Stephen Valentine, a member of the editorial board of Columbia University’s highly respected Klingenstein Center “Klingbrief” publication published the following short review and recommendation of #EdJourney yesterday, entitled “Our Very Own Kerouac”:
Many educators know about Grant Lichtman’s recent road trip. He visited 64 public and private schools in 89 days, talking deeply with hundreds of teachers, administrators and parents. Lichtman’s jaunt in itself is instructive. It provokes us to journey out of our own schools and to look beyond our own traditions, to ask more questions and to share more of what’s interesting about our local practices. But his story transcends its picaresque mechanics. Like the proverbial Zen master, Lichtman specializes in the hard slap to the back of the head – helping us quickly see what we have always sensed to be true. Talk about risk taking and failure, so popular in the modern press, is not compatible with the way most schools actually operate; having a 1:1 or iPad program should not be mistaken for true innovation in a school; bold use of time in schools will allow students to use at least part of their classroom time to pursue their passions; old school management practices won’t help us create new school learning environments. Though parts of this book rehash popular critiques of schooling, Lichtman celebrates what we do well, reminds us that we can always do better and shines a light on the road forward.
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