Isn’t it peculiar how most of us resist change? I am as guilty as anyone I suppose. We get a little set in our ways and forget that the world around us requires us to be flexible and change with it. The old ways of doing things are gone with the coming of each new day. Information comes to us in ways and at speeds that just a few years ago were unheard of. Of course, this notion is nothing new and some of our old ways of dealing with change are just as current now as they have been since the beginning. The bottom line for me is that while the world continues to move along and methods of learning will change accordingly, the end goal is still the same and the tools we use to get there have not changed at their core. Young people today are absolutely “wired” differently than they were in generations past. In my opinion, the wiring is so different that we as educators need to change our methods of delivery to match how young people learn. That change in methods is becoming desperate in fact. This notion is nothing new either and has been needed at many points in history as humanity has progressed through different stages of technological development. The problem now is that the progression is happening so quickly we all need to be more flexible and move faster than ever before. Whether we are a school teacher, parent, pastor, or coach, it is our responsibility to help keep the torch of education burning.
While methods have and continue to change, the same tools are needed for anyone to learn. Intellectual curiosity regarding our chosen field must be inspired. Grit and determination to achieve our goals and perform at the highest level should be expected and required. Winning and losing are parts of the real world and should not be hidden from any person. Above all, educators need to remember that engaged guidance in the pursuit of purpose and passion are more than afterthoughts. As I conclude my inaugural blog post, let me leave you with this parting thought. Since the beginning, times have been changing. The speed of the change has always been accelerating. The tools that all learners of all ages need to have in order to prosper during the change have remained the same. Our job is to leverage those tools that were given to us to their fullest in order to continue to move forward in the pursuit of wisdom.
