So welcome to another episode of Blooming Curious.
Now, many of the guests that I've had on Blooming Curious are educators who
have been in education a long time.
These are people like Claire Warden and Jessica Vance and
Tanya Gilchrist, April Zajko
and most recently, like last week, we had Sally Haughey.
These are people who have been around the block a few times.
It's not their first rodeo.
And more importantly like me, they have seen firsthand the
decline of curiosity in children.
And last week, Sally reiterated what I've been saying for the longest time, and
that is that curiosity is the foundation
of learning and without curiosity, learning, creativity, problem
solving, questioning and critical thinking cannot happen.
And she also said something else that I've been thinking of and sort of
saying, but possibly not loud enough, and not to the point that she said it,
and that is that many educators, who of course, as we know, are the model for
children, have taken the easy route, and it's easy just to follow script.
It's easy not to have to deal with a little bit of chaos that is inevitable
when you start implementing inquiry-based learning into your practice for example.
it's easier to give children a worksheet to complete at their desks instead of
having them exploring and working on projects that take time to set up and
time to be present for the children as they learn new skills associated
with inquiry or problem solving.
If we are to call a spade a spade.
That means really that it's easier to be lazy.
And how can we expect children to love learning and to be enthusiastic about
learning when the adults in the room have already checked themselves out?
And as Sally said, it takes something to be a fully present educator.
So today that's what I want to leave you with.
An invitation to reflect on what you really value as an educator,
whether you are in the classroom or you're in your own home.
Because if you are here in education, in whatever setting, it is to make a
difference in the lives of children.
And if you spend your day reading from a script,
or having children constantly on devices and filling out worksheets,
then perhaps now is a good time for a little deep reflection.
And also, I want to just say, that this is not coming from a place of
criticism, because I know that as educators, we are just products of
the training that we receive and the demands from our administrators.
But there comes a time when you have to draw a line in the
sand, take a stand and be brave.
You have to stand up for what you truly believe.
And if you believe that children are innately curious beings that deserve
better, that deserve a chance to be what they were intended for, to be
curious and inventive and creative, then I invite you to make the change
and be what you were truly meant
to be called to do... to teach children how to think, and that's
what I'm leaving you with today.
So thank you for being here.
Thank you for your support.
This podcast is only here because you show up and you listen.
So thank you for that.
And if you really find any value in anything that I have to say,
then I would love you to click that share button and share this
episode with a friend or a colleague
'cause that's the only way this podcast can grow.
So until next week, just stay blooming curious.