Aurora Learners-Future Ready (Principle #8)

Very rarely does the title of a blog post come to my mind before the actual post is written.  Similar to writing an introductory paragraph for a paper, I typically write the body of the blog and then try to come up with a title based on the overall message.  However, this morning “Aurora Learners-Future Ready” immediately came to mind after reading Principle #8 from the 10 Principles for Schools of Modern Learning. 

Principle #8:  Modern Schools develop and communicate in powerful ways new stories of learning, teaching and modern context for schooling.

The reason “Aurora Learners-Future Ready” popped in my head is because it is one of the proposed “mantras” for our district’s new Strategic Vision.  I say “one of the mantras” because there are two out there. I like this particular mantra, which was actually proposed by one of the students on the committee, because it speaks to Principle #8.  Besides, you can’t go wrong when young people play a key role in your district’s strategic vision. To be honest, the strategic vision is not technically finalized, so I am not going to reveal too much of it just yet.  However, I can share some information obtained from an anonymous source within the committee. :)

     It is no secret that I believe schools should not be run as a factory or a business, but that schools should instead be looked to as a greenhouse.  (See Adopting a Greenhouse Philosophy for Schools).  The metaphor for schools as a greenhouse works because nurturing takes place in both a school and a greenhouse.  In a greenhouse the roots of plants are nurtured so that as they develop they will be able to successfully anchor and support the plant no matter the environment outside the greenhouse.  The analogous “roots” of students which are nurtured in schools are the soft skills students develop that are not seen on the surface nor are easily measured. Nonetheless, these “soft skills” or “competencies”  help anchor and support the young person no matter where they lay down their roots once they leave school. It is the development of these “roots” or “competencies” of the young people attending Aurora Schools that our strategic vision is built upon.  

     We introduce this new vision of schools with the following narrative:

Today’s schools must not only build a solid foundation of academic knowledge, but also nurture a deep sense of purpose and self in young people. These young people are not merely students, but LEARNERS with a skill set that prepares them to be successful in an ever changing world.  The following six competencies paint a portrait of our areas of emphasis for all young people (K-12) in the Aurora City Schools as defined by community stakeholders. 

This narrative ties in nicely with the aforementioned mantra:  Aurora Learners-Future Ready This mantra is a sound byte that can easily be shared and when combined with the strategic vision visual will help build the capacity of our community to understand the changes required for a modern education.  I would love to dive deeper into the competencies, but as I mentioned earlier, they are not yet official. Instead, I will just say that they are congruent with A New Narrative for our Schools introduced on this blog in September and leave the rest for another time.