Michael Hynes is the superintendent of the Patchogue-Medford School District on Long Island in New York. He has a progressive vision of what schools should be, and he is implementing it in the schools of his district, with the support of the elected board.
Take a few minutes and watch his TED talk, where he explains how to transform our schools and make them schools of thoughtfulness, learning, and joy.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Basically very well said, but he needs to make one connection much clearer. The reason we have lost play, recess, electives, art, music, etc. is specifically because of those 112 standardized tests and, especially, the consequences attached to them. So long as teachers can be penalized (including losing their jobs) for their students’ test scores and so long as schools can be penalized (including being closed) for the same, test scores will continue to be the one and only focus. We can talk about restoring play all we want, but schools in low income areas and those who serve greater than average populations of special needs students simply cannot take the risk of losing focus on the test scores that they live or die by. I get the feeling that Mr. Hynes is not too keen on standardized testing, but he needs to come out much more clearly against it, especially high-stakes testing.
LikeLike
Education should be about educating the whole child. It should provide lots of opportunities for young people to learn and grow. Self knowledge is as important as other forms of of knowledge. We should provide students with a myriad of experiences as this will enable students to find their path. Therefore, we need an expansive curriculum, not one that is narrowly focused on testing in order to rate and rank young people. Rating and rankings that diminish opportunity serve no purpose in the real world. Students should have second and third chances as many late bloomers may be “diamonds in the rough.” This is particularly true for poor students that may not have had an array of experiences to prepare them for school.
LikeLike
This was a great talk. The correct balance between all these needs should be restored. The first part of this is for us to stop, as he put it, sorting children.
The real problem, however, he did not address. I fear that any solution that comes out of his talk will carry the pendulum he uses as a metaphor too far in the direction away from the balance he desires. The problem is the huge gap in the potential of the students in schools. Notice I did not say a huge gap in the abilities of the students. Allow me to explain.
Ability is the inate set of skills that make us enjoy an activity. My daughter has the ability to crawl into the characters she reads about in a way I have rarely experienced. Luckily, things have been good enough in our lives that reading has been possible. If I maintain good health, and the economy that might pay for school stays strong, she will continue to have potential. But is one leg of this table is sawed off, will she have potential?
What aspects of school are limiting the potential of our children, not feeding their abilities? When we have students who disrupt serious discussions, is this symptomatic of the sinful nature of these students? Perhaps is is symptomatic of the distance the students feel from the subject. Are we assuming too much when we prescribe the same academic or physical goals for all students based on age?
I really liked this talk. Still, there are many practical answers we need to find in our questions.
LikeLike
IMHO, education system should arrange as per PEAS strategy = Physical Education, Academics, and Social engagement = body, mind and spirit
Most importantly, all subjects have its meaningful and practical application in age-appropriate level.
For instance,
1) Train to have endurance, and flexibility body
2) Learn to have numerical, critical and rational analysis mindset
3) Engage to enjoy all music genres and to read global civilization
In short, a happy and conscientious citizen is the best source to a harmonious and peaceful community and society. Historically, commoners greatly suffer in the hand of ambitious and talented authority/ leaders who DO NOT RESPECT for humanity. Back2basic
LikeLike
If Supt. Hynes were at the helm of our educational system in NY, children would love to go to school. He would bring in “fresh air” – fundamental changes needed in the
approach to educating our children.
What a contrast from Supt. Hynes’ talk to the SED’s draft to reform NY Educational System!!! Supt. Hynes understands children and what learning is all about. The proposed draft from the NY Ed. Committee – Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)- is just more of the old CC. From skimming it, I do not see any fundamental change from the Common Core. Accountability via testing is emphasized.
In all the verbiage, I do not detect any real fundamental change in the philosophy and methodology. As Supt. Hayes pointed out, 40 school days are lost due to testing just to
rank and sort students.
Real changes need to be made at the state level by a whole new committee made up of educators with the same philosophy as Supt. Hayes.
LikeLike
What Hynes says is nothing new in the teaching and learning process-a nice repackaging of what should be occurring daily in all classrooms around the country. That it needs to be re-said is what is sad. As I ask in seeing any current supe talking about the teaching and learning process, why stop with PEAS or any other supposed “reform”? That is about 1/10 of what needs to be done. For without eliminating the other 9 out of 10 overriding “problem” areas that consume 90% of the time of the teaching and learning process, well those PEAS can nor will ever make up for the malnutrition that goes as education these days.
He talks of children being over-scheduled. Quite true in some situations, especially true in many Long Island schools I’m sure. But for many other students, being under-scheduled is more of a problem. If you don’t know what I mean by being under-scheduled think about rural or urban poverty districts where the choice to be overscheduled is nowhere near what it is in a high SES district. And I’m not talking about the “vaunted” AP nonsense that has such pyritic hold on so many.
But not only that. How about teachers who are so “over-scheduled” to the point of both mental and physical exhaustion. Try teaching 6/7 classes with over thirty in each class, over 180 students a day. Sure makes “shadowing” a student seem like a piece of cake.
That is the current condition for many teachers, who by the way earn only a pittance in comparison to their supes.
Now I know that a TEDex talk is not supposed to solve all the world’s problems, but I didn’t find the talk to be anything much more than most supe-adminimal talks I’ve heard in the last 25 years or so. Certainly not a bad talk, but certainly nothing earth shattering, and the fact that it is considered a courageous and outstanding talk shows just how low the bar has been placed in talking about the teaching and learning process.
LikeLike
100% agree. The hardest thing to do in 18 minutes is a keep a single focus. My orginak script (45 iterations ago) spoke to much of what you are all saying. Like I said, the talk must be focused on one thing.
I appreciate all the comments. The bottom line is, the fact I even have to speak about it is sad. What would be more sad is if the current trend continues…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have you had a chance to read Comte-Sponville’s work Michael? If so any thoughts?
Also a good short read 15 or so pages, on the invalidities involved with standards and standardized testing by Noel Wilson–“A little less than valid: An essay review.” Found at: http://edrev.asu.edu/index.php/ER/article/view/1372/43
LikeLike
One more thing….nothing will change, and I mean nothing if school leaders DO NOT go against the grain of what is being pushed down both by state and federal mandates. This is where it starts and ends. We must honor our teachers, make decisions that will most likely make you ostracized and stop the asinine testing practices of testing our kids into oblivion (both state and in house). My district had 80% opt out of state tests. Changing the culture of what we believe is best for teachers and children is possible.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll read your suggested books. Thanks.
LikeLike