Nothing changes in education when nothing changes

For the past several weeks we have been criss-crossing the country talking to teachers and administrators. Thank you immensely for all who took the time to meet with us, attend our workshops and visit our booths at conferences, from Long Beach, California to Spirit Lake, North Dakota. If you still want to meet up, I’ll be in New York City April 5–9 and in Dallas, Texas at the end of this month.

Also massive apologies to everyone in Chile we have been neglecting. We will get back to you, I swear!

Now is the time of year when schools are planning their curriculum for next year — so what will you change?

I want to start with a story my friend Annette told me. It’s a sort of fable she heard from someone else.

There was a group of people out camping one day and they saw a woman had fallen in the river and was drowning. The rapids were too dangerous for one person to dive in and save her. Thinking quickly, they formed a human chain that reached out to the middle of the river. Working together, they all pulled her in. Before they could rest, though, another person came floating down the river, this time a child. They saved this one, too. Well, it kept happening. Eventually, the campers started getting tired. One by one…