School’s Out for Summer!
I was driving through town on what was the last day of school. Teachers lined the school driveway while students poured out onto the buses. There was music playing and everyone was cheering. The excitement around school ending was undeniable. I recall having those same emotions on the last day of school, both as a student and as a teacher. The summer months were filled with possibilities. This got me thinking…How can we bring the joy of summer vacation into the school year?
Creating Authentic Learning Experiences
For me, much of the excitement around an unstructured summer day comes from the wondrous options that exist. I can swim, read, or hike. Maybe I might spend time improving my golf game, sitting by the water, or reading a book. Whatever I decide to do, it is about my interests and passions. I can choose what I want to do, as well as when and how to do it. Even if I have projects to tackle, how I accomplish them is up to me. I argue that we need to take the same approach to school.
While this may seem like a tall order, I believe it can be done. I remember a conversation with a parent of a high school student who had passed his written test for his private pilot’s license. Her son was part of an aviation program offered through the Career Tech Center at his high school. He attended classes during school, and then also participated in flying lessons on Saturdays. His mother commented on how she never had to argue with him about getting up early to go to his classes on Saturdays, and how he studied harder for that test than she had ever seen. Other students in this program are working to learn airplane mechanic skills and how to fly drones. Some of these students had to ride a school bus for over an hour both ways to get to the airfield on Saturday mornings. These students come from diverse backgrounds and experiences. The thread that connected them was their interest in aviation.
While an aviation program is naturally engaging, and sparks interest among many students, providing learning experiences aligned to student interests does not require an airplane. I’ve seen schools offer STEM, theater, and fitness camps over vacations, with such demand that additional staff were needed. Students of various ages and from different backgrounds chose to go to “school” during their vacation to collaboratively solve authentic problems, engage in design, and push themselves to achieve goals.
Why is such learning reserved for camps and specialty programs? Why can’t we replicate these types of learning experiences during the regular school day? Such energy can be created in ANY classroom. The emphasis on test scores and accountability has caused many educators to narrow curriculum and instruction to focus on the acquisition of basic skills, restricting access to enriching learning experiences and exacerbating gaps in achievement (Davis & Martin, 2018; Herman & Golan, 1993, Wantabe, 2008). If we are serious about creating equity in outcomes for all learners, including those furthest from opportunity, we need to find opportunities to co-create with students, building on their strengths and interests, and ensuring they all have access to the types of learning experiences that will allow them to develop the durable skills and dispositions critical for success. This is happening in pockets of excellence around our country. 2Rev Coach Dov Stucker highlights multiple examples in his blog post Bringing it Home. The real challenge is moving from individual examples to systemic change so these experiences are the norm, not the exception.
This can, and has, been done. When schools shut down in March of 2020, the entire country had to transform how it looked to do school. This was one of the unexpected positive impacts of the pandemic…it forced us to reimagine what school could be. There was an urgent need to transform learning experiences for students, which led to some really creative solutions. We could have allowed the obstacles to stop us. Instead, we found the cracks in the barriers and used them as opportunities for transformation. There were so many examples of this! One of my favorites was the Kennett High School graduation celebration in 2020. Leveraging community resources and being willing to challenge preconceived ideas around what a graduation was supposed to be led to our students graduating on the top of Cranmore Mountain. We were able to meet all required safety guidelines while creating a memorable, joyous experience that will last a lifetime. Using that same mindset, seeing what is possible and challenging our mental models of what school is supposed to look like, will allow us to create new possibilities.
We can’t forget the teachers!
While creating student-centered, authentic learning experiences is critical if we are to make going to school as joyful as being on vacation, we must also remember that our teachers deserve the same types of experiences. The excitement around vacation, and the corresponding dread of its impending end, is not limited to students. We know that educators are leaving the profession in record numbers. Engaging students requires that educators also experience joy in coming to school. When teachers are overwhelmed by mandates, rigid schedules, and calls for accountability, it can be difficult to find joy.
Now, I am not advocating for the wild west in terms of curriculum. Nor am I arguing to eliminate accountability. Our schools have a responsibility to ensure each and every student develops the skills necessary for achieving their goals. Coherence in curriculum is necessary to avoid gaps in learning. However, this can be accomplished by providing space for educators to use their creativity in designing learning experiences with their students. Andrea Stewart describes how the uniqueness of educators and schools requires a personalized approach to professional learning if we are to model what we say we believe and develop learner-centered educational models. Accountability systems consisting of multiple indicators, rather than focusing on a single score on a standardized test, demonstrate a commitment to seeing the whole child and valuing who they are as learners. School and district leaders must take action to advocate for and create the conditions that bring joy to teachers.
Bringing Joy to “Back to School”
To me, there is a magic to the summer months. They offer opportunities for rejuvenation, exploration, and continual growth. My goal is to make going to school just as magical. If we are willing to challenge our preconceived notions, listen to our learners, and leverage the resources within our communities, we will be able to create joyful learning ecosystems for students and teachers. We just need to see the possibilities that exist and run with them.
