“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will
forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”
-- Maya Angelou
By Tommie Saylor
Kennedy High School Principal
Why are children so excited about school at the elementary level, yet
lose interest in high school? I believe it is because of the difference in
approach.
In the elementary schools, the focus is on learning. In the high school
the focus seems to be on accountability.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not blaming teachers, schools or
administrators for this difference. In fact, I believe the blame squarely lies
on the shoulders of our legislators, who seem to be more concerned about test
scores than the quality of a student’s educational experience. I’m doing
nothing more than observing and pointing out the difference.
From my experience and observations, our elementary schools take
great pains in creating a loving, nurturing environment centered on learning
and self-discovery. Essentially, that approach to educating children works.
Parents are happy and students develop a love for learning. They get it right.
But why the big disconnect by the time they get to high school?
Some say because some parents are tired by the time students get to
high school and no longer play an active role in their student’s educational
process.
Others say its because some parents can no longer help their children
with their homework and therefore lose an interest in their children’s
education, thus allowing our students to also lose interest.
Still others want to blame the multitude of distractions that
come into play when a child becomes of high school age, the disintegration of
our society, and simple teenage apathy.
But, I believe the cause is much simpler. I believe that
because our legislators are so focused on accountability, they have enacted
laws focused solely on that accountability. They appear to have created a
system in which the quantity of test scores are more important than the quality
of our classrooms.
That has created a trap that ensnared us all. In today’s high
schools we are more focused, concerned with accountability than on learning.
Students don’t lose the love for learning when they enter
secondary education. Instead, I would argue that the system drives it out of
them. Imagine what it would be like if our students in high school had the same
love of learning they had in elementary school?
Discipline issues would be almost nonexistent. Skipping classes and
absenteeism would be non-issues. Parents would be our biggest supporters and
test scores would soar because students would be learning because they want to
learn, as opposed to being forced to learn.
Look at those students that do excel in high school. What do
they all have in common? They never lost their love for learning.
Though I understand and agree with the importance of
accountability, I do not believe it should be our primary focus. If we spent
our efforts cultivating our students’ love of learning – if we asked them what
they “wanted” to learn as opposed to telling them what they “will” learn – test
scores and accountability would take care of itself.
We need to build a love of learning in your students. We need to
make learning fun. A little “edu-tainment” goes a long way.
You can teach students what they need to know for the test, or
you can awaken in them a love of learning that will serve the students during
the rest of their lives.
Remember, their future is in our hands. Making Kennedy the
school of choice. Excellence by design.
