Seventeen reasons

Chris Bigum links to Herb Childress' Seventeen Reasons Why Football Is Better Than Sex …oops High School! Reading the opening lines:

We define school as a place of learning. But as I visited classes in the high school in which I was an observer for a year, what I saw mostly—and what the students told me about most frequently—was not learning at all but boredom.

I was reminded of Will Richardson's daughter's judgment on school: "It's so boring, Daddy."

Derek points out that finding problems with schools is relatively easy, instead a healthier approach is to inquire into what works best and appreciate that.

So I welcome Rob Paterson's attitude to changing what he calls the "'Imposition' vs. 'Invitation'" approach to education. Rob's intention is "to ask kids what they would like to do and find out ways of making this happen."

To return to Childress, "…ask what it is about the activities they love that is worthy of their best effort." This sort of appreciative inquiry into education might prevent me listening to Tess' refrain uttered from my son's lips.