“Seeing students as whole learners - lifelong learners - is the moral foundation of education. No program or policy that prioritizes short-term gains should ever prevail over learning that lasts.” The moral foundation of education is seeing students as whole learners. Not numbers. Not test scores. Not weighted seats. I truly believe that it is with this conviction that each of us enters this noble profession. However, it is not long before stress, policy, mandates, and a lack of resources find many jaded and trying to get by while meeting the requirements and calls for improvement by those that have little understanding of how things like ESSA designations and School Report Cards are calculated. It is easy to succumb to the external pressures that lead otherwise passionate educators down a path of standardization and one-size-fits-all curriculum meant to better align to test scores. It is not to be said that student achievement isn’t important, but if the moral foundation of our profession is, as Dr. Gustafson states, seeing students as whole, lifelong learners, then we must do a better job of communicating the variables that are not seen in these mass-produced formulas and weighted criteria that dictate the perceived “success” and “failure” of a school district.
What we must value, as Dr. Gustafson illustrates in his portrait of a classmate named Joey, is the way our students feel about themselves. We must value our ability to see in our students a potential that they may not recognize for themselves. We must seek to help each and every student find the light within them and empower them to grow as individuals. This must be true for ALL students.
Obstacles will present themselves. Dr. Gustafson reminds us that we do not all have the same priorities or philosophies about what is best for children. We will run into challenging co-workers and supervisors. There will always be difficult situations. But he also states that, “Adversity can always teach us something if we let it. Vulnerability and humility accelerate our learning, but even the smallest excuse or deflection will stunt our growth.” It is our duty as educators to identify priorities and common goals; “to help students achieve at high levels while seeing them as whole learners.”
What we must value, as Dr. Gustafson illustrates in his portrait of a classmate named Joey, is the way our students feel about themselves. We must value our ability to see in our students a potential that they may not recognize for themselves. We must seek to help each and every student find the light within them and empower them to grow as individuals. This must be true for ALL students.
Obstacles will present themselves. Dr. Gustafson reminds us that we do not all have the same priorities or philosophies about what is best for children. We will run into challenging co-workers and supervisors. There will always be difficult situations. But he also states that, “Adversity can always teach us something if we let it. Vulnerability and humility accelerate our learning, but even the smallest excuse or deflection will stunt our growth.” It is our duty as educators to identify priorities and common goals; “to help students achieve at high levels while seeing them as whole learners.”