Change to me is synonymous to challenge, and the older I get the more I feel uncomfortable going through any kind of change in my life. Change with my routine, my lifestyle, my schedule, my driving route, my diet, and any sort of change, expect me to initially feel stressed, anxious and quite annoyed. Why, because my human self is not always willing to go through something that’s new, different and the way I picture it, I am not willing to give up something that is already convenient to me and I am comfortable with. Most of the time, what’s convenient and comfortable for me is not always what is best for me at that moment. For instance, ask me now how my eating habits are, and if they’re healthy? Of course not, but would it be easy for me to change it? Of course not! And that’s what makes CHANGE IMPORTANT. With change comes challenge, even struggle, but with change also comes a promising future, a chance for success and a greater possibility for long term progress. Change is important because it only means that there is still room for growth and improvement, and that your current situation may still get better. As we go through the process of change, we also learn. We discover ourselves, our character, and eventually become better individuals as we live our roles as parents, children, employees, co-workers, students, etc. Change is good, change is exciting, change is important.
What can I do to change the educational system? I always hear it and even I myself say it…Be the change you want to see! Easier said than done though. But with this public health emergency, I saw some unexpected outpour of change that materialized out of necessity. We were more willing to lend an extra hand, go the extra mile, support each other just to survive. We, meaning the administration, teachers, staff, students and their families did not ask what we needed to do, we just did what we can to help out. To change the educational system, be a doer, do something productive for the good of the many. Be more proactive, participate, have a voice to contribute and give feedback to projects and initiatives. Change is not easy, so be patient and consistent. Change is a process and so it may have some setbacks but be supportive and willing even during those times. Take a stand and advocate especially if it means that the system will get better. Always communicate with respect and due diligence.
Having said that, my plan is with my enrolment to this program, I may hopefully be able to contribute to the long-overdue change we all want for the educational system to have. After reading Michael Horn’s book “Blended” and watching all these videos, it dawned to me how I was the perfect example of someone who was passively just doing and implementing what everyone else believes to be working and acceptable, regardless of whether observations and data show that it’s not as effective as how it was, that it’s not generating the results we aspire for. Now the word disruptive alone caught my attention. How can something disruptive cause something good and positive. As a teacher, when a student becomes disruptive, it causes some commotion, reaction and mostly an interruption of some sort. We perceive that a disruption is usually not a good thing. So, the concept of disruptive innovation intrigued me. As I interpret it, disruptive innovation simply is an opportunity for change that offers something that is more affordable, accessible, customizable, flexible and responsive. In a nutshell, as Ken Robinson emphasized, our educational system need not be reformed, we cannot keep fine-tuning something that may already be broken. It does not need any form of evolution, instead it’s high time it gets a revolution and be transformed. And the way times are changing every nanosecond, disruptive innovation can get us to that revolutionary turn we need.
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