Summer Readings

I found the summer readings, Preparing our Youth to Engage the World and, Educating for Global Competency, to be quite thought provoking and on target with regard to the direction education ought to be taking.  Being new to BB&N, it's exciting to enter a community that is taking the time to think about the world our students will be required to navigate and how best to genuinely prepare them.  I was particularly struck by the periodic emphasis in the readings on the importance of nurturing creative thought.  So often it seems that discussions of educating for global competency are limited to the importance of providing enough training in math, science, and technology, when the reality is so much more complex than that. 

Addressing the obstacles to change that Howard Gardner articulates seems vitally important. Having worked for many years as an early childhood educator, I have been struck repeatedly by the marked improvement in a child's motivation, engagement with curriculum, and performance level, when parents are supportive of the curriculum being implemented.  As Gardner points out, approaches that are different from the "known" are not well received.  It seems that, as we move forward in our earnest attempts to educate children for global competency, working in partnership with families is essential.

Karyn