Every couple of years it seems another “Did do you know” video is released. I have shared these videos with faculty, staff, students, parents, and readers in the “blog world” for the past few years. The version I am sharing with this blog post is current as of May 2013 so some of the information may already be out of date, but after reviewing, readers will understand the message.

Big picture: Our public schools still resemble, in many ways, the 19th Century Industrial Model (the factory model). In a 2006 article in Time magazine, there is commentary on how Rip Van Winkle appears in the 21st Century (see excerpt below):

The world has changed, but the American classroom, for the most part, hasn’t. Now educators are starting to look at what must be done to make sure our kids make the grade in the new global economy

By Claudia Wallis and Sonja Steptoe Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006

There’s a dark little joke exchanged by educators with a dissident streak: Rip Van Winkle awakens in the 21st century after a hundred-year snooze and is, of course, utterly bewildered by what he sees. Men and women dash about, talking to small metal devices pinned to their ears. Young people sit at home on sofas, moving miniature athletes around on electronic screens. Older folk defy death and disability with metronomes in their chests and with hips made of metal and plastic. Airports, hospitals, shopping malls–every place Rip goes just baffles him. But when he finally walks into a schoolroom, the old…

Read more: How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century – TIME http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1568480,00.html#ixzz2nEWV6tI2

The point of the article is that Rip Van Winkle is confused by modern day experiences like air planes, shopping malls, electronics, etc. – but when he walks into a classroom he is calm and comfortable … because structurally speaking, most classrooms have not changed (or had not changed as of 2006).

The point of course is that our charge is to prepare students for schooling and work in THEIR future … not ours … so while nostalgia fans might want their kid’s schooling to look like theirs – my charge is to foster an innovative, modern, present day – future focused learning organization! Thankfully we have amazing teachers, students, support staff, administrators, board members and community members in our district and these lofty goals can be seen!

So … that’s the background for the video: