Perhaps we are being given the chance now to change the way children will learn in a time of a virus that has altered the way we live and has shaken up many lives. Some people believe that our society must crash, which it is close to doing, before we can arise again like the Phoenix Bird into what is called, “The New Earth.” Personally, I think this is possible and I believe there is a New Earth just waiting for us to inhabit but it takes determination, patience and a completely new paradigm or way of thinking and creating. Many people who are flexible and forward thinking will contribute new ways of doing things.

One of the areas that desperately need a shake-up is our educational system. Learning by rote is not the way to go. We should be cherishing the diversity of individual talent. All parents intuitively know where their child can excel.

What I believe needs to be addressed from the vantage point of a teacher with 25 years of experience in both the public and private sectors are the principles of transformation. One of the most foremost principles is that of diversity. Education has got to cherish the diversity of individual talent because what the problem is today seems to be uniformity.

DEVELOP THE IMAGINATION

I will suggest that individuality can be helped along with the right strategies. A kind of magic happens to a child who sees beyond the rigid curriculum. He comes alive and excited. This magic happens from within as he goes beyond the ordinary dictates of educators and administrators who are told how the curriculum should lay out in order for students to pass standardized tests.

Here’s an example: A student learns in science or math class how Einstein came up with his theory of relativity. He sees the equations but something doesn’t gel for him. He doesn’t automatically believe in EMC2 and the general theory of relativity. He is creative and he has the latent power to think outside the box and use his intuition inventing a different way.

This student has a developed imagination and is never reproached for using it. In fact, he is encouraged. This validation could be a new departure in education which would allow kids to become visionaries. I would start this new curriculum with sets of imagination exercises that are designed to liberate the child from his false perceptions. As Hamlet said to Horatio, “There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Tags: Educational Diversity, New Paradigms in Education, Developing Imagination