Wow! The more I read of Teach Like a PIRATE, the more I realize that Dave Burgess holds many of the same educational philosophies that I do. Now that I have finished the book, I can't help but think about my own book, There's No Busyness Like School Busyness, and the similarities it shares. For example, I share a story in the introductory pages of ...School Busyness about a time in my career when I was ready to throw in the towel. I was so frustrated with administration that I became cynical and radiated negativity. Others were venting to me about their own frustrations, as well. Finally, I was fired from mentoring new teachers that year, and I told my wife that I was ready to go to the school and pack up my things. The bosses could figure out what to do with the kids on Monday. |
I strongly believe in the power of collaboration, but I don't believe the final goal of such work should be to come to a single "right" way of teaching. Collaboration can make all contributors better teachers as they are exposed to others' ideas and have a chance to draw on the collective intelligence of the group. Collaborative environments can challenge your thinking and push you to places you might not have reached without the support of your peers. However, I have also seen collaboration used to force conformity and stifle creativity. It's a fine line.
Be wary of people selling complete programs that will supposedly solve all educational problems. I believe that there is no single answer for how to fix our schools but that we should take the best ideas from everything that we can find.