Real World Ed

As I was touring Suomenlinna Sea Fortress off the coast of Helsinki in July 2016, I encountered a group of children excitedly playing and engaging with three actors portraying the noble people of the late 1700s.  The king’s crown had been lost and it was up to the children to help Gustav III find his missing diadem.  Although I couldn’t quite follow the Finnish storyline, there were a few things that were quite clear to me.  First, the children were doing the work; they were in charge of finding the clues and the adults were not providing much assistance except when a performance was needed.  Second, the engagement level was probably the highest I’ve ever seen for a group of children spending a summer day at a museum.  “Kuningas ja Kadonnut Kruunu” (The King and the Lost Crown) represented the epitome of Pasi Sahlberg’s first paradox from Finnish Lessons (2011 and 2015): “Teach Less, Learn More.”   Part of the “Teach Less, Learn More” phenomenon ...

I have always had an eagerness to start a blog, but never could quite motivate myself to begin. I enjoy writing immensely, but usually made excuses for why I wasn’t getting started.  I questioned who would want to read what I wrote; I told myself I was too busy with teaching and other extracurriculars; finally, I just couldn’t figure out what to even write about.  I’ve had various ideas over the years, but could never flesh out a concrete idea that I would want to continue with over an extended period of time.  I finally have a concept that I am both passionate about and eager to explore further: Real World Education. Why Blog? My passion is education; it’s that simple.  I love social studies (my previous subject), I love children and seeing them grow both educationally and socially, and I am sure I will love what is in store for me this upcoming school year as I transition into 8th grade language arts and instructional coaching.  As a beginning teacher, ...