We talk a lot about what to call this movement in education. It does seem a little ridiculous to call this the "21st Century Schools Movement" when we’re already eleven years into the 21st century and we don’t really know what we’re doing yet. But naming is important and we should be able to talk meaningfully about what it is with trying to do and what the goal of all of this actually is. For me, I want to be part of a school movement that recognizes the best of what has come before us and marry that to the best of what we are today. And I think I have an idea of how I want to talk about that.

I want to create modern schools.

I want our schools to be in and of our time.

And for our time.

And for these kids.

For me, the notion of the Modern School cuts straight to the heart of what we are trying to do. Modernity is something that we are always striving for, something we’re always reinventing, something that we are always coming to terms with. But the smart Modernist understands that they stand on the shoulders of giants. Modern schools should not denigrate the past and Modern schools should not ignore what has come before us. The modernist learns from history and builds upon it. Those are the goals I want us to have. And I believe that is a powerful lens for our children. Moreover, the idea of the modern encompasses not just the tools they will they use, but the life they lead, and the challenges they face. It recognizes that school is about now, and their future while honoring and learning from the past.

A modern school movement does not assume that because we learned a certain way when we were kids that our children must learn the same. A modern school movement does not assume that what was good for us will automatically be good for them, nor does it assume that just because we did something a certain way in the past that it holds no value in the future. The modern school movement does not have to focus solely on tools or skills but rather on ideas and people and the lives we live today.

I want to create modern schools, in and of our time, for our time, for these kids.

[Incidentally, this post was written with voice recognition software. Seemed like a good idea to get out this way.]