iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

Dear new teachers,

There’s a popular idea that to be a good teacher, you need to save the world. That you have to be the best all the time. That you have to live up to the great teachers who influenced you, be like those glorious, brave teachers in movies – that you need to suffer if you want to make a difference. But here’s the thing. Your students don’t need a superhero. They need someone who can listen and learn and grow; someone who can admit their mistakes and move on. Which is way better than a superhero.

You don’t have to be perfect. Teaching is a craft that takes years to master and even then, you’ll continue to make mistakes. And that’s okay.

You are enough.

Every day, I ask my kids, “What did you make in school today?” Too often, they can’t give me an answer. But on the days that they do, their eyes light up and they passionately describe their projects. It’s in those moments that I am reminded that making is magic.

I want to see schools transform into bastions of creativity and wonder.

But here’s the thing: this is hard to pull off. We all have curriculum maps and limited resources and standards we have to teach. We don’t always have fancy maker spaces or high-tech gadgetry. Our time is limited and so creativity is often a lofty ideal that rarely becomes a reality.

This is what I love about design thinking. It works within the standards in every subject. It’s a flexible approach that you can use with limited resources. It isn’t something new that you add to your crowded schedule. Instead, it’s an innovative approach to the work you are already doing — a process designed specifically to boost creativity and bring out the maker in every student.