our own communities to support and improve our schools?
It would begin with posing a prompt and listening to the answers: “I Wish My Teacher, Family, School, and Community Knew __________.”
We would ask individuals from all walks of life to participate: current students, teachers, and administrators; small and large business owners; a person living homeless; civic organizations; an incarcerated individual; the faith-based community; a person who dropped out of school; social services; law-enforcement; a student with special needs; fire and emergency medical services; an immigrant student; the Chamber of Commerce; a former student; the City Council; and the retirement community.
Every person has a story to tell. Are the answers as to how to improve education in our own community lying within one of them?
As stated by Brendan O’Keefe (Edutopia): “I believe the answer to real education/school transformation is strong, authentic community connections and actions. When families, community groups, business and schools band together to support learning, young people achieve more in school, stay in school longer, and enjoy the experience more. If we respect each other and acknowledge our unique contribution, we can move forward quickly in a positive environment where we can all be teachers and learners.”
And so, at this commencement point for another school year, I now ask you to explore the perspectives of your students with the “I Wish My Teacher, Family, School, and Community Knew __________” prompt. The results just may surprise you as to how much you didn’t know that you didn’t know about your students!
