Learning That Sticks

My fondest memories of school had to do with projects. 

Time spent on a task with friends or moments of deep connection. I also remember the REALLY BAD times.. times when I felt insecure, powerless and frankly misunderstood. These negative and positive events are etched into my brain. The stuff in the middle is lost, my brain has trimmed it. Really, that is a real thing, did you know your brain prunes what is not important?

 I remember sitting in Kindergarten on a rug listening to my teacher sing Puff The Magic Dragon. She sported a jean shirt, and a red afro.  I remember Micro City in 5th grade, we got to plan and create our own business from advertising to sales.  I remember government class when we got to act in mock trials. I remember homecoming week when we got to build themed sets in the hallway. Those are the times I learned, the times when my heart was filled with joy and I was motivated beyond belief to think critically, to gain new knowledge from experience and to connect with others to reach a common goal.  I couldn't wait to wake up and go to school when we worked on group projects, I'm social and it triggered something in me, I became secure, powerful, and totally understood. Through these projects, I learned that I had ideas! I had leadership skills, I was creative and fully capable of learning. 

Learning is the stuff that does not get trimmed, it's the stuff that shapes who you are. If this is true then why don't we fill schools with busy children working together on meaningful projects, sharing ideas and LEARNING?? 

 Stop wasting time on pruned "learning"  like busy work, worksheets, and listening to lectures and instead, fill our days with more authentic learning, More doing things, touching things, connecting to people MORE LEARNING.. REAL LEARNING... Learning that STICKS!