In this NY Times article, Mark C. Taylor, chairman of the department of religion at Columbia University and professor emeritus of humanities at Williams College, asserts that many of his students end up at college not exactly knowing why they're there.
His point resonates with much of the research on motivation and 21st Century educational thinking in that so much time is spent preparing for the next level that our kids don't have time to think about and develop passions. As we race to prepare our students for the next level, we make it very difficult for them to find out who they are and what they care about.
This is a real issue.
Overemphasis on product over process leads to disengagement and passivity. Creativity is a necessary component of a life lived well, and time must be given to develop a creative mind-set within the context of the school day. Students involved in meaning-making will be the adults who improve our world in substantial ways. Schools like ours need to understand this and work to structure educational experiences so that our students are connected, inspired, and challenged to bring themselves fully into their world and to make a difference for those around them.
As we move into the third week of school and as our routines are becoming, well, routine, I remind you to stay focused on what matters and why. If our students are to develop their passions and involve themselves fully in their work, we're going to have to make sure the work we ask them to do is the kind of work that nurtures the spirit, raises consciousness, and allows them room to find themselves within it.
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