Starting a blog is like jumping from the top of a bluff without looking to see how high or what is at the bottom of that bluff. I do not know where this will lead or how long it will take to reach the bottom. But I have jumped. I have only jumped because I can see a crowd behind me running in my direction. The only direction to go is forward. It is, perhaps, too bad that I have run out of land to stand on, but I would rather jump than be pushed. Somehow I feel I have more control over jumping than falling. I am not sure I should debate it that long since I have already taken the leap. Now what?
The people behind me are in a series of frantic conversations. They are shouting, carrying banners, building videos, blogging, tweeting, and singing about the difficulties they see in education and how education and learning is out of control. Some students of the 21st Century are not responsible, have no understanding of deadlines, do not admit to harsh realities such as lying, cheating, stealing, and general law breaking. A cartoon in a daily newspaper May 6 illustrates the point. A child talking to her grandparent tells how the cartoon "bad guy" was caught passing a note during a test. The grandparent says "so he was cheating." To which the child says, "Yeah, but we don't call it that, Grandpa. He was test messaging." Funny, but an excellent example of our current ability to rephrase our life in such a way as to cover the truth and to live with our lies. So, how did we get here and what can we do now that we know we are here? If you read this, you perhaps care what is being said about education.
